Bristlecone Lending

I used Bristlecone Lending to finance furniture through a company. For whatever reason, I never received my furniture after weeks of the delivery dates forever changing. So I cancelled my order and the store refunded my initial payment to them but I am still trying to get the money from this finance company. For days they have been saying their processor is down and they are unable to process or even give information about when they can send the refund. At this point I am extremely agitated and this is my only resource at the moment is to vent. I think it's right sad that from both the furniture company as well as Bristlecone Leasing they seem to just give you the run around. Something is not right with either company. Have reported the furniture company to several places as fraud and I think I am about to do the same for the finance company.

Hello, I would like it known that WAGS lending is extremely misleading and after contacting them many times and trying to reason with them they refuse to admit what they did was wrong and unclear. I went to a pet store and was offered 'financing' through WAGS for my puppy. I was informed that as long as I made my payments quickly and paid off the full amount that I spent on the dog that I would be done with the contract. I was not however informed that I wasn't purchasing a dog through financing but leasing a dog and that the dog would not be mine until I either finished the ridiculous amount of payments that was double the price of the dog or I paid the 'buyout' which was again over the amount that the dog was worth. It wasn't until I read the contract completely and realized that I'd been lied to that I tried to return the dog. I was given the option of returning the dog to the store or giving it up at a shelter and paying the the full amount that the dog was worth. I tried returning the dog to the store (where I'd been lied to and told I was financing the dog not leasing it) and they refused and I was told by WAGS that the store wasn't an option after all. I've tried many times to cancel this lease and return the dog. I've already paid 4 months of payments and yet I still owe them more than the dog is worth. They are sneaky and unclear in their advertisement. When I went to return the dog to the store as I was told and they made me speak with them on the phone to tell me they'd never said to return it that store. I was even told they e-mailed me and they did no such thing! I can't believe that a company would even think to lease a living creature! I could go through all the payments and dog still wouldn't be mine! That's ridiculous and not what I was told would be the case!!Product_Or_Service: Yorkshire TerrierDesired SettlementI would like the lease cancelled, no further payments required, and the dog returned to where ever they wish but no further money required on my end since they were unclear about the full details of the contract until after I did my own research. Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted] VP MarketinContact Phone: [redacted]Contact Email: [redacted]Wags Lending is a financing option that provides consumers with close-end lease agreements when buying outright is not an option. Here's how our service works:Consumers apply via online and receive an instant decision. Consumers will select the pet within the amount they were approved for. The pet retailer will draft up a WAGS contract and provide a hard copy for the consumer to read on their own before signing. An electronic contract is sent to the consumer's email for them to sign. Consumer signs electronically. The consumer will make monthly lease payments for the agreed upon terms. The consumer may obtain outright ownership of the pet by either exercising the Early Buyout option or paying the fair market price at the end of the lease. Additionally, the consumer has the option to terminate their contract at any time as long as they pay the cancellation fees and the pet is surrendered at a no-kill facility.All of the above items including monthly payment and term totals are clearly laid in the lease contract that each consumer must read and sign in order to use our service.After reviewing all phone records and emails in regards to [redacted], here is our response:We explained to[redacted] multiple times what her options were, and she was not satisfied due to the fact that she could not afford the options.[redacted] never informed us that she was misled. We asked[redacted] during our first contact with her if she was aware that she signed a lease, and she said yes. We confirmed this conversation by reviewing a recording of the phone call which is available for her to review.[redacted] wished to return the dog because she was unable to afford the pet, but the retailer would not process the return because the pet was healthy and it had also been over 2 months since the pet was purchased.[redacted] requested info to cancel her contract with us and to surrender her pet. All of her questions were accurately answered.We are sorry that[redacted] is not satisfied with her options. We did not mislead or misinform her. Our representatives answered all of her questions accurately and she was informed that this was a lease from the time she signed the contract. If[redacted] requests, we can provide her with documentation and phone recordings confirming everything stated in this response. We want to work with[redacted] and provide a solution. We have offered[redacted] several options that would allow her to keep her pet and fulfill her contractual obligation with Wags. She has not responded to us. We look forward to working towards a resolution with[redacted] if and when she does respond to us.Thank you,Wags Lending

