Article Courtesy - Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy 

Support Repeal of the Payday Lending Act

If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them.
 (Exodus 22:25)
 
During biblical times, abusive lending practices were addressed by instituting strict standards, including banning the charge of interest to the poor (Exodus 22:25).  Likewise, in the story of Zaccheaus, Jesus commended him for promising to repay the excessive fees he had exacted from the oppressed (Luke 19:8-9).   Today, in modern times, predatory lending practices exploit low to moderate income people.  This is both a legal issue and a moral issue.   

The Problem:
The Bureau of Financial Institutions reports nearly 3 million payday loans were made to more than 387,000 borrowers in 2004, from 696 payday loan locations in Virginia.  The Virginia General Assembly passed a Bill authorizing payday lending in 2001. This legislation prohibits payday lenders from renewing, refinancing, or extending a payday loan.  It also prohibits lenders from making more than one loan at a time to a borrower.  However despite these prohibitions, many Virginia borrowers are, in effect, renewing their loans and getting more than one loan at a time:

§ Many borrowers get back-to-back loans.  The borrower pays off his loan and then immediately gets a new loan.  Often, the borrower does this repeatedly.  A report done by the Bureau of Financial Institutions indicates that the average payday loan borrower got 7 loans from each payday lender from whom he borrowed in 2003.

§ The borrower goes to a second payday lender for a loan to pay-off his first loan and eventually winds up with two, three or more outstanding loans at the same time.  A study funded by the payday industry trade group reported that payday customers use an average of 1.7 different payday lenders per year.

§ The average Virginian that borrows from a payday lender gets 12 payday loans per year.  This is an estimate based upon the report from the Bureau of Financial Institutions and the payday industry group report.  This means that the average Virginia payday loan borrower pays $840 to repay a 6-month $300 loan.

The Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible Lending (VaPERL) is a coalition working to reduce the dangers of predatory lending in Virginia.  Members from organizations around the state include: AARP, Virginia Poverty Law Center, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Richmond Better Business Bureau, Virginia Credit Union League, Virginia Organizing Project, Piedmont Housing Alliance, New River Community Action, Voices for Virginia’s Children and others.  Our research and collaboration strongly indicate the need for reform.  Explanations of four legislative recommendations follow, listed from most supported to least.

Solutions:
HB 1684 (Del. Jennifer McClellan) and HB 2159 (Del. John O’Bannon): Both of these bills repeal the Payday Lending Act.  A repeal would cause payday lenders to operate under the Consumer Finance Act which regulates small loans and caps their interest rates at 36% APR.

HB 1799 (Del. John Cosgrove): This bill establishes a maximum annual percentage rate of 36% for payday loans. 

These bills will be heard first before the House Commerce and Labor Committee.  It’s likely one of these bills will move through Committee and over to the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee where it will compete against bills that propose other restrictions on payday lending but that do not cap the interest rates.  It’s imperative to communicate to members of the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee that the only REAL reform is a cap on the interest rates charged – without a cap, these loans will remain usurious and predatory.  Please visit, call, or write to members of this Committee with this message.  Members of this Committee are Senatros Wampler, Colgan, Saslaw, Chichester, Miller, Norment, Stosch, Stolle, Potts, Edwards, Williams, Watkins, Wagner, Newman, and Rerras. 

Learn. Pray. Act. The Common Wealth Depends on Us.
www.VirginiaInterfaithCenter.org

Company solicitors of phone number 866 566-5188 are not honoring the Do Not Call list. You can file a complaint here www.donotcall.gov and advise your local city attorney’s office. Do not provide them or other fraud companies with any information.

Chesapeake-Based Computer Seller Allegedly Violated Va. Consumer Protection Act

CHESAPEAKE – Attorney General Bob McDonnell filed a legal action against Financing Alternatives, Inc., a Chesapeake-based company, alleging it takes computer orders across the nation and then does not routinely deliver the computers. 

“Virginia’s consumer protection laws must be strongly enforced against those who receive payment for goods and then fail to deliver them as promised,” Attorney General McDonnell said. “Our free enterprise system depends on trusting in the bargain.”

The lawsuit alleges that the company marketed its computers to consumers with poor credit ratings. Consumers allegedly were led to believe that the computers they ordered would be shipped after three months of payments and that they would have to continue making payments for nine months after the computer was shipped. Consumers often did not receive the computers within the time period promised by Financing Alternatives, and some consumers did not receive the computers after making all such payments.

Violations of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act alleged in the suit include:

misrepresenting or failing to disclose to consumers the conditions to be met before computers would be ordered, shipped or delivered;
misrepresenting to consumers the reasons for delays in ordering, shipment or delivery;
misrepresenting to consumers that Financing Alternatives is or was licensed by the Va. State Corporation Commission;
misrepresenting to consumers that Financing Alternatives is or was in good standing with the Va. Attorney General’s Office or the Better Business Bureau; and
failing to disclose all conditions, charges or fees relating to a layaway agreement.
The suit was filed in the Chesapeake Circuit Court. It requests that the court enjoin Financing Alternatives from violating the Virginia Consumer Protection Act and that all money acquired by Financing Alternatives from consumers in transactions that violated the Act be returned to those consumers. The suit also seeks civil penalties of up to $2,500 for each violation of the Act.

The Pines Apartments, 1302 Pine Cone Circle Virginia Beach, VA 23456, owned by Great Atlantic Management is unresponsive to maintenance needs and tenant complaints. Concerned citizens may want to avoid The Pines apartments or any other apartments owned by Great Atlantic Management if they will be residing in Hampton Roads. Navy personnel are encouraged to stay away from The Pines especially if they are sea going and their spouse will be residing in Virginia Beach.

