In late June of I was contacted by a local sales person that offered to transfer a lease credit card machine to my new art gallery business. I knew the current leasor of the machine so, this was a transaction that I felt confortable with at the time. It was not explained to me up front by the local sales person nor was I made aware that I was entering into what I would later be told was a "Non-Cancellable Lease".in fact, I never signed a contract as I learn when I look back over my paperwork. I was asked just to send in a void check for 100.00 which would complete the process of transfering the machine and the paperwork would be handeled by the sales person. Due to a mistake i later learned that was made by the local salesperson, I was discovered that the sales person sent the wrong check to the company in question which resulted in me having to later to jump through hoops with the company in question to retify the problem, The company begin to call my spouse, using the excuse that since he appeared on the check that they received they assumed that he was the owner of the business. The company did not attempt to contact me (the owner of the business) nor the sales person, in which the company later stated that they did not know, once they discovered this problem. The company begain to harass my husband at his job about the check. I explained to the company in question several times what the local sales person sent them the wrong check, but to no avail would anyone acknowledge what I was saying. The phone calls continued to my husband after I was told twice by the company that the problem would be noted and handled and the calls would be discontinued. The calls finally stopped when I threaten to file a harassment complaint against them and niot to emtion that they were illegally contacting a perosn that was not the owner of my business about my businees affairs, and noting that they were making calls to a governnment contracted facility to person that had a secret security clearance.
On August 29, I lost my business to Hurricane Katrina. I had only been in business since June of and had finally ironed out all of the difficulties that were needed to start accepting and processing credit cards in July. Since I lost the business, it has taken awhile to find all of my business papers and information. However, I continued to pay the Lease Finance Group and others until I could find what I needed to cancel contracts, and services. I started on February 1, with Total Merchants Services, who was very obliging in helping me to discontinue services for peocessing credit cards at which time I was told that I would have to contact the credit card companies individually to cancel services with them. I was told that Total Merchant could not advise me as to who to contact about the lease of credit card machine. I explained thet the local services person could not be contact and that the area that she resided in before the storm had been completely destroyed. I was given several numbers that total merchants stated that may be able to help me but neither could offer any information. I called my local bank on February 6 who was able to research where the leasing services were coming from which lead to Lease Finance Group. This is whether it all went down hill, and where my distress escalated. I was told that I had a "Non Cancellable Lease" and that if I did not have insurance, I would be held liable to pay on this account monthly for 27 months. I explained that there had not been enough time for me to complete the startup requirnments for my business before the Hurrincae and, that I was not aware nor willing to pay on an account for a lease on a machine that I would never be able to use again. I explained that not only was I unaware of a non cancellable lease, but that I was now living in a Diaster Area that had wiped out my business and my ability to reopen a business. I was told that I needed to find a perosn that was willing to take over the lease. To this I stated, that in an area where over 85 % of small businesses were put out of business, where people are still living in tents, where most of us are worried about how we are going to rebuild our homes and our lives, the issue of "finding": someone to take over a credit card lease would be a serious joke. I was told that this was the best that the company could do other than to "hold my invoice" until I could pay for the lease ($40.00 a month for 27 months). There was a tit for tat at which time I asked for the name of the CEO of the company. This started a 15 minute round of evasion and with a referral to a supervisor and an offer to speak to a manager. I was thenm told that lease Finance this was not a CEO company, and that I would have to follow the chain of command with a formal letter of complaint and that my case would be looked at. I stated that this was unacceptable and if I needed to seek and attorney to get accross that what lease finance group was doing to hold someone accountable for a lease (1) that I did not sign and (2) who is a victim of a natural diaster, and had lost their business to such was totally insensitve and questionable. I again asked for the CEO or "person in charge". I was told that my case did not warrant a CEO complaint. Seeing that I was getting nowhere, I asked for the address of the company. I was given the address noted and given a managers name.in researching on the internet, I found that this company has a history of trying to enforce such a insane policy. I found that small businesses are their prey.
My intent at this point is to do whatever it takes to not only expose these people but to make sure that I use every resource that I can to bring attention to such a rip off and disgrace. A company that would go to any extent to get paid, even if it means charing someone for a services that not only cannot be restored, but where clients like my self that live in this area are fighting everyday just to survive the effects left from the most devastating natural diaster in our nations history. One of the persons that I talked to doing this exchange even went to the extent to offer their sympathy for my situation. This really enraged me even more. Sympathy is not what I am after, and I let that be known. I need and will find a way to cancel this insane lease. This company is a disgrace in my book and one that needs to be shut down. Who really holds folks like these accountable?
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