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Rent A Center Rent a Center Sexual Discrimination! Ex Employee!! Plano Texas
I worked for Rent A Center a total tenure of nearly 3 years, thats including getting hurt on the job, being off for 8 months, and transfering between 4 different stores, and 2 states. I was delivering furniture and an account manager. Also like to add I was the only female in my store at ALL 4 stores.
I started out in Maryland(where I currently am) and transfered to Tennessee where I moved to be near my father. At this location, I broke my ankle on the job, and had to be out of work. I returned back to work on restricted job duties and had to do physical therapy, which my store manager sometimes would make me reschedule for my days off(i know they cant do that) The whole time, having my manager and co workers make fun of me and saying, jokingly they say, "your not hurt, your just trying to get a buck" and saying things like " what good are you for if you cant work" I was still in a cast and with a doctors note stating I could not do ANY deliveries, they still had me out delivering washing machines, dryers, and small items that could be dollied because it "isnt that physical".
I told my store manager that I really couldnt do this one delivery because of my ankle and he stated bluntly" If you want to get paid like a man, youll do it, or I can just cut your pay, and you can sit in the office" Even his manager, the Market Manager would joke with me.
Turned out I had to get surgery because of some serious nerve damage, and I used up all of my restricted work duties time allowed, and they sent me home, to receive workmans comp. 8 months later, I was moving back to Maryland, and when they released me back to work, I attempted to get a job with the same position here in Maryland(workmans comp said I was entitled to my job, because I had never really left the company)
It took me a few months of begging and pleading and talking to human resource managers, that they finaly hired me back at a 3rd location. Here they treated me like crap, forced me to do the hardest deliveries that we had. and when I was about to give up, the market manager here asked me to transfer across town, because the store had gone through 3 different managers, and it needed a "personable touch" he even said I would get my promotion to a sales manager once I transfered. so I agreed, even though it would be an extra 10 miles onto my commute.
When I transfered(4th store now), the new store manager advised me he couldnt give me my promotion, but would start training me. This store was worse then my last, and they sat around and talked sexually about females with me sitting right in the room! they even talked about my breasts! I still had the HARDEST deliveries. I put in a one month notice because I was going to be going to a credit card company, and the store manager stated, no, we dont need that much time, 2 weeks is good enough.
A few days before the end of my 2 weeks, I couldnt take it anymore, they were being really mean, and all sitting around eatting Pizza and watching movies as I was put out on the road 10 am-8 pm with another truck sitting at the store, and 5 men sitting around doing nothing, all of whom have the same job duties as myself.
I quit, and had left my surround sound there because it was going to be serviced at the service center, and the next day, the Market Manager threw it in the trash.
Well, I have a really good friend who still works for Rent A Center, and he has called me on numerous occasions to tell me that the guys from "both" of my last 2 stores, would sit around all day and make fat jokes about me, and how I am worthless, this that and the other. My "source" even agreed to come to court and testify that they mistreated me into quitting....
What should I do? What kind of lawsuit could I have? what kind of lawyer should I hire? and would I have to pay up front? I am a working single mother of 2, and dont have much money. If it helps any, this company had a 47 million dollar class action suite filed against them a few years ago for sexual
discrimination/harassment, and lost in a supreme court. I havnt worked there in about 3 months, am I running out of time???
If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it!!
Jessica
boonsboro, Maryland
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Rent a Center
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Brentp
Santa Maria,California,
U.S.A.
I can help
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Tue, April 07, 2009
I can help I too am a former employee with Rent A Center who was let go after some sexual misconduct between two of my supervisors and myself I have spoken with a lawyer and retained legal councel. I can give you all the information you need and I can tell you who and what kind of people/persons to contact. My email is listed here shoot me an email and Ill give ya the details.
