Complaint / Review
Aarons Sales And Lease Ownership
Told my employer I stole furniture; references were called

I am currently leasing a bedroom set that took me three weeks to receive after I was told it would be available in three days. I paid the first month in advance with a debit card, but when I tried to get a refund because I did not want to wait more than a week, I was told no.

After I received my furniture, I moved shortly thereafter. When I originally went into the store, I chose for my payments to be due on the 15th of every month, seeing as by the time I received my furniture I would not have had an entire month to enjoy it before the next payment was due.

I spoke with a manager named Arthur, who said, "We'll change it to the 1st of the next month instead of the 15th of the previous month." I agreed but did not get it in writing.

By the time the 17th rolled around, I was already receiving calls that I was behind on my bill, and my references were being called. I explained to them that it was not due until the 1st of the month, but they said they did not know anything about it.

To make a long story short, I did not pay. I had just started a new job, and somehow they found out where I worked and started calling me on my job, saying they were the police and they were sending the sheriffs to my job to arrest me, not knowing it was really me answering the phone.

They kept calling to confirm the address where I worked, saying the police were on their way. I will not say "they"; his name is Rod. Ultimately he called all my references, stating that I was going to jail and would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and that they were not "Rent-A-Center" and did not play those games.

Rod finally got in contact with my employer, who by the way is a doctor, and told him that I had stolen their furniture, that I was behind 2 months, and that I had skipped town (mind you, this was a brand-new job I had worked at for only 3 weeks).

I received a phone call from my employer that evening at home, because I was out ill that day, to have my employment terminated. The doctor stated that he could not have someone working for him who was a thief (to put it mildly) and that my credibility was an issue. I had to beg the doctor not to fire me.

I know that their tactics are illegal, immoral, and completely a defamation of character. I always pay my bills on time, but with the move I lost track and was not expecting to pay until April 1st, not March 15th. I did pay them on April 24th for 2 months, backdating to March 15th.

I am in the process of filing a class action lawsuit because I know I am not the only one who has had this problem. The only difference would probably be that I almost lost a job paying $20.00 per hour plus $500.00 monthly bonuses plus full benefits.

The reference that I used originally and I are not speaking anymore, so she made it her business to tell everyone I knew that I do not pay my bills and that the police were going to come to my job and arrest me.

I am furious.