Against my better judment, my wife and I decided we would rent some furniture. We have been down on our luck with jobs and money. Sitting on a plastic lawn chair and sleeping on a $30 blow up bed from Target was getting pretty old, so I went for it.

You know, you always hear about how check cashing places get their business from people that are down on their luck all the time. They are found in poorer neighborhoods and around military bases, etc. Well, let me tell you, furniture rental places are pretty much the same way packaged in a different wrapper.

You think to yourself that I can afford $100 a month much easier than I can $900 for a new couch. I can afford $50 a month much easier than $600 for a new bed. Read the bottom line - that $900 couch costs you around $2000 when your done with your lease. That $600 bed is ove twice that amount. What kind of goober would spend $2000 on a $900 couch? Lots of people.

I didn't like the idea before & I still don't. 2 weeks into renting the bed we seemed to get a nice hole we could roll into on each side. The bed looked nice enough alright, but the demple on my wife's side began to squeek. After 2 weeks of use? I called them up & told them to come get the bed. Of course the were all very nice & appologized & said they would knock a month's rent off the couch. Ok, but keep the bed, I told them. So back to the air bed we went until we got some tax money back & we bought a bed with case for $600. Now I felt good about that!

I asked for a updated lease agreement, since we no longer had the bed. Waited and waited - nothing. I went ahead & paid another month, with a reminder that I still have not got a updated lease. Waited & waited - nothing. Curious enough, I started getting these little harassing phone calls about our agreement & that they were dissapointed we have not lived up to our end of the deal. These phone calls would come about 4 times a day. It was unbelievable. It was always somebody different, depending on the time of day, so they acted like they did not know someone else had already called that day.

When we orinally signed a lease it was from the 15th to the 15th every month. When I called they said it was now the 1st of every month. "Since when?" I asked. Its been that way, they said, since the bed was turned back in. So I asked "are you referring to the new contract I've been asking for the past two months?". I did not receive the new contract & what gives them the right to up my due date by 2 weeks with no credit for that 2 weeks rental.

Come get your stuff! I told them. I was passed via the telephone from one person to the other appologizing, but getting no explaination for what had happened. It was if none of them knew what the other one was doing. Well, I know what I'm doing - I'm turning your stuff back in. I discussed this all with my wife, of course. I do not want to commit suicide after all by doing that. They then wanted payment, not only for the 2 weeks, but for the time it was going to take them to come out & get the stuff. He wanted to know if I wanted to go ahead & pay him now or when they picked it up. So I told him when they came to pick it up we'd settle things. I notified them before my next due date, on the lease agreement, the only lease agreement, I had of the 15th. They came out about a week later carrying a new lease agreement & expecting money on this new agreement that I had not seen before then. We've got furniture for you, but no money. You were notifed before the next due date, as stated in the lease. No new lease was ever signed, and we're not paying becuase it takes you a week to come get it.

They did not like this at all, but know we were right. Now I know most times a company like this would still be bucking on the money. But we told them & even showed them once, when I sent the letters telling them to come get the stuff - I had the letters certified. I had the letter certified when I asked for a new lease & I had the letters certified telling them to come get their stuff. If you ever do business with people like this, get everything in writing & certify your response & enquiries. If not, you've got nothing. I personally had nothing against these people at the start of this process, but like any company you owe something to, they will call you & harass you like a credit card company if your so much as a day late.

If your renting to stage houses, these places might be ok. But if your looking to put furniture in your house or apartment, just suffer a bit & save up & pay cash for it. The mental stress alone is worth a little extra time until you get the money saved.