Rent-A-Center
reviews and complaints

We own a business laptop computer (outright) that was going in to be fixed. It was going to take up to 2 weeks to be fixed the repair man said. So, we could not run our business without a computer and decided to rent one from Rent A Center in Peru, IL. for 2 weeks until we had ours back. They ended up hooking us up this their most expensive one for $40 a week/$80 for 2 weeks.
Well, the day we rented the laptop computer, as soon as we got home, our computer repairman called, said it was only the battery that we could come back to get it, that it would not be taking 2 weeks afterall.
So I call Rent A Center back right away, and told them I needed to bring back the laptop, that we didn't need it afterall to void the contract & refund my money. (The laptop was still in the box not even opened or used yet, since we just returned home from there) They refused to let us break the contract, said i had to still pay $40 the next week also, that I could not break the 2 week contract. Why if I never even touched it, and it was only 1/2 hour after renting it, could they not void my contract? It was a loss of $80. So, during the following week, I decided if I was paying for it, I might as well check it out atleast. So I logged into it 2x. And when they got the computer back, they yelled at me calling me a liar that I did too use it. I told them, No, listen, I used it finally a week after having it, but when I called the day I rented it to return it, it was still in the box unused. They refused to listen to me, continued to call me a liar. I hung up on them after using some choice words. So, I'm taking it to corporate I want my money back! Melissa Crank

I have been a customer of Rent A Center in Fuquay(store # 2828) for a little over a year and, until now, I have not had any problems with them. They recently got a new store manager, and since then I have not been as happy with them calling constantly, showing up at my home, and giving me attitude. I am renting a TV and a Wii game system from them, and the Wii was a 90 day deal. My husband and I went on vacation for a week or so, and during that time an employee called and told us our payment was late and that we should come in and make the payment. We told him we would be in to pay, but that we no longer wanted the Wii system because we did not use it as much and did not want to pay for it anymore. He then told us that we only had ONE last payment on the Wii, so we agreed to pay it. We told him when we would be coming in and he said great. We went in and paid it on the day he had said to come in on, and everything went great, we even discussed the amount that we still owed for the TV. 2 weeks pass, and we started getting phone calls saying the Wii was past due and we needed to come in asap and make payments on it. I went in the store to talk to them, and they told me that I did not pay it off in time. I told them that I spoke with an employee and that he said i needed to pay a certain amount and it would be paid off, and that when I went in and paid it, I was under the impression it was paid off. No one told me it was not paid off withing the 90 days. I found out that I paid it a few hours shy of it being paid off within the 90 days. I spoke with the manager and explained to him that I was told to come in on a certain day with a certain amount and it would be paid off. I came in on that day with the amount, so why is it not paid off? The manager told me that it must have been a "communication misunderstanding", and that i needed to pay the late fees to make it current and that he would call the district manager the following week sometime and see what he could do. I asked him why should I pay late fees on something I was told was paid off, and he couldn't give me any answers other than he would talk to the DM. So I immediately called my husband to tell him what was going on and he called the store and asked to speak with the manager. Once he and the manager started talking, it was ovbious the manager was mad that we were not willing to pay the late fee. The manager then started having a attitude and was being very rude. My husband was being very paitent and calm because he knew that the issue needed to be resolved and that getting mad about it would make things worse. The manager however, had a attitude from the start. He was yelling into the phone so loud that I could hear him from another room in the house. Since this was a new store manager, my husband was asking him what he was going to tell the DM about us as their customers since we have been good with payments, and the manager started flipping out, yelling and talking about how he gets paid the same amount every week. What does that have to do with anything? This new manager does not know us, nor does he know how we have handled our relationship with the store when it had the old manager, but he did not seem at all worried about the fact that he was being irrational with people who are paying him. He seemed like he wanted my husband to get angry and yell. He was trying to push all my husbands buttons and even called him "brotha" a few times in a way that was talking down to him. The manager kept saying "well, dont pay it then!" over and over. What kind of buisness is he trying to run. How can he handle buisness in that way? I have never seen a manager handle his customers so poorly. He ended up hanging up the phone when my husband asked why he was so irrate when my husband had not gotten an attitude or raised his voice to him. The manager just said "DONT PAY IT THEN!" and hung up. I am very dissapointed in the brance because we were aout to rent some furniture, but now I don't even want to enter the store. I think that this problem could have been handled in a better way if the old manager was still there. Now it is in the hands of the DM. We called the corporate office and made a complaint, and the DM is supposed to call us the first of the week since it is the weekend. Hopefully our issue will be handled by someone a little more professional.

I have previous posted a complaint and yesturday I received a weird phone call again...thi time they said I ran over a dog and I was going to jail. When the cal came thru I looked at the number and I knew it but at the time it didn't ring a bell. So I called it back and the oprator said that the number is not in service.

