Debt Collection Harassment Leads Consumer to Extreme Tactics
August 6, 2008
Debt collection harassment can lead people to do odd things. Recently a New Jersey consumer landed in a hospital after setting himself n fire at a Rent-A-Center store in protest of the volume of late payment notices and collection calls he’d received from the chain.
The man went to the retailer to speak with a manager about the collection letters and calls he had been receiving regarding missed payments on furniture rentals. When he was told a manager was not available, he doused himself with lighter fluid and lit the fluid with a cigarette lighter, setting himself on fire in front of customers and employees of the store.
The consumer was in critical condition after the incident, but it clearly shows how debt collection abuse can trigger mental issues. Of course, it’s easy to think that he brought it on himself, but consider this: the retailer has been accused in the past of unfair business practices concerning its credit granting and debt collection tactics. In 2006, the state of California reached a $7.75 million settlement with the company for what regulators said was a failure to “disclose the true cost of its rent-to-own program.”
Source: InsideARM.com
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Comments
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
