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Report: #488785

Complaint Review: RETRIEVER - NECOURT FINANCIAL - LEASE FINANCE GROUP - Chicago Illinois

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  • Reported By: SteveR — Grenada Mississippi USA
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  • RETRIEVER - NECOURT FINANCIAL - LEASE FINANCE GROUP 233 N. Michigan Ave; Suite 1800 Chicago, Illinois United States of America

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On February 15, 2005, a sales rep from Retriever based in Houston, TX named Cliff Torrence came to my newly started dental office. With him was another sales person who was a long time member of Grenada First Baptist Church Choir and former patient of my clinic. They were selling credit card processing services and the equipment needed. As we could not afford the equipment, they offered a "non-cancellable" lease for $69.95 per month for 36 months. The choir girl told us we would then own the processing equipment and after payoff would need only pay whenever updated and any repair that might be necessary. Further she assured us that the credit services could be cancelled at any time. After a few months of using this system, I found that on average, my charges were amounting to 14% of processed amounts. Further the charge was not 69.95 per month but had fine print in the contract that allowed Lease Finance Group LLC to kite the lease charges to $80.90 per month. Phone calls to the sales rep were via his answering machine and referred me to my "new" rep named Tim Johnson at 601-770-6465. Now is where it gets nasty.....the Retriever company in Houston TX referred me to Lease Finance Group LLC in Chicago. Someone with name of Ms Angel lectured me on the legal contract we had signed and said we had to pay for 48 months not 36. To my dismay, my employee had signed a 48 month lease AND another 36 month lease for processing services.

Cancellation procedures were buried in a 35 page agreement printed in 6-pt type that amounted to equivalent of more than 100 pages of regular typing. Only a fool would sign such a contract unless they were mislead and lied to as we were. Every contact with LFG and Retriever was hostile in demanding money. We waited the 48 months and then got told by LFG that we did not own the equipment at all. I sent them a certified mail bill for all my money back because the entire contract was misleading and had details BURIED in legalese of more than 100 pages.

Then we learned that another company called NPC had the lease for "processing services" and it was only for 36 months. Both leases had wording that made them automatically renew for ever unless you pay "specified fees and penalities and give specific written notices within a narrow window of time before expiration."

This is nothing more than a Madoff type fraudlent scam with more than 5 parties involved two of which are now calling my office and sending demand letters that they are going to sue. I disconnected their machines months ago and billed them for $4125.90 which I had paid. 

The Mississippi Attorney General's Office has placed this scam with their Consumer Protection Division to mediate on my behalf. These Madoff scam companies are all in cahoots with each other and have already made three business friends in my town pay their outrageous penalities to keep from being sued. Another whose husband died was harassed for months as they tried to collect for the dead store owner! She finally died herself so one is left to sue.

I am fighting back and ask everyone who reads this to contact me through this website. We are suckers unless we can join up and get a class action suit which will take people willing to fight as I and the lady from Kentucky are now doing.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 09/02/2009 10:22 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/retriever-necourt-financial-lease-finance-group/chicago-illinois-60601-5802/retriever-necourt-financial-lease-finance-group-credit-card-processimg-equipment-and-r-488785. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
5Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#5 UPDATE Employee

Customer Service: A priority of Retriever of Jackson

AUTHOR: Retriever Of Jackson - ()

POSTED: Thursday, June 05, 2014

I am the operations manager at Retriever of Jackson and work with all aspects of our sales, leasing and equipment repair operations.

One of our priorities as a company is to make sure our customers, prospects and vendors understand the terms of any lease agreement or contract which stipulates – in writing – the terms of any sales transaction and payment arrangements. Customer satisfaction is very important to us, and we work with customers on a daily basis to make sure their processing operations run smoothly and that they receive the service they have every right to expect.

Businesses of all types and sizes enter into contracts, as this assures both parties that the terms of an agreement are accurately stated, and such a written agreement clearly conveys the expectations of both the company and the customer.

Our lease agreements clearly state that sales tax and any stated fee (this varies depending on the contract) apply to amounts transacted for purchased services. The complaint, for example, states that services were purchased for $69.95 per month. The complaint leaves out, however, the fact that the lease clearly outlines sales tax and fees which are added. Charging sales tax is a requirement for doing business. Fees (if any) that are charged in addition to taxes are clearly stated in our lease agreements, and our company does not charge customers amounts beyond the terms of the contract.

