Public Defender: Kristy just wanted a fridge but got the cold shoulder

A SIMPLE fridge rental agreement turned sour for Kristy Clark when she tried to buy out her contract. Then Public Defender got involved.

Kristy got cold shoulder on fridge

READER Kristy Clark was running a hamburger shop in 2012 when her fridge packed it in.

She contracted to rent one from Radio Rentals because it gave her the opportunity to buy after 18 months.

When that time came she tried to buy. In October she received a payout price of $680. This fell to $482.60 in December but jumped back to $679 last month — all while making monthly repayments of $56.90.

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When she was given the first payout price, she owed a sum which she understood had to be cleared before she could take ownership. So she cleared it. But Radio Rentals claimed it couldn’t find the payment. This led to a “repo” threat last month.

Following my involvement, Ms Clark will be able to buy the fridge for $1.

Radio Rentals’ parent company is the sharemarket-listed Thorn Group. Thorn’s chief operating officer, James Marshall, said: “Given the poor experience Ms Clark has had in this isolated case, hopefully this goes some way towards restoring her faith in our brand.”

Ms Clark said: “It’s a great result for me. But people still need to know about the kicking and screaming I’ve had to do.”

So beware: Rentals can cost three to five times the value of the item, the Consumer Action Law Centre warns.

CALC’s report on the hidden costs of renting