My fiance and I went to rent a center over a year and a half ago to purchase some items for our home, namely a couch, computer with desk, tv, bed, and playstation 2. We initially went to one store and purchased these items. The staff at the time were friendly and willing to help.
We got these items on a Fri and were told they would be delivered on the following Tues between 10 and 12. I waited, and finally got a call around 1 pm from the manager stating that the items could not be delivered that day. She went thru many explanations why it wasn't her fault, but never actually aplogized. I finally got the merchandise on Fri.
The TV turned out to be used, and the mattress we got was not the one we ordered in the store. Also, the playstation 2 was missing the controllers. I asked about this, and we were told that they would get it. After 3 weeks of no controllers, the manager told me to go buy them myself and to bring her the receipt for reimbursement.
During our experience with that store, we came to find that if we were not there on Sat in the morning, our phones would be inundated with calls from them (1 an hour) stating that we must come pay. Every time we were unable to make it on Sat we would call, and would be told that we had to come pay now.
We grew tired of the harassment and the apparant non-existent cumstomer service we were now receiving since we already signed the contract paperwork. My fiance made a complaint to the regional manager. After listening to our complaints, he apologized for this and transferred our account to another store.
The manager at this store told us we would be getting excellent service from them, that they knew about the problems at the previous store and assured us that they would not be like that. We told them that we did not get the mattress we ordered, and that the used TV we got was acting up (a green spot had formed on the left side of the screen). They advised us they would take care of it.
They came with another mattress which was used, and took the TV, but left a loaner for us. I asked about the TV for 2 months, and was repeatedly told that I would be called the following Tues about it. I finally just stopped asking.
Despite the assurance of better customer service, nothing changed. If we did not show up on Sat with the payment, we were constantly called at least once an hour on both my phone as well as my fiance's. She got tired of it and went to talk to the manager.
This did not help one bit. The manager there happened to be an ex-girlfriend of a woman we both work with. They ended up on bad terms, so she decided to take out her anger on us simply because we worked at the same place that she did.in the middle of the store, she told my fiance that we can't pay because we are always out at bars drinking!
My fiance did not take kindly to that, and went outside and called the regional manager to complain. Fortunately, 2 other customers who happened to be in the store when this happened. They came outside and also spoke to the regional manager and explained what happened, one who was going to be a new customer but stated that he would never come back to this business again.
He then spoke to the manager, who lied to him about the ordeal. He reprimanded her. She stopped acting like this, but the other employees continued on her behalf. She is now a regional manager for the company herself.
I was later was called (several months later) and asked when I was going to have the fixed TV delivered because it had been sitting in their store for a while and I needed to take care of it. At this point, being just frustrated at the lack of customer service and the continuous rudeness of the employees, gave him a few choice words and advised that I had never been called to be informed that the TV was back from the repair shop, and that I myself had asked mutiple times about it, but was told "we will call you on Tues." I advised that I was busy with work and that I will get to it when I was ready.
During this time, the harrassement about payments continued. I was actually called by the asst. Manager at that time and he left a message on my phone stating that if I did not come up with some money that day, that he would personally come to my house and take his stuff back. I then spoke to the manager and complained, advised that I was not going to be intimidated, and since I was a law enforcement agent, I took that as a threat as well as a voiced intention of breaking into my residence. I advised her that I would use any available service item in my house, and would not be discriminatory about what caliber said service item happened to be.
After that, the manager spoke to the asst. Manager, who lied about it. But with him recording his threat on my voice mail, he had nothing further to say.
The store is now run by a different set of managers, with a whole new set of employees. The tradition of non-existent customer service, however, runs on. After receiving my TV back, another green spot appeared on the screen a month later. I called and they picked up the TV again, leaving a loaner TV for us. Later, my fiance went in to make a payment, and was again asked in a very rude tone, when we were going to have the TV delivered, as it had been sitting in the store for a while and we needed to take care of it.
