Rent-to-own News

Rent-to-own News - Hearing on Rent to Own Bill available for replay

July 26, 2011

Premier Dealer Roy Soto at Tuesday's hearing on the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act. Watch video.

A video replay of Tuesday's hearing on The Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act in the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit is available for replay here.

At just over two hours the committee heard statements from two panels including San Antonio Premier dealer Roy Soto, researcher Jim Hawkins, assistant professor of law at University of Houston, and APRO's 2011 Customer of the Year Vivian Saunders.

"The hearing went tremendously well," said APRO Government Affairs Director Richard May," And that's a reflection of all the hard work APRO members have done over the past 20 years. It was great to see that level of understanding we saw on the panels and on the committee."

Panelists and committee members batted around the reasons rental transactions fit most appropriately under the lease definition as well as the transparent disclosure strategies, pricing, service and reinstatement provisions contained in HR. 1588 many of which are already in place in 47 states.

Even chief critic on the panel, Margot Freeman Saunders of the National Consumer Law Center, said the industry has improved dramatically over the past 20 years in its service and collection practices. Saunders even said she had been a "rent to rent" customer in the past and was "very satisfied" with her experience.

The next step is the committee could decide to take a vote, called a markup, on the bill according to May. The next action likely however, will not take place until September, he said, as Congress will not be in session in August.

Watch replay of hearing here.

(Note: Volume levels on this clip are very low. Headphones may be required with some computers.)

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 APRO 2007: Welcome Reception Album
Welcome reception 20
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