Acima again in the highlights

If you are currently thinking about doing any type of business with Acima in the Oak Ridge, Tn . Electronic Express you better think twice.

See they are an affiliate of Rent A Center. Yep I said it Rent A Center. Well in July of 2024 the CFPB known as Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a lawsuit against Acima for deceptive practices. What yes what they do is you make a payment on line then it makes automatic payments without your consent. When the customer asks for a refund they say they can’t cover the overdraft fee.

The CFPB alleges Acima used deceptive dark patterns and other tricks to trap consumers in high-cost credit agreements to finance the purchase of household goods. Acima sought to disguise many of these credit agreements as leases to evade consumer financial protection laws. Due to Acima’s deception and obstruction, many consumers did not understand they were agreeing to expensive markups, exorbitant finance charges, and having few ways to escape their contracts. The CFPB is asking that the court order the defendants to forfeit the illegally obtained profits, give refunds to consumers, and halt their misconduct.

“The CFPB is suing Acima and its founder for intentionally designing its credit product to trick customers and evade federal consumer financial protection laws,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. “The defendants used deceptive digital dark patterns and other online tricks to obscure key terms and conditions.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James today sued Acima Digital, Acima Holdings, and Acima Solutions (Acima) for deceiving more than 100,000 New York consumers. The Office of the Attorney General's (OAG) lawsuit alleges that Acima violated New York’s rent-to-own law by “leasing” goods that could not be returned, charging more than the allowable amount on goods, and misleading consumers about the cost of financing provided by Acima. These dishonest actions resulted in New York consumers enrolling in contracts that more than doubled the price of items they were trying to buy. The lawsuit seeks to end Acima’s deceptive business practices, secure civil penalties, and collect restitution for impacted consumers.

“New Yorkers shouldn’t have to worry about illegal markups or hidden terms snuck into terms and conditions by companies looking to take advantage of them,” said Attorney General James. “Acima took advantage of thousands of consumers who were simply trying to shop for basic goods, like mattresses, eyeglasses, and appliances. Thousands of New Yorkers were overcharged by Acima and fooled by Acima’s deceptive lending practices. I thank everyone who came forward to make complaints about this unacceptable practice by Acima, and encourage anyone who may have been taken advantage of to contact my office.”