After the day went on I was talking to my sister who moves to the South and she just so mentioned that she received the same call. I asked her what was her old phone number when she was living here in the city. And would you believe it was the same number..and to top it off she has been gone for over 5 years.

The so called manager got my sisters old number off of a pervious complete contract which I used her as a referrence.

Hey, you do not have nothing better to do but hassel a disable single parent...

hi my name is karla james and i rented a couples of items from your store and after i paid out my items i have a problem with one item that i purchase and thats my computer your company sent it to a be repaired and my computer still dosen't work and i take classes online and this is putting me way back on my classes now i went to your store just to rent this laptop which i dosen't like but i need it but i have to send it back be cause i change jobs and i dosen't get paid until next week but i feel after i paid out my computer a little while after that it broke and i want another computer because i haven't had it a good while before it broke on me i'm a really good customer to your store every once in a while i'll be late but i don't mind paying the late fees because thats what i want i hope you can solve this matter that happen i really would like to here from you your employer are sometime rude in some situtation and i really hate to act the same way but i can responge in that attitude to because i rented at lease 5 items from your store and paid it out this is the only problem i'm having and i have sent other people to your store for renting things for there houses so i hope you can show me some appreciation
blame your other employer would have give me a chance and let me pay it nexts week along with the late charges like i use to but i really need a computer but i'm not trying to re-rent to own anoter one because i feel this matter could be solved better i need a responge from you about this matter sincerly yours karla james

I am renting a Laptop, and have never missed a Payment..In the long run the Laptop will cost me $1, 081, this is how I have to do it to have a laptop because I am on a fixed income and disability, Well I have called 3 times this week about a New Battery that they said would only take 2weeks and it's been way past that, first time i called it was nope not in, nexted time..nope not in yet..3rd time I called Sept.2, 2010 I had to explain the same thing Ive been saying for days, then the second person say's, O I will have the manager call you because she was with someone...GUESS WHAT NO CALL!WHAT KIND OF CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THAT, it's very sad that Rent A Center treats there customer's like this, aweful...

they saled to my husban and my self a forniture we late one payment and they try to pick up furniture callin aour freiend job nd all refernces we put in the contrac and ifeel they be hunten me and my husban . we when and ask our balance and ifell we payent to much we check price at locar estores and the furniture is not work the price we paying for ok we need to get help in legal way to find or fin this, friends are stop tooking we us because to much call, hange his number he ben usec for the past five year just because in continie paying because idont wanna have probles but iwould like to get help and get my money back and finish all this

I have a washer and dryer the manager saidfor them to pick up the stuff. i said i would pay within 3 days plus my next payment before the day and still they are on the way as i am typing to pick up this is s---. i guess i will never refer them to anyone or shop at rentacenter again in and after life!the company is in coneyisland on mermaid ave

i heard when i went to the store that a customer was behind in payments from over two months and she still gave them a chance .well anyway they over charge people if you dont buy it in 3 months. never deal with them!

First and foremost, I agree that my payment was late. However, while my 12 year old son was here alone at my home, two Rent-A-Center employees came to my home kicking and pounding my front and back doors for over a half an hour, damaging my front door and knocking numorous items off of my walls. My child was scared to death and hiding when I arrived home. My neighbors were shocked and were ready to call the police when just as they finally realized that maybe we weren't home and left. I am shocked that they allow and condone this behavior from their employees. I counted 18 phone calls in an hour when my payment was only 1 day late! This company needs investigated.

I got an 18 hour long video on my computer that i rent from rac of them talking about stealing money from customers and talking very badly and using very upscence language. and when i confront them about it they said noone that works there uses that type of language. also i rented a bed set from them before that and returned it due to price raise and me and my boyfriend were being eaten alive by something i have scaps all over my back that are just now starting to go away. and they say they have a worryfree guarntee laughin my *** off i could get any of my money back on that. and now im renting something else from them thinkin that the money i spent on the bed would go to computer like they stated but didnt. surprize not really after watch video. i will be postin on youtube if you want to watch its called rent a center when nobodys watching.

On 5/21/10 at approximately 3:14 pm I received a phone call from a female employee at the White lane office offering a $100.00 credit to purchase anything in the store because I paid off what I had previously purchased. I was not sure at the time if it was from a over payment or not. when she stated it was a courtesy credit given to all customers that pay off items, I said okay .I then asked if she had any dinnette sets in black .She said no, we don't have any . I asked do you know when you will have some ? She said she didn't know. I drove to the store to see if they had any pictures, they did not . I noticed there were several black dinnette sets physically in the store and asked why did she say there were none and she lied and said they where just put there. I said fine I want to purchase one on a ninety day same as cash when the store manager Jose said I could not purchase one because of my payment history . I asked why was I called and told I had the credit of the $100.00 dollars ? Thats when the manager told me very rudely she did not know you and I will not approve the application . I was humuliated in front of everyone in the store and denied purchase of anything. I would have perferred not to have been told I have something coming when they knew they would not honor their word. When dealing with the public, customer satisfaction is inportant . This office does not believe in this and showed it by their actions today . I would not recommend anyone to them and will tell anyone how disrespectful and rude they treat their customers.In this economy today things happen I lost employment during the time i was paying on items .This was out of my control so I did pay as often as I could but I had no idea I would be banned from purchasing anything else after giving a lump some to pay off what I owed . They lost a good customer and their reputation with me and others.

