Rent-to-own News

Rent-to-own News - APRO Legislative Conference wraps 'day on the Hill' with networking reception

February 25, 2010

L to R: Bill French, N.C. Rep. Virginia Foxx, David Kraemer, James MacAlpine.

APRO Legislative Conference attendees ended a full day of meetings with legislators at the event's annual networking reception and dinner Wednesday evening at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.

See photo gallery.

More than 120 conference attendees including rent to own dealers, vendors, buying group executives and other industry professionals spent a busy day on Capitol Hill putting a personal and economic face on rent to own and the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act (H.R. 1744 and S. 738).

The Act, which will provide a regulatory floor for the transaction across the country, define RTO as a lease not a sale and improve consumer protections in 33 states, is finding bi-partison support in both the House and Senate and more than 14 new co-sponsors have agreed to sign on to the bill this week.

Two new U.S. House co-sponsors officially appeared in the Congressional Record Wednesday raising total co-sponsorship to 115, a new record. Senate co-sponsorship remains at 15.

Pat McCarthy, a regional director for Rent-A-Center and first-time legislative conference attendee, said the opportunity to interact with Congress in the midst of his industry colleagues was a rewarding one.

"Being a first-time attendee I was somewhat intimidated at first, but I was very glad I attended the APRO general session," said McCarthy who manages 51 stores in California, Utah, Idaho and Alaska. "We got a lot of useful information there. Our meetings were very positive and it's been great to meet some of the great people in this industry. It sort of takes down the walls we build as competitors and allows us to interact more as partners."

Industry professionals will continue meeting with Congress members and Senators through Thursday.

See photo gallery.

About APRO
The Association of Progressive Rental Organizations is the official voice of the rent-to-own industry and the most accurate and trustworthy source of rent-to-own news in the industry. Founded in 1980, APRO is the national, nonprofit trade association advocating and representing the rent-to-own industry before the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, courts, media and the public.

For more information, visit www.rtohq.org.

2012 APRO Convention and Trade Show

July 24-26, Memphis, TN

Attendee Information

Exhibitor Information

Thank you APRO 2012 Sponsors

Watch RTOHQ Rent to Own videos on YouTube!

Featured APRO Photo:
From the High Touch Users Conference 2010 May 5-7 Wichita, Kansas Album
High Touch Users Conference 2010 May 5-7 Wichita, Kansas
View All RTO Photos
in the RTOHQ.org gallery

RTOHQ: The Magazine
RTOHQ: The Magazine is the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations' award-winning rent-to-own industry magazine, and it's available here.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR DIGITAL RTOHQ: THE MAGAZINE

RTOHQ: The Magazine’s upgraded digital format

APRO's new, mobile-ready magazine is now available in addition to our print edition. The digital format provides the same informative content as our printed magazine, but also offers tools to make the reading experience more enriching. Access the table of contents page with one click or tap. Get additional information from advertisers by clicking on the links in their ads. The interface is easy to navigate and requires no special app—read our magazine on your computer, digital table or smartphone. Click here to access the digital version of RTOHQ: The Magazine March-April 2012.

A New Rent-to-Own Experience

by Neil Ferguson

Here’s the lowdown on APRO’s 2012 Convention and Trade Show, July 24-26 in Memphis. The RTO industry’s big event will offer many valuable experiences, including insights on how to turn your stores into “experiences”–the good kind for consumers

Who Is Your Competition?

by Bill Keese

In order to expand your customer base, you can learn a lot by observing your competitors. But first, you need to figure out just who they are. If you think your only competition is the rent-to-own store down the street, you’re not considering the bigger picture. APRO’s executive director offers a big-picture perspective.

A Review of Online Customer Complaints

by Ed Winn III

While rent-to-own companies have not cornered the market on negative reviews posted on consumer complaint websites, it’s no surprise that there are cyberspace beefs against RTO. APRO’s general counsel reviews some of them in search of a pattern and he considers appropriate response to online complaints.

Rent-to-Own Families, Part VIII

by Kristen Card

Our series of family-run rent-to-own businesses continues with profiles of the Homeiers in Kansas and two Texas-based sets of kindred colleagues, the Spangles and the Weisblatts.

Future issues of APRO's magazine will be available in this same new format. Click here to access past issues that are not yet archived in the new interface.

Association of Progressive Rental Organizations
1504 Robin Hood Trail
Austin, Texas 78703
800/204-2776, ext. 103
Fax 512/794-0097