Pawn Shops

[balticbabe]

Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? A friend of mine who lives beyond his means pawned a bunch of stuff when he was laid off. When he was back to work he went to pick up some stuff but was a bit short and the owner told him no problem, he could renew the loans on everything except the chain saw which the owner wanted picked up the next day. The next day my friend goes in and the chain saw had been sold.

Okay, that’s not good but my friend was out of contract, the owner saying no problem doesn’t mean anything. Then when he went to pick up some other of his items the guy says he needs to pick up everything, he can’t just pick up some items. I couldn’t believe it so I went with him. Sure enough the owner won’t give him the items he wanted, he had to come up with the money for everything. The man wouldn’t let my friend pay off one loan at a time. Every item has a different loan and contract. I asked the guy why, he said he didn’t want to. I said you two have a contract, the guy started stamping his feet and calling me names. It was really bizarre. The loan on one item doesn’t affect the loan on another item. I asked the man why he was getting personal when we were doing business, he said it is personal. I don’t know how since I had never seen him before I was just trying to reason with him.

My friend was out of work for quite awhile. He has a good job now and says he can come up with all the money within the next two weeks. Pay Day loan places are in the news a lot for preying on people but I never hear anything about pawn shops. Their interest rates are just as high, plus they take your stuff. Why would a shop do this? All I can figure is they want to sell his other stuff and figure he can’t come up with the money for everything in time.

Any words of wisdom? I know my friend was an irresponsible boy but what’s done is done. I just don’t understand the pawn shop’s guy behavior.

 

[pdsavage]

If he breaks a contract take em to small claims court.....if the chain saw was still under contract and he sold it he broke the contract...
His only recourse is to take em to small claims court...If he is doing it to your friend he is doing it to others.....

 

[Boyd]

that sounds horrible, but once you're out of contract, you are at the mercy of the shop owner. That is one way that the pawn shops make their money.

 

[PunkerTechnoRoo?ter]

I attach a stigma to pawn shops as places were thieves take stolen goods to trade for money, and some owners do play the part well. I had a friend pawn a necklace for some cash, came back after she got her paycheck and the pawnbroker wanted 25% more cause he said he had miss appraised the necklace.

 

[debilorrah]

I follow one rule of thumb with pawn shops: If you need to pawn it make sure you really don't want it anymore.

 

[balticbabe]

Quote:
He was out of contract so can't sue the owner over the chainsaw even though the owner said it was OK to come back the next day. The guy is just a weasel, did nothing illegal.

The part about not giving him his other stuff back gets me. It's like if you went to a bank to pay off your car loan but the bank won't release the lien on the car until you pay off your Visa and Student loan.