Complaint Review: Aaron's Sales And Lease

A week before my final payment on my PC (meaning i would own it), it started to act funny. It would want to turn itself on and off if it was plugged in. Then it wouldn't come on at all. I opened it up, cleaned it out, and it worked fine. Two days before i was to make my final payment, it just wouldn't turn on. I figured that i should get the most from my "Service Plus!" plan that i'd been paying for, so i took it in. After giving me FALSE times for estimated completion, i test my PC out in the store when i get it back (a week for a simple part), only to find that my ENTIRE hard drive had been wiped! I had a few things backed up, but lost A LOT of information!

Obviously i was not happy. I took my concerns up with the manager, and other employees. All they kept telling me was "Oh, replacing the part is what caused your hard drive to be wiped. When this part is taken out, you lose your information". I conceeded to them (they weren't budging), made my last payment, and left. I went around the corner to the computer exchange, which is where Aaron's sends their PC's, and spoke to them about the whole situation. The very first thing they told me was "Aaron's tells us to wipe every single PC they send us". My mouth dropped. I asked if changing that particular part would cause my hard drive to be wiped, and his response was "Of course not".

Furious, i head back to the store. I get understandably irate with the manager. Now, for the entire year we've dealt with them, we've made every payment on time, and in the store, no matter how long they've forced us to wait behind customers who came in after we did. This particular manager (who's name i never caught) has ALWAYS had a smirk on his face whenever we've complained to him about a problem. It's like he ENJOYED ruining our day. This time was no exception. After a heated argument, i got the home office number, and called.

I had to wait nearly a week before i could talk with the district manager, and he says "Aaron's would do that, because we'd have to pay the computer exchange $80 to wipe your hard drive". They showed me the invoice they got from the computer exchange in the store, and there was a $48 charge for the part, and $60 something charge for the labor. No $80 fee, yet my hard drive was still wiped. He tells me to call him the next day, he needs to talk to his manager. So i speak with him today. He can give me a credit for the amount of my last payment. I asked for my last payment back, in cash, or refunded to my credit card. He says he can't do that. I tell him that's insufficient, then explain two things to him:

1) Under Va state computer laws, Computer Data is personal property. They caused a loss of my personal property without warning me before hand, and i lost quite a bit of data due to their negligence.

2) My friend got a PC from Rentway, and had Modem problems with it. A modem is a very easy fix....yet they wiped his hard drive too. He returned their merchandise. Is this a trend with every rental and lease place?

All i've asked for is my last payment back, due to my loss. They can't seem to even manage that. A lawyer will cost them much more than the $152 i paid, and breaking most of the computer laws in Va is a Class 6 Felony.

I've contacted a local news station that loves to poke into matters like this. If they can't get the job done, i will have to contact a lawyer, and i'm sure Aaron's won't like the result, as they'll have to pay for their lawyers, and my lawyer once the case is done. I'd rather it not come to that, as i'd rather just have my $152 dollars back.

Needless to say, i won't be dealing with Aaron's again, and i'd suggest that you not deal with them either. I don't even want to get started on what they did to my friends...

Jamie
Roanoke, Virginia
U.S.A.

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