Again, a few choice words were given to the employees, and were informed that they had never called us to inform us that the TV was ready.
During this time, the same harrassement about the payments continued. At one time, my fiance's uncle died. She went in the next week with the payment and apologized for it being late, but she had a death in the family. She was informed by the ever-so-caring and customer service-oriented employees at Rent-A-Center that she need to get her priorities straight and that this payment was priority number 1.
At this point I called the store and was not as kind as I had been in the past about expressing my opinions to them. The person I spoke to stated he was "sorry" and wanted to make things right. I asked who he was, and he stated he was the asst. Manager. He made the above offer, but in doing so stated that I needed to be a "better customer" with my payments and that I needed to take care of the TV issue. He also stated that when he came with the TV "you better have some money for me or else."
I then spoke to the current manager and explained my outrage at what the asst. Manager had stated to me. I advised that that person had better not show up or there would be police involvement. I advised I did not want any of their items anymore, and I was thru doing business with them. He then asked me what he could do to keep my business, and I told him nothing.
He then later called back and stated he was "sorry" for the problems. He stated he was employeed at that store when we first came to that store, and he has seen everything we had gone thru. He stated he wanted to do something before, but could not as he was only a clerk. He stated he would hate to see us give up the merchandise because only had about 2 more months of payments and all the items would be ours. He stated that he would waive that weeks payment for us.
He further explained to us that the person who I spoke to the night prior was not an asst. Manager, and he would take care of him for lying as he did. He stated that he wanted to take care of us and even offered the asst. Manager position to my fiance.
We felt great about this turn of events, and felt that maybe this one would be better. I arranged for the TV to be delivered, and the bed to be picked up as we were moving and had a bed waiting for us at our new residence.
The person who came to pick it up was a heavy set woman who could not lift anything, and she brought her boyfriend, who was not a Rent-A-Center employee. When they came, they acted as if they wanted my friend and I to move the bed and TV for them, stating that her boyfriend had just gotten out of surgery. My friend and I ended up moving the bed to the truck. During this, my friend twisted her ankle and fell.
After getting all the items, the person stated that I was supposed to give her money. I asked for what, and she stated the manager told her to get money from me for the past week's payment. I advised that he waived that payment. The "boyfriend" called him and asked. He then gave the phone to me. I told him he had waived the payment. He then told me he could not get it approved thru his boss. I advised that I did not care, he made a commitment to me, and he was to keep it. He did not state to me that it was pending any approval. He that stated he would take care of it and hung up.
My fiance called the regional manager and stated her concern about having been told about the waived payment and then being asked to pay. Also about our friend almost hurting herself because the people who came out could not move anything, which is supposed to be part of their service.
The regional manager stated he knew nothing about this waived payment promise, and was enraged that a non-employee was in their truck and that we had to move the items. He did waive the payment and fired the girl who came out with her boyfriend.
While my fiance was speaking to the manager about the asst. Manager's job, he expressed that he had a thing for her best friend (who happened to be a customer of their's as well) and asked my friend to help him "holla" at her. She stated no.
After this, he suddenly had another asst. Manager, and became very rude to my fiance. Come to find out, all his being nice and promise making was just to try to "hook" up with my fiance's friend.
This past week, my fiance was in a sports bar with her friend watching the football game. The employee who tried to pass himself off as the asst. Manager was there and began to verbally assault my fiance, calling her all sorts of degrading names. During this time, he began to yell out in the bar about our account with Rent-A-Center and stating that we owed him money. He was subsequently removed from the establishment by one of their bouncers.
I am just horrified about my experience with Rent-A-Center. They do not deliver what they promise, and their customer service is non-existent. The only reason we still deal with them is because I have only 3 more payment left and all the items are mine, minus the bed which I returned to them.
I am extremely displeased with their deceivences, and the fact that an employee would put out our personal company business in a public place.
I am going to find out what the policies are about assaulting customers and stating our personal business in public.
Tired of rac
dale city, Virginia
U.S.A.
0 comments