Rent-A-Center has long been known as a consumer rip-off. All across the country the Rent to own industry has been in hot water. Firstly, they over charge consumers for inferior goods that have been damage, infested with roaches, and other problems. They charge FOUR TIMES THE AMOUNT for equipment and furniture than it is WORTH!! I am writing this report because I was let go at the same time as several other individual's in our market. I was let go because my shirt was not tucked into my pants. Another individual was demoted from store manager to customer account rep. The last one was let go for insubordination without any previous reports or warnings. We were all let go in a two day time span with leads me to think there were discriminating practices going on behind the scenes. I worked for them for 10 months, after only six I was promoted to Assistant manager. Working long days usually 12 hours days and only received two sicks days. If you called out you were in danger of losing your job, and if you did call out then you had to come in on your day off. It was a hellish existence to work 55 plus hours a week, and only come home with a 400 dollar check! There turn over rate is sad at 60%. You are held to meet daily standards which require you to risk your life by going into the worst neighborhoods asking customers for cash or their equipment. If you do not get your customers to pay there bills on time then you are written up, after three write ups you are fired!!! It is almost impossible to make someone pay a bill in this economy! You are made to harass your customers by calling them three to four times a day EVERY DAY! I am in the process of talking to Rent-A-Center's Human Resources to come to a conclusion. This is to anyone thinking of working with Rent-A-Center or doing business with Rent-A-Center please understand what you are getting yourself into.

This complaintsboard is in regards to an account I opened on 9/05/'06 at a RENT-A-Center in Waterville, ME.
The merchandise in question is an XBox 360 which was stolen from my truck sometime between the evening of 9/08/'06 and the afternoon of 9/09/'06.

When I discovered that the XBox was missing I immediately called the police and an officer called me back so I could make a report. He told me he would do it over the phone since I had noticed no obvious damage to my truck.

I told him that I believed that someone may have used a device to unlock my driver's side door because there were some scratches and the power window was no longer working properly. He took all of my information and told me he would write up the report which I could later pick up at the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office or send for it in the mail.After I made the report to the police, I immediately contacted RENT-A-CENTER and reported the theft to a manager named Dan.

I asked Dan if I would still be liable for the merchandise. He asked if I had purchased the Optional Liability Waiver Provision and I told him I did. I also told him that I had reported it to the police and would be receiving a police report shortly.

Dan in turn told me not to worry about it that because I had purchased the Liability Waiver I would not be held liable, and that their insurance would cover it. He asked me to bring in the police report when I received it, which I did a few days later.

Since that time, I have received numerous letters and phone calls from Dan as well as an employee named Scott. Dan explained to me on one such occasion that since their insurance had only covered a portion of the cost of the merchandise, that I was to be held responsible for the balance of $344.79 + Tax. I told him that if I had that amount of money I never would have rented from RENT-A-CENTER in the first place, but would have paid cash for an XBox at Walmart.

Second, I told him that I do not owe any amount because by his own admission and as is stated in the Optional Liability Waiver Provision, I cannot be held liable. The 'loss' of this merchandise was not intentional, willful or wanton, nor was it 'lost' through misconduct. It was stolen. But still the phone calls persisted, with Scott leaving messages on my voicemail telling me that I am in default of my contract because I have not made a payment or returned the merchandise!

I do not understand any of this and have spoken with my lawyer about the matter. He has reviewed the Rental Purchase Agreement and the Optional Liability Waiver Provision and has concluded that, as Dan had originally told me, I am not liable.

I called Dan at RENT-A-CENTER with this information and he told me that RENT-A-CENTER would be pursuing this in small claims court.

IVE BEEN A CUSTOMER AT RENT A CENTER FOR SEVEN YRS, THE MAJORITY OF MY HOUSE IS FILLED WITH THEIR MERCH, AT ONE POINT, IT WAS THE GREATEST.OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS IVE BEEN A COUPLE OF DAYS LATE WITH MY PAYMENT, 5 DAYS LATE TO BE EXACT, FROM DAY 1 THEY CALLED ME 7 TIMES IF YOU MULTIPLY THAT TIMES 5 THEY CALLED ME 35 TIMES IN THOSE FIVE DAYS. THAT IS MORE TIMES THAN ANY BILL COLLECTOR EVER CALL ANY ONE, THEY ARE THE WORST! IT IS UNBELIEVABLE THEY WOULD TREAT SOMEONE WHO'S GIVING THEM BUSSINESS ALL THESE YRS, RUN...RUN...RUN, SAVE YOUR SELF, DO NOT GO TO RENT A CENTER.YOU WILL BE BETTER OFF BUYING FROM A CRACKHEAD!

Look the last time I rented from Rent a centre I had paid off all but $200 on a computer I was purchasing from your company. I had been making payments for over a year. When your employees stopped by my house because I was 2 days late on my payment they had an altercation with my ex-husband who was not even supposed to be on my property. Whereas your company called me and told me they were taking my property...the computer which was nearly paid off, and that as long as I was with my husband I could never rent from them again. Well, I tried to explain I wasn't with him, which they already knew, and that he was not supposed to be on my property, I even had the money including late fee to catch up payment. So I guess I am out the over $1, 000 I spent thinking I was buying my property from an honest company. I feel like I was stolen from and will never use Rent-A-Center again.

We rented a used sectional from RAC, 1st time ever doing business there. We were close to the end of our agreement when we got a week behind and we were told if we didn’t get our payment in by the next day, they would send the sheriff to my house and use a pop lock and come in and get there merchandise. Then in the mean time we were calling countless times to get our payment to them and they refused. Listen, we paid probably 3x what the furniture was worth and they refused our payment, I say they abandoned their obligation. I tried and tried, they said someone would be getting a hold of us and hung up on me; REAL professional RAC.