Contract involving pet purchase is not what was explained by representative.Copy mailed to email. No access. Company emailed again and it us not the contract signed. Name is printed and I orginally put and actual signature not printed. Contract is dated 12/5/2014 and I never came in until 12/10/14. Finally would never purchase pet at triple the cost. Explained 12 months at 148.00 contract now says 30 months. Never ever would have signed for that amount.Explained 1961.00 in 12 payments. Paperwork was done in their computer and not printed at the time. Attendant stroll to appropriate places on contract. I know what I was TOLDProduct_Or_Service: PuppyAccount_Number: [redacted]Desired SettlementI would like this company and their practices looked into. I would like for my account to be credited paid in full. I have over paid and rhats includong finance charges.The representative are falsely giving information. Paperwork should be printed for consumers review.Business Response Based on the customer's complaint, it sounds like the customer was misled by her retailer about the way our program works. This customer contacted us on 2/12/2016 claiming that the contract she signed at the retailer was for a 12-month lease term, however the only contract we have for the customer is for a 30-month lease term which was forwarded to the customer on 2/12. The customer was adamant in both her complaint and her phone call with us that the retailer communicated to her that her contract would only be for 12 months and that she physically signed a contract in the store for 12 months. It is a requirement that the retailers print and present every customer with a physical, non-authoritative copy of the contract that the customer can keep for their records but this Is not something the customer needs to sign. When a contract is drafted, the retailer is required to print a copy of the contract for the customer to read and review. After the contract is reviewed by the customer, the retailer sends the same contract to the customer's email for the customer to sign. Our contracts are signed electronically through a customer's email to prevent against fraud and maintain the safety and security of the customer. Since the customer contacted us 2/12/2016 to inform us of the situation, we have contacted the retailer to see if they had any information on the customer and the transaction. When we spoke with the retailer they explained that they do print off the physical, non-authoritative version of the contract for every customer but they do not have customers sign that. According to the retailer the only Wags contract this customer signed was the contract sent to the customer's email which clearly states a 30-month lease term and not a 12-month lease term. Ms. Dorsey did sign an electronic 30-Month legally binding lease agreement with Wags Lending, however, we are happy to work with her to resolve her situation if she feels that she was misled.On 2/16/2016 we attempted to call and left a voicemail for this customer and sent the customer an email. We have yet to receive any response from the customer. We will wait for Ms. Dorsey's response and are happy to serve her once she is ready.

I went to a local retailer, Breeders Club of America, to purchase a puppy. They offered me a finance contract for this animal. Upon receiving this contract by email, I found that it was not a sales financing contract, but rather a "lease" contract. The price of the dog was $3148.00. However, the end cost was $7619.93, with a $450.00 "purchase option at the end of the lease."I do not understand how they can "lease" a dog. Also, no where in the paperwork does it state any type of interest rate.I am making you aware of this scam. Fortunately, we were able to cancel the contract and pay outright for the dog. But I do believe that all finance contracts in the State of NJ must disclose the interest rate, which at this final amount, must be excessive.Product_Or_Service: DogAccount_Number: [redacted]Desired SettlementI just want people to be aware of what I believe may be a scam. This company is out of Nevada, but they are writing contracts in [redacted]. I would like to think that they would have to follow the banking rules of [redacted].I may be wrong, but this is not the way to do business.Business Response Contact Name and Title:[redacted] VP MarketinContact Phone: [redacted]Contact Email: [redacted] seems to have 2 concerns with her experience with our service, and these are common concerns, that I am happy to address. We are sorry that our program was not thoroughly explained to her via the retailer, here is an explanation in response to her concerns:1. "How can you lease a dog?" We completely understand that initially, this idea can seem uncomforting- leasing a living animal. But, much like cell phones, cars, and furniture, animals are considered personal property. It's very legal. Our leases our close-end leases which offers consumers the option to buy out of the lease at any time and obtain ownership of the pet. We have processes and procedures in place with retailers, should owners be unable to care for their pet which are in favor of the pet.2. "This seems like a scam, there is no disclosed interest rate on the contract." There is not a disclosed interest rate, because there is no interest rate. Interest rates apply to loans and fluctuate. You are correct, there are regulated interest rates which vary state to state and they must be disclosed. Leases are an entirely different vehicle to finance personal property and fall under an entire different category of regulation. We have seen a lot of very happy customers add new members to their family that they otherwise would not have been able to through traditional financing options. It's a good for option for many people.We would like to directly hear about [redacted]'s experience, specifically her experience at the retailer where the details of the Wags agreement should have been reviewed with her.Thank youConsumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)If there is no interest, then why does the pet cost almost 3x more than the purchase price?Final Business Response This is a very good question because there are significant differences in loans and leases.When someone borrows money to purchase a product, the business lending the money is taking on the risk that the borrower will eventually pay the business back. The borrower owns the product from the beginning and the interest rate represents the rate the lender charges above the purchase price to account for the possibility that the borrower will fail to make payments. An interest rate may fluctuate from month to month, which creates situations where the borrower does not know exactly how much the next monthly payment will be. Leases are much different then loans. When a person leases a product, they do not purchase and own the product. Instead, they pay a fixed monthly payment in exchange for the right to possess and use the product that month. Ownership of the product remains with the business that leases the product, but the right to possess and use the product is given to the customer so long as timely payment is made. The monthly lease payment is calculated by adding two numbers together. The first component of the monthly payment is the "rent" that the leasing company chargers the customer in exchange for the customer's right to possess and use the product. This rent charges accounts for the leasing company's risk in the same fashion an interest rate in a loan accounts for the lender's risk, but with additional costs because the leasing company owns the product. The second component of the monthly payment is the product's depreciation amount. Each month the customer possesses and uses the product, the product's fair market value decreases. That decrease is part of the monthly payment so that the customer is compensating the business for the decrease in the product's fair market value while the customer has used the product. These two numbers, added together, make up the monthly payment calculation. There are advantages to both interest payments (loans) and lease payments (leases). Each customer's circumstances are different and each customer must decide what financial product is best for them. Unlike interest, the monthly leasing fee never changes. Unlike interest, you know what your exact monthly fees will be, how many months you will be paying your lease, and how much it will cost you at the end of the lease to own the product outright. These terms are disclosed on the first page of our leasing contract in large, clear lettering so that each customer knows what the exact costs will be. This is important to us because we want each customer to know, before they sign a contract, exactly what the customer will be paying and how much it will cost over the life of the lease. Loans and interest rates do not offer this level of accuracy and transparency making financial planning more difficult for the customer. If you have any additional questions, please contact one of our concierge team members at (844)761-4950 and we would be happy to provide you with more detail.Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)Still a rip off.

