Are you going to be in the market for a car in the near future? If you can accept “new for you” instead of “new” and you don’t have your heart set on a truck or SUV, you may be in luck: Used car dealers are about to find themselves awash in 3- and 4-year-old vehicles. [More]
leases
Dick’s Will Bid For Maybe 2 Dozen Sports Authority Leases After Stores Close
By 5.20.16
When Sports Authority locations and their merchandise went up for sale in the first round of auctions after the retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, experts thought that the chain’s biggest competitor might bid for up to 100 stores to snap up areas where it doesn’t already do business. Dick’s did bid for some stores, but ultimately lost out to liquidators. That’s okay, though, the company’s CEO explained during an earnings call this week: they’ll go for the store leases after the locations they want close. [More]
Crate And Barrel Closing NYC Flagship After 20 Years Because The Rent Is Too Darn High
By 6.8.15
Your average New York City citizens aren’t the only ones who might be pushed from their preferred neighborhood amid skyrocketing real estate prices: after 20 years inhabiting its flagship store on Madison Avenue, Crate and Barrel is leaving the building behind to avoid paying higher rent. [More]
Sprint Will Lease Loyal Customers An iPhone 6 For $5/Month
By 10.14.14
While other carriers are looking to eliminate phone subsidies, Sprint has an interesting plan for people who like to upgrade their handsets annually: the “iPhone for Life” program lets you lease a phone instead of purchasing or financing one. Now, the carrier is rewarding loyal customers who have stuck with the carrier through its years of spotty coverage and slow data speeds. [More]
Until You've Got It In Writing, You've Got Nothing
By 11.23.11
No matter how skilled a negotiator you are or how pleased you are with your results, you can’t expect an agreement to hold up unless you’ve got it in writing. This goes for job offers, sales agreements, financing and leases. [More]
Dish Network Will Assume Leases Of More Than 500 Blockbuster Stores
By 4.20.11
Dish Network, the proud winner of the auction for Blockbuster, will play around with its new toy by not letting it completely vanish. [More]
What Do I Need To Pay When I Break My Lease Four Months Early?
By 11.4.10
Shannon in Alabama recently got engaged, and she’ll be moving into the house her fiancé owns after the wedding in December. The problem is her current place, which she just leased in April. She wrote to Consumerist for help figuring out what to do, since her landlord doesn’t seem too clear on the procedures, either. [More]
Landlord Tells Apartment Tenant She Can't Display Flag
By 10.11.10
A Nebraska landlord told a tenant the American flag she’s hanging outside her window has to come down, but she’s not budging. [More]
Should You Be Let Out Of Your Lease If Your Apartment May Plummet Into The Sea?
By 1.12.10
It’s nice to have an apartment on a cliff overlooking the ocean — until the cliff decides to stop existing. That’s what is happening to one apartment complex in Pacifica, CA. [More]
Should I Be Worried If I've Leased A Car From Chrysler?
By 6.10.09
I lease a Chrysler minivan, and am wondering if their bankruptcy will give them the ability to “devalue” my van at the end of the lease (July 2010). I already see 2009 versions of the same van going for nearly $10K less than what we leased it for, and I’m worried.
Landlord And Service Tech Call Tenant A Nerdy Dipshit
By 5.18.09
The wireless Internet connection at Ari’s new apartment isn’t very useful. Neither is his landlord, or the support tech who’s supposed to troubleshoot this kind of stuff.
Landlord Asks Mother To Pay "Early Termination Fee" After Son Fails To Honor Lease By Dying
By 4.26.09
Debbie Eckert cleaned out her son’s apartment after he died in a February fight, but the landlord, CCRT Properties of Brookfield Wisconsin, thinks she should pay several months rent and an early termination fee. The Wisconsin Department of Consumer Protection says that CCRT can pursue the 24-year-old teacher’s estate, but that they have no right to heartlessly badger his mother.
Sears Tower Now Called Willis Tower
By 3.13.09
Sears Tower, the tallest building in the U.S. and abandoned stronghold of the once-powerful Sears, Roebuck & Co., is no more. Its name will be changed to Willis Tower later this year as part of a big leasing agreement with London-based insurer Willis Group Holdings, Ltd. The Chicago Tribune notes that although everyone still calls it Sears Tower, Sears actually moved out in 1992.
UPDATE: Tenant's Surprise Nudist Colony Will Now Be Limited To Pool, Tenant Still Can't Break Lease
By 7.2.08
Last week, we wrote about Sam’s surprising discovery that his apartment complex was to be converted into a “European style” nudieland. The apartment complex apparently hadn’t notified its tenants, and Sam learned about it from a newspaper. Last weekend, Sam wrote in with an update.
After Weekend Controversy, Wisconsin Landlord Releases Man From Lease On Murder Scene Apartment
By 4.15.08
This morning, WKOW in Madison, Wisconsin, reported that Wisconsin Management Company had refused to let a University of Wisconsin student out of a lease a year and a half early. What was surprising about the story was that the man had found his fiancée murdered in the apartment last week. Even worse, the company wouldn’t confirm that it would replace the carpet or re-paint the walls until it had completed “further investigation” of the situation. Before we posted the story this evening, the management company had posted a press release on its website saying the whole thing was a misunderstanding and the lease has been dissolved. Download the press release here (PDF), or read it below.
When Roommates Attack: How Can I Get Out Of My "Lease Break" Fee?
By 2.26.08
Reader Steve’s little sister has a problem. She keeps getting attacked by her roommate. She called the police and now there are charges against the roommate. The psycho roommate’s parents say that they will only pay the “lease break” fee if she finds a way to get the charges against the roommate dropped.
Bad Customer Service From A Customer Service Solutions Provider. What?
By 2.10.08
What part of “CANCEL THE MONTHLY LEASED LICENSE NOW” did customer service solutions provider Kayako misunderstand? Reader Chance’s request wasn’t unexpected. He tried to cancel his account three times and switched service providers before Kayako decided to renew his lease and issue a new bill. The full debacle, inside.
AT&T Leases Push-Button Phone For Over $7,500 To Elderly
By 2.13.07
AT&T leased a crappy old-school phone to an elderly gentleman for over $7500 over a span of 30-plus years, his son just discovered. Kimdog writes:
