Complaint / Review
Aaron's Rent To Own
Stand Damage Dispute Led to Daily Calls and House Visits

A little over a year ago I went into Aaron's after seeing an ad for a new 60 inch projection TV for 109.00 a month. This is actually a good deal in comparison to Rent a Center. They charge quite a bit more for the same item. I paid the required deposit to order the TV. Within a week I received a call saying that the TV was in and ready to be delivered. The only stipulation was that it came with a stand, and that would bump the payment up by ten dollars a month. I told the sales person that I already have a nice stand and did not need theirs. I was told that this was the only way I could rent the TV. I agreed and they delivered the television. The actual payment was 160.00 a month, which included taxes, the stand, paying bimonthly, and their service protection plan. That is almost 50 percent more than their advertised price! I signed the contract, so I accepted the terms.

I was late on several occasions due to slow business, but I always got the account caught up and the store manager was willing to work with me. After nine months of renting, I called the store to find out how much the payoff was on the TV. I was shocked to find out that I still owed over $1,800.00. I debated what to do for a week and then told the manager to come and pick up the TV, since it was a luxury and not a necessity and I really did not need the additional bills.

Before they came to pick up the TV, I explained to the manager that we had stored the stand that came with the TV in the garage and that my girlfriend accidentally pulled up too far in her car and hit the stand, breaking the glass shelves. The stand was a fairly inexpensive brand and is way too small for most large projection TVs. I have seen the stand selling for less than 140.00 online. He said that I would have to pay for the stand and that it was not covered under the service protection policy. Does this policy cover anything? I found my original agreement and it stated that the price of the stand is 150.00. That was the cash price and, I believe, should be the fair market value since it is now used and damaged. This means that I should have only owed them around 60.00 if you subtract the nine payments that I had made toward the stand. The store manager called and told me that I still owed 128.00. I really did not feel like negotiating with him and I agreed to pay the monthly payment of 11.00.

This is where all the harassment begins. If I am one day late with their eleven dollar a month payment, they come to my house and leave notes on the door and call me at least four times a day, even after eight o'clock. They call my friends and tell them personal information about me, but of course they never mention that they are only trying to collect 11.00. The account manager (I will not list his name here for his privacy) is rude, disrespectful, obnoxious, and unrefined. He was even immature and unprofessional toward my girlfriend when she dropped a payment off for me once. He also blocked my car in the driveway one day and would not let me leave until I made a payment. They are charging me a ten dollar fee every time they come to my house.

I do not work or stay during the week in the same town where their store is located, so it is sometimes difficult for me to get to the store to make the 11.00 payment until the second week of the month. If you add all the payments I have made toward the stand, it is over 170.00. He called me last week and told me in a loud tone of voice that they want me to pay the stand off now and that I still owe them 100.00. If he had said he was willing to take 40.00, which is what is owed without all of these ridiculous house visit charges, I would have been glad to pay it off. When I tried to explain my situation to him, he cut me off and started to threaten me again.

I understand that this guy is probably just doing his job, but let's be realistic here. I have already paid them their cash amount on the stand. I also paid them over a thousand dollars on the TV and it was returned to them in excellent condition. How much money do you people need to take from one individual? I am a reasonable person and I understand that it does not matter if the payment is 11.00 or 1000.00; the money is owed. The way they go about trying to collect is purely barbaric. I would really appreciate it if someone from corporate could call me or respond to this so we could come to an agreement and put this to rest.