I was approved through this company for buying a bed. Because I could not sign electronically through my phone they said I wasn't approved. I did sign and initial all paperwork with them prior. The next day was told by [redacted] in [redacted] to come pick up the bed. They loaded it then unloaded it when the man at bristlecone said I wasn't approved now. I paid $70.00 the day before. Got my money back but had to make two trips which cost me $30 in fuel The man was very rude and so was [redacted]. I am out thirty dollars because of this and it affected my credit. Both companies were unprofessional and rude. Don't understand how papers are signed and all is good with deposit and then the next day no deal because I could not sign electronically through my phone. Something very fishy going on with both these companies. I am extremely angry and need to find out what is the problem. Why was I told to come get the bed, load it up and then no! Doesn't make sense. Very rude and unprofessional by both companies. Would not recommend either one. Bad rating.Product_Or_Service: bedAccount_Number: [redacted]Desired SettlementRefund of fuel of $30 for my cost and time. Also should not be in business and have a bad rating. Business Response Hello, we have spoken with the above customer and reviewed her complaint to the Revdex.com. This customer is correct that she was approved for our leasing services. However, in order for a customer to complete a contract with Bristlecone Lending, they need to sign the electronic version of their contract that is sent to the customer's email address. The electronic version of the contract cannot be signed and completed until a customer is able to get through KBA (Knowledge Based Authentication), which is a security tool that echosign has added to their contracts to prevent fraud and validate the identity of the customer signing the contract. KBA is based off of public records information and even with the assistance of our representatives the customer was not able to get through the security feature. It was never communicated to the customer that she was no longer approved for our leasing services; instead, it was communicated that we would not be able to extend our leasing services to this customer if they were not able to get through this security feature and actually sign the contract.The customer also mentioned in the complaint that the first day she went to the store, she signed paperwork for Bristlecone Lending. Bristlecone Lending requires the retailers who use our program to print and present a physical copy of the contract for the customer to read and review before signing the contract sent to the customer's email address but this paperwork does not need to be signed and is only for the customer to keep for their records.During our training sessions with each retailer we work with, we strongly communicate to the retailers to not order any merchandise or let a customer leave with any merchandise until the customer has electronically signed their contract and their echosign status has changed from "out for signature" to "signed". It appears the retailer completely disregarded this and communicated to the customer that everything had been completed even though a valid contract had not actually been completed for this customer. The retailer in this instance should have never ordered any merchandise, had the customer come back to the store, or loaded the furniture up until a contract had actually been completed for this customer. Part of our program is following up with retailers to make sure they are following the correct procedures. We have attempted to reach the store manager and associate who drafted the contract for this customer but have been unable to reach either. After speaking with the consumer, we have agreed to close their open approval with Bristlecone Lending and remove the initial credit inquiry from the customer's credit report. Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)