I got a flyer from Aaron's Rent to Own yesterday and, wow, what a racket. Just because I happen to know computers pretty well, I check out their "deal". There was a Dell computer valued at $800 that was only $99 dollars a month to own in 12 months (but oddly came up to a total financing chart of $500 so there must be a down payment or something). So right off the bat you've got 63% APR right there. Just popping over to Dell website you can get a better computer/monitor combo for $600 so there's at least a $200 markup in addition to the 63% APR. I'd have to guess they must sell to people who are either very uninformed or have absolutely horrible credit.

Today I'm finding e-mails from people who are screaming because I haven't sent them the files they requested. Via e-mail.

You need a snooty boilerplate response that subtly insults their intelligence and ability to do their job. I could look through old e-mails from Portland Man.

Seriously, shrift.

LA seems a good place for restarts.

To me, the real scandal of the pedophile priest scandal was the reaction of the hierarchy whenever parishioners complained. No investigation, no action against the priest. Just move him to a new parish. Where he's free to continue his activities against a whole new set of victims. Among people who've been told by the hierarchy to trust his every word.

This, a thousand times this. This is where they have a chance in hell of doing something about the problem, and precisely where they least want to be.

(Um, they meaning the Vatican, and from what I've seen a fair bit of the church hierarchy.)

I'd have to guess they must sell to people who are either very uninformed or have absolutely horrible credit.

Both.

And I wonder how they get around usury laws with that. That high of an APR should be illegal.

You need a snooty boilerplate response that subtly insults their intelligence and ability to do their job. I could look through old e-mails from Portland Man.

I find a nice "Oh! I'm so sorry, the website request must have gotten lost somehow or we'd have gotten that file to you immediately," can be effective.

And Cindy brought up the term I couldn't remember--ephebophile, which is equally icky in my book and more specific when describing teenage victims.

For me, I guess it is less icky, because although it is just as morally icky, it doesn't seem so sexually icky. Let's say a man sees a beautiful, mature female walking down the street. He finds her arousing. He later finds out she's just a grown up looking 15 year old. It's morally icky if he goes after her, but I don't know that it shows any sort of sexual pathology. If he sees a 7 year old or a 2 year old walking down the street and is aroused by her, it's way more icky to me.

Pedophilia, if I understand correctly, isn't something that can be therapized out of a person, either. The best they can hope for is to gain control over their desires, not change them. Ephebophilia, if I understand correctly (and like I said, I don't even think it is a diagnosis sort of term) can be. And if I understand correctly, it's largely a matter of getting a person more comfortable with his peers.

Ooops. Gotta throw up, again.

And I wonder how they get around usury laws with that.

Dunno, maybe they are based in Delaware or something. Or maybe they have a wholly owned company in Delaware or some other state without usary laws that does the actual financing.

You need a snooty boilerplate response that subtly insults their intelligence and ability to do their job.

Past experience suggests that people don't actually read the e-mails I send, so I'd hate to waste a snooty boilerplate response.

LA seems a good place for restarts.

While I like LA, the prospect of actually living there doesn't help my blood pressure problem at the moment.

Although somewhere without streets covered in sheets of ice might be nice.

I'd have to guess they must sell to people who are either very uninformed or have absolutely horrible credit.

Yes, and yes. The rent-to-own biz is set up to make big bucks off poor people -- not only no credit, but no savings, no breathing room in the budget for one-time big purchases, and no chance of putting it on the christmas list of the rest because the family can't afford it either. In those circumstances, even if you're perfectly well-informed about what a complete ripoff it is, paying by the month can look like the only option.