Complaint Review: Northern Leasing Systems

I will try to sum up the story the best I can. I do have lots of details if you need them.

On March 3rd of 2005 a salesman named Jaymes Ryan from Signtronix came through our front door claiming that we needed a Signtronix sign. I immediately let him know that GRAND SOUND is a very new small business and that we couldn't afford the type of sign he was selling. Jaymes then asked if he could show us a quick presentation anyway. This went on for hours. Again I made it very clear to him that if the sign were to be "just another bill we had to pay" it would hurt GRAND SOUND. At this point he said if he could get us approved to lease a sign he would give me his personal guarantee that the sign would bring us at least a 25% business increase. He also claimed that we could cancel all of our other advertising, which he said we were just wasting our money on. After about 5 or 6 hours I let him call the leasing company to see if they would approve me. They did and I wish they wouldn't have. After all that, he told me I couldn't even think about his offer. I would have to decide today or forget it. Once again I stated to Jaymes the consequences of his sale to GRAND SOUND if the sign were not to work. He gave me his word that the sign would increase our business at least 25% in the next few months and then shook my hand on it. I then signed a contract with the Ryan Group & Signtronix. I have four other witnesses who were there for the whole thing.

The sign arrived on April 27th 2005. The sign company that came to hang the sign (RMD Signs) was very good and their price was fair. RMD came to install the sign, which was, as Jaymes Ryan put it, simple to install. Well it wasn't. RMD had to take the sign back to their shop so they could make custom brackets and cables to hang it. RMD also let me know that the quality of the new sign was poor and the materials were cheap. I believed them because the sign is flimsy. The sign is what Signtronix calls their V3D high visibility system. The first sign was designed by Jaymes. All we asked him to do was incorporate our logo into the sign. Instead he made the sign into a giant version of our logo. When the sign was sold to me I was told it would stick out so many degrees and there was a bracket that was set to that angle. This angle was set to provide high visibility for any potential customers driving down Broadway. This would have been true, but Signtronix didn't take into consideration how far out the sign could go according to Denver's sign laws. So RMD had to change the angle of the sign to fit with regulations and code. Now the visibility factor has been lessened considerably. Once the sign was up it was quite obvious that we couldn't really read the part of the sign that explained what we do. When I made Jaymes aware of the problem he first gave me attitude until he drove by the sign and looked for himself. Although he admitted fault his e-mails started getting short and somewhat nasty. He admitted that it was hard to read and said he would get new panels made on two conditions. 1) I would pay $250.00 in shipping charges. 2) I would let him redesign the sign. The first Condition I said no way and they paid for shipping on the new sign. The second I agreed to because once again Jaymes said they would work. (I will send e-mails from Jaymes stating this if anyone wants to read them) At this point I agree to let him design the new panels.

Big mistake. Not only did he make the new description too small it now makes no sense. Now we have a big sign in a great location (Right on South Broadway) that people are completely confused by. The graphics are weak at best and it looks surprisingly similar to the sign at the computer shop just south of us. That may be good for our neighbor who has a computer store but it's not good for us. In one of Jaymes e-mails he stated, "I have no way of knowing if a client's product or services are viable". Our business is viable, but don't you think that is something that a good sales person would research before they come through a possible client's door? He also mentions that his obligation is over and that I should contact the leasing company (Northern Leasing) whom I already by that time had called and left three messages to call me back about something else completely. Well birds of a feather do flock together because those messages were left between May - December of 2005 and I never got a call back. Although I got a call from them 1-30-2006 at 9:32am. Funny, when I closed the account that they take their monthly payments from they called me. I tried calling Signtronix customer service and got no response. I also spoke with the president of Signtronix (Tom Johnson) twice. The first time he was very apologetic and promised me that he would personally make sure the problems were fixed. He said to e-mail him the original graphic and the design team would get right on it and I would here from someone very soon. A week went by and I heard absolutely nothing so I called Tom back. He actually said he did not know who I was, doesn't remember talking to me, and never got the e-mail I sent him. He then gave me the same lip service that someone would be right on it. I heard nothing. Then the Vice president of Signtronix (Tom Boren) sent me a letter basically saying that they are done with me. They claim they gave me $1000.00 to pay for sign installation. That's a lie. They backed $1000.00 into my lease. They said they replaced the sign panels at no cost to me. That is true. They replaced the first panels that you couldn't read with panels that are hard to read and make no sense.

I am now working a formal complaint with the BBB.
No more lip service and no more bad panels.
I want them to take the sign back and refund my money.
In my last letter I said that Northern leasing would never return my calls. Once I closed the account that they get paid from they called me. What I didn't tell you was they lady on the line was very short with me. She said she would look into the matter then hung up on me. Here is where it gets weird.