A few reasons to avoid The Pines include mice in the apartments and loud noise. The smell is horrible when the mice die and the Pines apartment office does very little to correct obvious health hazards. The maintenance is poor and most fixes are short term in nature even though they would save money and man-hours if they were to make permanent long-term fixes to problems such as water leaks. 

If you do live in The Pines apartments and office personnel do not assist you, try contacting Great Atlantic Management. Unfortunately, their management style is not great so you can be sure they won’t respond. You should contact them though since The Pines employees, including the office manager, work for them.

You should also contact Great Atlantic Management if The Pines apartment maintenance personnel are rude, unresponsive or do not fix the problem you’ve reported. Usually, if you do complain to The Pines office concerning poor or no maintenance, they will say that maintenance does not work for them and they cannot do anything. That is not true. If the office manager does not resolve the issue and the maintenance supervisor does not fix the problem, Great Atlantic Management should. In addition, contrary to what they may believe, the office manager is not the final authority.

Don’t hesitate to contact Virginia Beach City Attorney’s Office to seek assistance in filing a complaint against The Pines apartments. If they can’t help you directly, they may be able to point you in the right direction. Either way, you’ll usually get a response from the Virginia Beach Attorney’s Office – they seem to care.

• Pines of Green Run Apartments
• The Pines Apartment Rating and Reviews in Virginia Beach
  hell no!
• Great Atlantic Management BBB reliability report
• The Pines Apartments Rip Off Report 
• OIG Virginia Audit Report - Title: Great Atlantic Management CO., Inc.

If you have complaints about The Pines of Green Run in Virginia Beach, you can use these resources to let others know and to help get issues resolved.

Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (VRLTA) Handbook

• The City’s Code Enforcement for Virginia Beach handles complaints against building safety and hazardous issues. They can be reached at 385-4421. 
• The Consumer Affairs division answers questions regarding the Landlord/Tenant Act and can guide the consumers in which actions they can take. They can be reached 385-5836. 
• VDACS - Landlord-Tenant Frequently Asked Questions
• Renter’s Rights and Responsibilities: The Basics
• If you are in the Navy, notify housing. Eventually they will steer Sailors who are relocating away from The Pine apartments if they receive enough complaints. It can be really rough when a spouse’s significant other is at sea and the Pines apartment office doesn’t do their job.
• Notify Virginia Beach City Attorney’s Office. They may be able to point you in the right direction depending on the type of complaint.
• File a report with the Better Business Bureau of Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern Carolina.

Let others know

• Rip Off Report 
• Complaints.com 
• My3cents.com 

If you are aware of other resources that may assist others, feel free to add a comment below or you may contact Hampton Roads Crime.

“Yeah whatever” 
- Virginia Beach, Virginia

Talk about rude service at Pep Boys Auto in Virginia Beach. We take our car in for repairs on Friday, 16th and the so-called assistant service manager tells us we have to come in on Monday to order the part. I ask him why we have to come in on Monday and he says, “to get a price quote.” So my wife comes in and she’s sent to the parts department – this assistant service manager had lied. He could have sent us to the parts department in the first place since he didn’t get a price for anything even though they had the paperwork on a repair that had not be finished. On Thursday the 22nd, my wife takes the car in and the part is replaced.

When she drives back, there’s this loud rattling in the engine area. When I get home, I see a panel loose so I take it back to Pep Boys Auto Virginia Beach around 7:00 P.M. I tell the receptionist in repair about it and she says, “we can’t have it repaired today, you’ll have to bring it in tomorrow.” I ask to speak to the manager and she say’s he’s gone for the day. I tell her never mind I’ll talk to the store parts manager and she say’s “yeah whatever.”

Needless to say, I am not the rude type but she definitely got rude with the wrong person. I talked to the store parts manager and he had someone look at the car but he never got back with me as he said he would. There is no doubt Pep Boys Auto in Virginia Beach has poor car service repair and rude customer service.

The Virginia Beach assistant service manager was rude, wasted our time, and made statements that are other than the truth. He just flat out doesn’t have a clue about customer service, and what he does know he doesn’t care. You can tell in the body language. Also, the receptionist or cashier or “yeah whatever,” has learned this behavior from the assistant manager and has matched his rudeness and uncaring support. Did they make a mistake at Virginia Beach Pep Boys.

After this experience, I’d recommend people avoid Pep Boys Auto on Lynnhaven Parkway, Virginia Bech like burning rubber. Just like the rubber that was burning on our car when they left the panel loose – you may be safer in the end.

Information that may help if you need to file a complaint …

• Virginia Beach City Attorney’s Office 
• Hampton Roads Better Business Bureau
• VDACS - Consumer Services - Complaints
• Hampton Roads Fraud, scams, consumer complaints.
• VBgov.com - Consumer Affairs Division - Includes how to complain

What other have to say about Manny Moe and Jack …

• Pep Boys Problems
• Be careful of the work they do
• Pep Boys try to Avoid Paying Rebates
• Pep Boys - Manny, Moe and Jack, The
• Consumer Complaints against PepBoys Auto
• Complaints about PepBoys from Ripoff Report
• Pep Boys complaints and reviews - My3cents.com
• I’m finding out their rude behavior has been going on a long time.

 In the News …

• CEO Stevenson Resigns from Pep Boys
• Barington hedge fund prods Pep Boys to set meeting
• Pirate Capital Demands Pep Boys (PBY) Annual Meeting be Immediately Called
• Pep Boys stockholder peeved - Philadelphia Business Journal
• Navy Reservist Sues Over Lost Job With Auto Parts Retailer
• Possible sale considered by Pep Boys - Manny Moe and Jack
• Pep Boys hit with suspension
• Re-Engaging Pep Boys

Use at your own risk
Pep Boys Auto
1116 Lynnhaven Parkway
Virginia Beach, VA 23452