As for the leases being ‘non-cancellable,’ it should be noted that any business or sales contract is structured so as to serve (and protect) both the business and the customer. Because of the tremendous cost burden in initial set up, equipment configuration, administrative support and other steps necessary to initiate a payment processing system account, our leases are binding for a specified period. Signing up for a specified period of time is not uncommon – people do it when buying cell phones, leasing cars and dozens of other types of purchased services. Sales taxes and fees are a part of those types of contracts as well. 

We do, however, work with customers who feel they may be better served with a different contractual arrangement. This is done on a case by case basis in the interest of serving our customers with processing systems and account terms that best fit their needs.

As a payment processing business, our success depends on having customers whose systems and equipment are running smoothly and as expected. When problems arise, we strive to respond quickly to answer any questions, make any repairs, resolve disputes or otherwise assist our customers.

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#4 Consumer Comment

Cancellable Lease ?

AUTHOR: bamauto - ()

POSTED: Monday, June 03, 2013

 I have never heard of such ludicrous paperwork.

Three years ago, we got into this lease, and only to find out later, it was NON-CANCELLABLE - what kind of operation is this. We were unaware of this fine print until it was too late. Now after sitting still for 2 years (not using our machine) - we still have to make payments. This is wrong.

Our business at our repair shop fell so low we had to close the doors from our large shop - to a smaller one. We could not afford to continue with CC processing, so we cancelled with Retriever (no problem there), until we found out the goofballs stuck us with a NON-Cancellable Lease with NPC.

This is wrong and would be willing to venture in with a class action lawsuit aganst NPC. I contacted NPC, and after explaining our situation, they told us to "sub-lease" our equipment to someone else, which was allowed. This is still wrong and am furious. Our machine is in excellent shape as it is just like out of the box. A huge company, such as NPC, shouldn't "stick" businesses with equipment they don't need or can't afford no longer.

Let me know what else, can be done as this progresses.

Peter, Winona, MN / Owner / Bambenek Auto Repair LLC

 

 

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#3 Consumer Comment

Count me in on a lawsuit...

AUTHOR: Kathy - (United States of America)

POSTED: Wednesday, April 11, 2012

I too was scammed by Retreiver and their lease company. I was suckered into a long term lease of a machine by a high pressured lying salesman. If anyone is filing a class action lawsuit against this company...count me in.  contact me at downacountryroad@yahoo.com

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#2 Consumer Comment

Retriever NPC Scam

AUTHOR: Russ - (United States of America)

POSTED: Monday, October 04, 2010

It's really sad to see that Mr. Cliff Torrence is still out there ripping off small business owners with his credit card leasing scam only now his office is located in McComb, MS. I was also conned in Feb. 2010 by Mr. Torrence and a protege using the same scenario you described. I recently closed my business and tried to close the account and return the equipment I was informed by the Teresa Howard; Office Manager, that the equipment was leased through Lease Finance Group, LCC and that I needed to contact them regarding pay-off of the lease and return of equipment. It was then that I discovered that the lease was non-cancellable and I was a personal guarantor on the account. Anyone that would sign a non-cancellable lease on credit card equipment and agree to pay a company $147.00 per mo. even after their business is closed would have to be insane. Then, when reading the fine print, I discovered that upon cancellation I would be charged another $695.00 cancellation fee by Retriever of Jackson, Inc. Needless to say, I've closed the bank account that the drafts were taken from, now I receive about 6-8 harrassing phone calls a day from LFG demanding payment on the equipment. I've now hired an attorney to try to resolve this issue. The more research I do on LFG and Retriever, the more scams I find all over the country. This has to stop NOW! Please go to Facebook and join the Lease Finance Group Scam page, tell everyone you know!

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#1 Consumer Comment

lawsuit

AUTHOR: Zai - (USA)

POSTED: Monday, October 05, 2009

I was also lied to about the terms and conditions of the lease I told by Joe/Kim McConan that I had a six months trial of the credit card machine and that i could cancel at anytime during the trial it turns out that i do not have a trial period and i am obligated to pay 89 dollars for 48 months no way i said so i sent the machine back along with a letter of cancellation.

i have contacted the alabama, chicago and new york attorney general office to get out of my lease since it was obtained through fraud and misrepresentation i will not stop until this company and all their lying sales rep are stopped. just me know how i can contact you about joining you in a class action lawsuit.

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