Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether rent-to-own and lease-to-own companies operating in Nebraska have improperly charged consumers for optional damage protection, liability waivers, or other add-on products and services.
Consumers who use rent-to-own financing to obtain furniture, appliances, electronics, tires, or other merchandise may discover that their recurring payments include additional charges for damage protection or similar products. These charges may appear alongside the regular rental payment, making it difficult for consumers to determine whether the protection is required or optional.
Under Nebraska’s Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act, certain liability damage waiver products must be optional, and consumers must affirmatively request them in writing after receiving information about their cost. Nebraska law also limits the amounts that companies may charge for covered waivers.
Migliaccio & Rathod is investigating whether rent-to-own companies have automatically included optional protection products, failed to obtain the required written consent, charged more than permitted by law, or represented that purchasing additional protection was necessary to obtain merchandise.
Customers May Have Experienced:
- Being charged for damage protection or liability waivers they did not request;
- Discovering additional protection fees on weekly or monthly payment statements;
- Being told that damage protection was required to obtain merchandise;
- Having optional products automatically included in their rental agreements;
- Paying liability waiver fees without providing the required written authorization; or
- Being charged more than the amount permitted for covered damage waivers.
Potential Claims May Include:
- Unauthorized assessment of optional damage protection charges;
- Failure to obtain required written consent for liability waivers;
- Improper representation of optional products as mandatory;
- Collection of fees exceeding applicable statutory limits; or
- Violations of Nebraska’s Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act.
Signs You May Be Affected:
- You entered into a rent-to-own or lease-to-own agreement in Nebraska;
- You obtained furniture, appliances, electronics, tires, or other merchandise;
- Your agreement or payment statements included damage protection or liability waiver charges;
- You did not knowingly request the additional protection in writing;
- You were told the protection was mandatory or were charged more than permitted; or
- You have your rental agreement, payment statements, or communications concerning the additional charges.
If you believe you experienced this issue, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call.