12:20 pm January 31st They called and hung up before I could pick up. 12:35 pm & 12:50 pm January 31st they called and hung up on me when I answered. 8:10 am February 1st they called and hung up on me when I answered. 8:38 am February 1st a man called he asked about the payment. I told him I have issues with Signtronix and no one would call me back from Northern Leasing. I also mentioned that people were calling me from Northern Leasing and then hanging up on me. At this point he started acting like he couldn't here me "hello, hello" and then he hung up. The phone rang a few seconds latter I picked up and they hung up on me. 12:54 pm February 1st they call, I answer and a man says "Uh is David there?" Then he hung up on me.

1:00 pm February 1st the phone rings and there is no one answering me so I hung up. 9:34 am February 2nd the phone rang once and they hung up. 9:49 am February 2nd the phone rang almost twice and they hung up. All these calls came from the same phone number 212-457-8555. I don't know why they won't just talk to me. It seems they would rather harass me then try to get any money. Monday February 6th I received two letters from northern leasing. One is a bill and the other says " It is necessary for you to contact me at (888) 607-3607 to resolve this matter immediately. Your Cooperation is expected. Sincerely, Madelene Tabor".

February 7th I called the number above asked for Madelene Tabor and was put into her voice mail. I left a message to please call me back.

February 8th 12:08 pm they called and hung up.
February 8th 12:23 pm they called and hung up.
February 8th 12:40 pm they called and hung up.
February 8th 12:55 pm they called and hung up.
February 8th 1:42 pm they called and hung up.
February 8th 2:10 pm they called and hung up.
February 9th 12:29 pm they called and hung up.
February 9th 12:45 pm they called and hung up.
February 10th 1:19 pm they called and hung up.
February 10th 1:35 pm they called and hung up.
February 13th 9:14 am they called and hung up.
February 13th 10:00 am they called and hung up.
February 13th 10:15 am they called and hung up.
February 13th 10:32 am they called and hung up.
February 13th 10:49 am they called and hung up.
February 13th 11:07 am they called and hung up.
February 13th 11:23 am they called and hung up.
February 14th 12:45 pm they called. I picked up as soon as it rang. (I think I caught the guy off guard) They guy asked if I was David Burr. I said yes. He asked if I was sending a payment. I said no.

He asked why. I asked why they keep calling and hanging up on me. He hung up before I could finish my sentence.
No one ever leaves a message and Madelene Tabor still hasn't called me back.

Am I going crazy or do twelve year olds run this company. Is this harassment? There is something shady going on and I got ripped off real bad.
February 16th 9:43 am they called and hung up.
February 16th 9:43 am they called and hung up.
February 16th 10:23 am they called and hung up.
February 16th 2:11 pm they called and hung up.
February 17th 12:18 pm they called and hung up.
February 17th 12:34 pm they called and hung up.
February 17th 12:50 pm they called and hung up.
February 21st 12:13 pm they called and hung up.
February 21st 12:28 pm they called and hung up.
February 21st 1:39 pm they called and hung up.
February 22nd 9:51 am they called and hung up.
February 22nd 10:07 am they called and hung up.
February 22nd 1:22 pm they called and hung up.
February 22nd 1:38 pm they called and hung up.
February 23rd 10:49 am they called and hung up.
February 23rd 1:18 pm they called and hung up.
February 27th 9:43 am they called and someone named Alan Barns LM to call them at 888-607-3607
February 28th 10:35 am they called and hung up on me.
March 1 2006 10:36 am Alan Barns lm to call him. I called back and asked for Madelene Tabor. Alan who answered the phone asked if he could help instead but I asked him to put me through to Madelen. Madelen picked up and was absolutely rude as possible to me. She spoke over every word I said. She said she knew about my problem with Signtronix and was taking their side be cause she talked to them. They told her that I never tried to contact them. This is a lie. When I tried to explain that there was correspondence and that I have proof she started talking over me like a child. When I asked why they have hung up on me over 40 times she said there might be some thing wrong with their automated calling but if I don't make a payment it will keep happening. When I asked why she hung up on me in January the first time she called me she said she didn't hang up on me. When I started reading back what she said that day she started talking over me again she said goodbye and hung up on me.

I eventualy paid an attorney $150.00 to tell them to stop calling and hanging up on me which worked but they still reported me to the Credit Bureau. Now they are threating to commmence legal proceedings against me to recover all monies, including interest and attorney fees.

I won't even bother calling them over this because I know all they will do is speak over me and hang up. I have been a professional and a gentleman about this whole thing and I am still being treated like dirt.

David
Denver, Colorado
U.S.A.