Complaint Review: Fingerhut - Internet

I filed for bankruptcy due to post-divorce debt I was stuck with, without help from the ex. Post-bankruptcy it is hard to get any credit, so all these prowler companies swoop in and offer you credit. I took a lot of the offers in order to raise my credit back to normal numbers.

I made the mistake of accepting Fingerhut's offer. At first it was fine. I had a small limit of $300 iirc. I maxed it out, then paid it off quickly. They raised it to, I think $1000, or something close to that. I did not use them for a couple of months, then the gf needed a PC, so I looked at Fingerhut. I bought her a PC. I will just note in caps here, IT WAS $200+ MORE THAN ANY OTHER WEBSITE I LOOKED AT! I didn't have the cash on hand to buy an $700 PC (worth $300-400 at normal stores) so I used Fingerhut. I mean, to build credit you have to have credit, and you have to use that credit to raise your scores. I bought the PC, and it came after a week or more (aka slow shipping in 2016). Shipping was $26 and tax was 50+, so it came out to $767 for a $300-400 PC. Before making the purchase I pleaded with Fingerhut to discount this insanely overpriced PC, but they absolutely refused.

We got the PC. I didn't open it for a little while, because the gf was in a rush to use it until we got it, so it sat in its box for a little while.

When I took the PC out, it was dented SO bad that a screw had come out of the side door. That is a pretty bad dent! The back top edge was almost dented so bad it was bent backwards touching the side door. Then, it had/has a window to view the inside of the PC. Well this window had a scratch from corner to corner (diagonally) defeating the purpose of the window. I am a PC tech, so I know that PC components are considered to be very fragile and sensitive. I was NOT going to keep this PC in the condition it was in.

I incurred 1-2 payments on my account while I had the PC. This was due to keeping it in the box initially, and then being an adult, aka too busy to deal with this terrible company.

I finally got in contact with Fingerhut via chat, and the rep was not bad. He informed me it was too late for a return, so I discussed the condition of the PC and asked if they are ok with selling broken hardware to their customers for much higher than the going price. He eventually got he OK to let me return the PC after the 15 or 30 day policy.

I sent it back. I then started receiving phone calls and letters in the mail regarding my late payments and interest charges racking up. I called and discussed this with a very rude customer service rep. She refused to work with me other than demanding I pay $100+ late fees, and interest charges. I then asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor was twice as rude as the tier 1 rep. I think they promote based on the ability to treat customers like trash. Anyways, she refused to work with me also. She also told me she will not accept the return and that she will send it RIGHT BACK because I didn't return it on time. I told her it had already been returned and authorized for return. She didn't care and still demanded I pay late fees for an account with a $0 balance due to returning their broken, overpriced paper weight.

Now they have sent me to collections and they keep tasking on interest charges and late fees. So I am getting interest charges ON late fees! I am considering hiring an attorney to take them to court over this. They were meant to help me build my credit, not destroy it because they are charging me fees for an item I didn't use, and returned due to it being severely damaged.

I don't mind paying my debts, but I refuse to pay for a returned item, just because time lapsed for a monthly payment. I now owe them around $200 in late fees and interest charges because they absolutely refuse to work with me. I don't think I should be responsible for paying for an item I returned because it was trashed in the mail or before they even packed it. I bet they buy refurbished or damaged products intentionally, then mark them way up (conspiracy theory!).

Anyways, steer clear of Fingerhut. They will do you no favors and only care about the money. All their products are low quality and overpriced. I returned multiple items to them. A lot of the reviews for their products are low due to their products breaking prematurely.