Complaint Review: Rent-A-Center - San Antonio Texas

In December 2007 I moved to a new apartment that did not provide Washers and Dryers. I did not have the money at the time to go out and buy one, and I saw the Rent-a-Center commerical. I had never rented before so I thought I would give it a try. I went to the closest location to me and was helped in picking out a brand new W/D and was told that the rent would be $50 every two weeks. A lilttle steep but since my credit was screwed from a divorce and some irresponsible activity a few years ago I accepted. I had been going to the landry mat but when my daughter had her 2nd baby that became nearly impossible.

So I had the set delivered and proceeded to make my payments as scheduled. On May 27, 2008 I feel at work and injured my back badly. I have been off work since on Workmans Comp and was awaiting surgery. The med's that I was given in the beginning were way too strong and I would sleep almost non stop and was having problems remembering simple things. Pretty much I was a zombie. I had to get my doctor to re-adjust the meds and after a few trials they fianaly were able to get it to where I was coherent during the day. During that time, however, I was a day or so late. I would get phone calls and I would call them back when I woke up and pay it over the phone. There was NEVER a time I did not return a call or pay my bill. I might have been late but I paid. Also, I noticed that if they called me and I did not answer they would immediatly call my references. I mean they would call me, leave a message and then call my references. I talked to the manager and explained that I was on some heavy duty meds that was leaving me in a brain fog. He said he would note the account. Evidently he never did, because they would contiune to do it. One day they called, left a message, called my daughter and left a message BEFORE 5 mintues had passed. I was on the phone calling them back whlie they were talking to her!

Anyways I would be admitted a few times for pain management. Sometimes the pain would be so bad that the meds I was taking would not work and I would have to go to the ER and be admitted. During this time I would be lae one to three days. Again they would start the calls non stop. One time I got home and had over 20 calls on my caller ID within a week time frame. They sent someone out to the house after 3 days and the babysitter paid him out of money my daughter had left. Then about 3 weeks ago I was fianaly admitted for surgery. When I came to, I could not feel the entire right side of my body. What was suppose to be only a short stay ended up being a stay of nearly 3 weeks. When I got the feeling back in my body I was able to be released. During the time I was unable to feel my right side, my exhusband allowed our 15 year old daughter to come to Texas from Mississippi to see me. My sister also drove down from Oklahoma to help out with my daughters and the grandkids who live with me.

The Rent - a - Center guys knew my older daughter. They had talked to her in the past and had accepted payments from her when I was in the hospital. However they did not know my younger child. On Saturday Sept 27, 2008 my younger daughter was at my apartment packing to return to her dad the next day. My rent was around 2 weeks late. To be honest with you I was not concerned about it. I was more concerned with wondering if I would ever walk again. I also knew that I would pay it when I got out. I had every intention of keeping the W/D and paying it off. Anyways, my daughter was home alone when she got a phone call from a renta center employee. She says he never told her what his name was. He asked for me and she told him that I was in the hospital and that if he would call back at 3pm her older sister or aunt would be there. He would not accept that. He kept telling her that he was on his way and she needed to open the door. She told him that she would NOT open the door and to please wait. He hung up on her. She called him back and asked for his name. Thats when he started yelling at her, telling her that if she did not open the door and let him in then he would have her mother put in jail. She told him that she did not know about what was going on and he said she was lying that he had taken a payment from her before. She tried to tell him that that was not true. She told him again that I was in the hospital and would he just wait until she could get her sister or aunt to come home. He told her no and that he was there and for her to open the door.

In the state of Texas NO delivery/service/sales person is allowed to enter a residense unless some one age 18 or above is present. This is a STATE law! So he gets to the apartment and proceeds to bang on the door. She says it was so loud that she thought he was going to break the door down. Then she said he started hitting the window next to the door. That window is to my 2 year old grandaughters room. He hit the window so hard that he knocked stuff off the wall. My daughter got scared, got the phone, my mace and locked herself in the bathroom. She was able to get her sister and she and my sister left the hospital to come home. By the time they got here, he had left. He did not leave a note or his name. When my older daughter got here she said that her little sister was crying and thinking that the guy was going to break down the door and hurt her.

I was relased from the hospital the next day. On Monday Sept 29th I called the Corp office of Rent-a-center and reported the incidence and requested that the regional manager call me. I ended up having to leave to go to the doctor as I started having tingling from my sholder to my hand and my surgeon wanted to see me right away. I did leave a message for the RM that I wanted the W/D picked up. On Tuesday the 30th two renta center males showed up to pick up the W/D. Before I let them in I asked if one of them was the one who had been there on Saturday. I had already talked to my neighbor, who is a SAPD officer and he suggested I file a police report. Had he been home he would have stopped the situation quickly. As it was another neighbor saw everything including the man who had been there. After being told by the employees that neither one was the man from Saturday, I let them in to get the set. I told them about what happend and they acted all surprized. I signed a reciept that shows the W/D as being picked up. After they left my neighbor came up and told me that the bigger guy that was just there was the SAME one who had been there on Saturday! They had lied to me.

The RM has called but I was not in and I have not returned her call. My point about asking if one of them was the guy from Saturday was, that I was NOT going to allow him in my home. The smaller guy had the nerve to tell me that I could always come back and get the set later if I wanted to. My response...when pigs fly! I will go to the laundry mat and save money to either buy a used set or get one from a store. Either way I will never use Rent- A - Center again.

I can understand their need to get paid. I can understand they had not heard from me and wanted to make sure their property was still here...what I can not understand is what this man tought he was doing talking to my little girl that way. All he had to do was wait until 3pm that day and he would have gotten his money and I would still have the set. Now they can stick it up their butts!

Ravendays

San Antonio, Texas

U.S.A.

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