• @[email protected]
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    -51 year ago

    Honestly though, isn’t this kind of on the customer for agreeing to it in the first place?

    • @[email protected]
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      -21 year ago

      Exactly. Houso’s gonna houso. If she’s going to put her whole life on new item afterpay, you deserve the stupid. This is someone who grew up in these communities and most get next gen tech and second hand/scratch and dent appliances. Just because you didn’t finish school doesn’t mean you can’t be shrewd

      • FuckyWucky [none/use name]
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        1 year ago

        are you pro-elderly people being scammed by ‘tech support’?

        This 100% qualifies as an unscrupulous trade practice. The pricing is exploitative targeting vulnerable people, making them sign opaque contracts money directly from disability pension and making consumers think there is some level of state approval with the centrepay thing.

        It is the job of the state to protect people from these things especially considering they are operating formally.

        You are the one who is uneducated for spewing dogshit like this. You are the one who needs to be sent to a re-education camp. Australians are so braindead from neoliberal ideology.

      • @[email protected]
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        01 year ago

        I am apparently the next Mussolini though, if you go by the rest of these comments. It’s like nobody gives a fuck about education any more.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
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        261 year ago

        Every individual is supposed to do their own research and be savvy regarding scams and ripoffs or else they deserve to be robbed with no recourse and no penalty for the robbers. smuglord

    • @[email protected]OP
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      341 year ago

      Some things just shouldn’t be allowed, especially when this is aimed at the most vulnerable of society.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 year ago

        Ok, what is it specifically that shouldn’t be allowed here? Renting items? Setting prices higher than somebody else?

        • @[email protected]OP
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          1 year ago

          In this case it’s through the Centrelink specific Centrepay system. Given it’s a government approved system they can presumably remove approval of this company for any reason, so it doesn’t have to reach a level of law breaking, just an obvious to everyone ethical breach.

          In any case, as stated in the article, Rents4Keep are currently being sued by ASIC for breaches of the Credit Act.

        • Tankiedesantski [he/him]
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          241 year ago

          Usury is a crime in most places. This kind of transaction is just usury dressed up in the legal fiction of a rental.

            • Tankiedesantski [he/him]
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              1 year ago

              Not at all. A rent to own scheme is essentially legally identical to getting a seller or third party loan except for when title passes over to the consumer. In most other respects, especially in outcome, it’s the same transaction dressed up specifically to avoid existing usury laws.

              Even Rent4Keeps’s own website calculates costs by comparing it to an installment loan for sale of goods. Doesn’t get more transparent than that.

              • @[email protected]
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                11 year ago

                A rent to own scheme is essentially legally identical to getting a seller or third party loan except for when title passes over to the consumer

                Interesting point. Though I have to wonder if making it illegal would just change their sales pitch to permanent rental, instead of rent to own. Ultimately, I feel the solution should lie more in educating consumers on financial literacy.

                • Tankiedesantski [he/him]
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                  201 year ago

                  Ultimately, I feel the solution should lie more in educating consumers on financial literacy.

                  You can crack down on predatory lending and educate consumers. However, you’ll never be able to educate the average consumer to be immune from sophisticated schemes simply because most people have other things to do on life and scammers devote a lot more time creating new scams than the average person can devote to learning about avoiding scams.

                  • @[email protected]
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                    11 year ago

                    I’m not sure this qualifies as sophisticated - or even a scam, when everything is specified in plain text.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 year ago

        Shrug. The way I see it, they made major league purchases without the slightest market research. Why does that make them a victim, rather than just somebody with the financial wisdom of a 5 year old?

        • UlyssesT [he/him]
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          271 year ago

          In other words you have an “I got mine” attitude about demographically vulnerable people getting exploited. congratulations

            • UlyssesT [he/him]
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              281 year ago

              If you can’t see demographically vulnerable people being exploited as a bad thing, I can’t make you see it. And quite frankly I feel bad for any family members you might have, especially senior citizens, if they get taken advantage of by grifters/scammers. You’d be too busy congratulating yourself for being superior to them.

              • @[email protected]
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                01 year ago

                I appreciate how you keep going for the ad hominem attacks instead of trying to engage in an actual discussion. Was fun, let’s do this again sometime.

                • UlyssesT [he/him]
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                  271 year ago

                  I appreciate how you keep going for the ad hominem attacks

                  I accurately described your contempt for exploited vulnerable people and your inflated sense of superiority about their predicament.

                  instead of trying to engage in an actual discussion

                  There is no discussion you’re leaving yourself open for but more congratulations of yourself for feeling superior to vulnerable exploited people.

                  Was fun, let’s do this again sometime.