Written by cynthia, on [protected]:50

We need to unite to file a class action suit. I have spoken with an attorney, please contact his office : rac has done a great deal from unfair debt collection practices, harassment, deceptive prices. His name and office numbers are below: please call to see if you have a case and can be added.

Tom holman
1250 broadway, suite 3701
New york, new york 10001
[protected] (Voice); [protected] (Fax)
www.holmanlawoffice.com

I went to make my payment I was late 5 days I told the rent a center people that on friday I will make my payment, and I did firts they told me they need two payments on that day, and my next due date was next day I went after work on friday to make my payment, and I always answer the phone and treat pleople with respect, im happy to do business with renta center is not fair that one cashier with no education make the company look bad this person he did not give me my receipt and was treating it like a joke in front of the manager and employes.

I obtained a television from rent-a-center about a year ago, when I got it home, plugged it in and turned it on there were lines across the screen for a few minutes, then they went away. I called the store and asked if this was normal for this brand of tv (Sony Viao plasma), they told me that would happen everytime I turned the appliance on, but it would go away.

Well, three days later, the lines stayed for a whole hour before disapating and showing a normal image. I again called the store and they told me to bring it in and they would take a look at it. I brought it in to the store, it did the same thing and they told me that it was normal, "it must have been cold in my house that day and it just needed to warm up." I called several times over the next four months and received the same non-chalant concern.

I finally took the television back to the store and demanded that I get a replacement. They gave me another television, instead of applying my payments on the broken TV that they sold me, they started me over on another contract without bothering to mention that.

Now keep in mind that my payments are due every Saturday, since I work on commission, if I have a good week I will pay anywhere from the minimum balance to four times the minimum balance every week! Well, I have run into some hard financial times and may not be able to pay one week, but I will always pay two to three times the amount the next week if I am late. For the last twelve payments (that's three months) if I don't pay by 10:00 am on Saturday they call me to tell me my payment is due. I have told them several times that I work every Saturday in another town 45 miles in the opposite direction from them (they are 30 miles west of my house, work is 45 miles east of my house) so it's not like I can just stop by on my way to work. So, if I don't pay by Monday, they are calling me three times a day and calling my friends that I put down for references daily.

I also called them today to make my payment by phone, because they doubled my payment online (which I usually do) and asked how much I still owe them. They told me another 39 payments, which is another 9 almost 10 months! Which comes out to a little over $2017. It's nice to know that all of my hard work at trying to pay extra on some weeks has been to no avail, for a television that I've already had for six months. $63 a week for 6 months (you do the math), sometimes more each week, plus the $2017 plus that I supposedly still owe, for a television that I could have gone to walmart and bought for $1500!

Years ago I rented and completly paid for living room furmiture, a stereo and other miscellaneous items from RAC stores in PA. I moved to NC and rented, (and paid off), a laptop from the Raleigh, . NC store. I have since moved back to PA. Yesterday I went to RAC to get a washer and dryer. The young man comes out after processing my application and tells me that unfortunately I cannot rent anything because I stole a laptop from them. He gave me the number to the store in NC where they are saying this happened. I call...of course there are all new employees there from when I did business with them. The account manager gets on the phone and proceeds to tell me how I stole a laptop from them. I argued with this man that I paid this off years ago and do not even have the piece of junk anymore. I was becoming madder and madder as he spoke, accusing me of being a thief! He told me that he old manager is no longer there because of problems like this and him taking the customers' money. I told him how ridiculous this was, and I do not appreciate being called a thief! If I had stolen from them, would I really go back into their stores and try to purchase something else, don't think so! In the end, he told me to prove it, and I was ridiculous! How can I prove this when it was years ago, I paid with a debit card over the phone, with an account I no longer have? Rent A Center is a freakin joke and they get their rocks off of taking peoples' money and leaving them looking like idiots. They just lost another good customer.

I got one. RAC always lets me make my payment over the phone on Sat. This week on tuesday I checked my bank account online only to find that they charged me again (on tuesday) and this caused my bank account to be overdrawn. So all the small one to five dollar purchases have a -35.00 next to them. Anyways, this made my account -288.00. I have called, and they said that they are working on the problem. I still have not even got a return call to let me know they are working on it or anything about fixing this. Has this happened to anyone else? I filed a complaint with the BBB, I'm just trying to figuire out what else I can do.