This letter explains our research and complaint gathering methods.
Open letter:
To Whom It May Concern:
We are an independent research study which solicits information from those who financed purchases from various stores that use HRS (Household Retail Services) as their method of financing.
Specifically, we are gathering factual reported cases from consumers that financed on a 6 month or 12 month “no interest” plan. Interest free for 1 year on major appliances, computers, etc., in other words.
Our studies thus far reveal that:
1. A consumer may receive a bill at their correct address in months 1-11, then the apartment number or zip code is wrong in month 12.
2. A consumer may return a product but never receives acknowledgement from HRS.
3. A consumer may receive their bill late in the 12th month, but cannot respond in time to pay it, thus resulting in the total interest due.
4. The largest number of complaints reference Best Buy stores and Rooms To Go stores and purchases made from those companies. Other companies that finance through HRS also play a part in this investigation. See our Store Complaint website.
Our volunteers continue to gather information,
and use our web page at:
www.legalservices.ourfamily.com for that purpose. We also post to various news groups.
We are totally independent and have no relationship with HRS, Household Bank, nor any of its affiliates. We also receive various complaints about Household Finance, and the fact that Household Bank NA tells consumers that the only way to pay in a timely manner is by wire transfer, whereas the transaction is not a wire transfer but a simple ACH debit.
Please note that consumers who financed through HRS cannot pay their bills at a Household Finance office, nor can they pay at the store from which they purchased their merchandise.
Also of interest to us are the emails from attorneys that represent clients against Household, wherein the attorneys ask us for help as they get the run-around from Household. We have an outstanding documented case of this procedure and are taking the branch manager to small claims court to recoup the interest which accrued during the documented time frame.
Any help or assistance is greatly appreciated. On October 7, 2001 the justice department and the Attorney General of The United States was notified of our research concerning this company and its affiliates.
Previous experiences with this firm do not indicate that yours will be unsatisfactory, nor do we assume any liability for the accuracy of cases reported to us until a final follow-up is received and verified.
VITAL UPDATE: We heard from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today. Because we began compiling the reports sent by all of you nearly two years ago, we thank all of you for your help and patience.
FTC ROLE: The FTC opened up a case file and is looking for trends that may indicate the basis for further investigation. The FTC Reference No. is 1782918
We can not file your report with the FTC for you. However by assisting you and exposing an established trend we may possibly protect other consumers from being exploited by the questionable credit practices you and I have experienced.
The Commission does not resolve individual complaints. The Commission can, however, act when it sees a pattern of possible violations developing. Here at tblake.com our investigators are working with the FTC. The FTC serves to identify questionable business practices that are generating numerous complaints and may be in violation of the law.
Household Retail Services (HRS) investigations and your input to us can push the FTC investigation to a higher level. Please follow these steps:
File your FTC complaint at:
http://www.ftc.gov
When you write your letter (you can do it on line) refer to our case number 1782918 and our web site investigation at:
http://householdwatch.com
Describe your experience with HRS to the FTC. Let them know we have complaints from more than 1600 people. You will receive a letter or an email from the FTC.
We will support you.
Sincerely
Householdwatch Research Staff
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