Sjergons
Beaver Falls,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
I have had similar problems
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, April 03, 2009
I am an ex-employee of Rent-a-center. I had only worked there for a year. I am a fairly good looking woman who was hired by the DM because he had seen me working somewhere else and working hard. So he hired me and afterward kept coming into the store on a daily basis. my co-workers started to make comments immediately and I was embarrassed to no end. Well I am small and told the DM that I was unable to do a lot of the stuff that they wanted me to do. He said that he would make sure that I didn't do anything that wasn't appropriate for me and that I would most likely be in the store in no time. Well that store was closed and I was transferred to another store not to far away. Instant hell. Nothing but practical jokes, violence and porn. The personal attacks were horrible. The first week I was there they stole my cigarettes and put them in the shredder. They ate my food in the refrigerator. They were sending me picks of naked girls. They had sent me on the road in the beginning every day all day with the guy who was steeling from me and the company. I was expected to do bedrooms up 3 flights of stairs. At one point we were taking a couch up stairs to an apartment and we could not get the couch up. It had to be lifted up over the banister to get it in. So he decided to have me turn around and I was so confused about what he wanted me to do and then he said, "I am just going to rest the couch down and you need to just keep holding your end." Well by the way he had me turn the couch ended up on my back as he stood at the top of the stairs wondering how he would get it up there. I have also experienced a lot of sexual harassment from the DM. Scratches my palm when he shakes my hand. Holds onto my hand and wont let go. He has made comments to me about making my life so much easier if I would just let him. I would just tell him no. I wasn't interested. I had asked to be transferred. I told on my manager about missing merchandise and porn in the store that he brought in and the DM once again offered to make life easier for me. Co-workers always laughed at me and made jokes about it. I am older and there were always old jokes. Well they have since fired me and I am collecting unemployment but they filed an appeal. I have never had this problem in the workplace to this extent and I am really tired of having to put up with men who can't control their urges. It truly was a man's club around there. Once the assistant manager had punched out a co-worker and he was never reprimanded. He also put another co-worker in a choke hold up against the wall until the guy fell to the floor in convulsions. Never got in trouble. But every single word or joke out of my mouth and I was in trouble. I had gone to my manager many times to complain about stuff and it would end up with him yelling in my face and me yelling back at him because instead of addressing a situation he would just turn it around on me and defend them. I think this just needs to be stopped and Rent-A-Center needs to evaluate the way they treat the female employees. They need to be held accountable.
Blackgirl747@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND,Ohio,
U.S.A.
Rent a Center condones sexual harrassment
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, December 17, 2008
This was one of the hardest jobs I have ever had and am so glad to be out of it. It was a living hell, with no breaks, horny male employees, super long hours, mean treatment and weight gain!!!
I was there for four years and endured some unthinkable treatment. I am with you if you wanna file a class action suit. Contact Lisa at store 364, she won and then went to RentWay before RAC bought them out. 1-440-366-6565 Lorain, Ohio. Not sure how much help she will be.
P.S. I switched over to Cash Advantedge and was wrongfully terminated after one year of dedicated service and 6 months of working alone @60+ hours per week!!!
Said my store wasn't growing. In reality Damarys Nieves the DM that slept with half the region and all the big-wigs got demoted and took my store because it was the one closest to her home. She tried her hardest to fing some integrity issues, wrong contracts or any flaws and found none. She even had her niece work some of my off days so she could raise my delinquency with bad loans (Tasha Hoon). This was planned and calculated and trumped up bullcrap.
Nowaymam
Kimberly,Idaho,
U.S.A.
Rent A Center is not so great with Female employees...
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, February 02, 2008
Hi there, I just did my own report for discrimination and thought that your experience was much like mine. Thank goodness you were never pregnant with the company.
I wish you the best and don't give up on the suit. I have faith that we are not alone in this. Take care- P.S. Most of the men in the store I worked at are the same way!
Revrufus
Owings,Maryland,
U.S.A.
I'm No Lawyer
#6Consumer Suggestion
Thu, January 17, 2008
Living here in MD also, there are plenty of law firms who advertise on tv and offer free consultation. That is what you need, a legal consultation. During this they will tell you whether or not you have a case, and what the costs of such will be, and when payment is expected. I suspect that time may be running out so if you haven't looked into any , of this yet, you need to get moving!
From just reading your story if sex was discussed in your presence, and more particularly comments made about body parts, especially yours, you have the premise for a sexual harassment case. Sexual harassment now covers more than just pressuring for sex. It includes making an environment uncomfortable by remarks and actions of a sexual nature. They do not have to be directed to you or anyone. Did you complain to management? Did you complain to management outside of your store? All of this will be investigated by your lawyer.
As far as an unfair work load I am not sure you have any recourse there. Employers are permitted to make work assignments as they see necessary, so even though I agree that you received an unfair amount, that may not be actionable. What may be actionable, however, is, as you stated, you were told that if you expected to be paid like a man that you had to work like one. That lends credibility to a sexual discrimination claim, where you were assigned increasingly heavy work loads not based upon company need, but based upon your gender, and the company's attempts to "make you a man".
The practice of having you go out on all day assignments alone while they remained behind and goofed off lends credibility to you being treated differently because of your gender. It lends credibility to a claim that they did not want you around and treated you indifferently because of your sexual gender. Again, your lawyer will review and investigate all of this with you. Like I said, I am not a lawyer, and I definitely am not offering you any legal advice, just street advice that you should go discuss your issues with a lawyer.
My 2 cents
OBE