Rent-A-Center
Complaint 239426 Details

I was working for Rent 1st and the company was aquired by Rent-A-Center in December 2011. Juan Solis, our Regional Manager informed all of us that morning before Rent-a-Center management came in to take over. He told us that Rent 1st had been sold but the good news was that we would be keeping our same rate of pay and that we would be able to transition into Rent-a-Center. We were also told that we had to keep the information about our wages confidential because RAC employees were paid less. In a meeting that took place shortly after Juan talked to us, all employees were told that our rate of pay would not change by Doug (last name unknown), Tony Lopez and Steve Flores, all managers for Rent-a-Center. This was read to us from a sheet of Rent-a-Center company letterhead that included all details of the aquisition. We were all allowed to read it, but not to have a copy of it. This meeting was witnessed by Dustin Esau, Juan Solis, Kiera (unknown last name), Jose Sandoval, Julien (unknown last name) and myself.

My pay rate on my first four pay stubs were all different and when I asked Tony about it, he was unable to tell me why. In January 2012, my payrate was at $11.10 per hour instead of the $14.50 that I was making when the aquisition took place. I finally asked who I could contact, I called the corporate office and talked to Heather in HR. I explained the issue and she said that this could not have happened, that they never do that for an aquisition. I told her that it was in writing, it was read to us and we all saw it. She asked me if I had a copy of it. When I told her no, she said that there was nothing she could do. I asked her if payrates did not stay the same, why was Juan Solis still making what he was making when he was at Rent 1st? She was unable to give me an answer. Yes, Juan Solis was being paid the same salary of a regional manager while a store manager at Rent-a-Center up until January or February of 2013, at which time he transferred to Texas. It was common knowledge amongst all the store managers and employees that he was still being paid the same.

We were required to pay for our uniforms, which according to The Nevada Office of the Labor Commisioner is illegal. Directy from the Nevada Office of the Labor Commisioner page: Q: Is it legal for the employer to require employees to purchase uniforms? A: All uniforms or accessories distinctive in style, color , or material shall be furnished, without cost to employees.

Many times I worked up to a 12 hour day with only a 30 minute lunch and no other breaks. We were not allowed to have a microwave in the store and had no designated break area. It is very hard to leave the store and get food and bring it back to eat in a 30 minute time frame. When I brought a coffee pot in to make coffee, I was told we weren't allowed to have it. I brought in a microwave and was told that there was no place for it, it could not be in an office so I would have to take it back home. We were also told that if we brought our lunch to the store to eat it, we would have to answer the phone if others were busy. This was totally opposite of our training and a violation of company policy.

The lift gate was broken on the box truck when I transferred to this store. It took almost a month to get it fixed after I started there. The pins started falling out approximately two weeks after it was fixed and to my knowledge hasn't been fixed since I left in April 2013. The battery has needed to be replaced for about 6 months. We were constantly having to jump start it. Again, when I left in April, it still wasn't fixed. The front tires were bald from mis-alignment and did not get replaced until one of them started to shred on the freeway. They took it to a tire place and had a used set of tires put on for $80 instead of replacing them with new tires. The AC didn't work properly after a crash, but they wouldn't take it back to get repaired. I finally found the problem and temporarily fixed it myself. Again, not fixed as of when I left in April 2013. The turn signals and brake lights stopped working on the the cargo van and it took almost 3 weeks to get taken care of, but we still had to use it up until the time it was repaired. One of the turn signals went out on the back again about a month later and I finally took money out of my pocket and fixed it myself.
All of these issues with the vehicles were mentioned several times by myself and other employees. It was a huge safety issue in my mind and still is if it hasn't been fixed.

We are all required to use our personal cell phones to call customers, the store and to use our GPS to go to deliveries. One month I had a $100 overage that no one would compensate me for. It was at this time that I told everyone that I would not accept anymore phone calls from work. I had to buy 4 chargers in the past 6 months and my phone won't stay charged at all anymore.

I had to purchase my own tools for furniture assembly and knives becasue the store manager would not purchase them.

I worked hard for this company and feel that they lack in basic people skills and don't provide the tools necessary to do the job the way they want it done nor do they operate safe and dependable vehicles.