Okinus reviews and complaints

Why the A+ rating and low reviews don’t conflict

• BBB rating: A+

  Reflects BBB’s view of how a business is likely to interact with customers, based on complaint records, transparency and public information.

• Customer reviews: about 1/5

  Written by customers. BBB says reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation.

In other words, an A+ largely means Okinus responds to complaints filed through BBB. It doesn’t mean customers are happy, and BBB says a rating is not a guarantee of a business’s reliability or performance.

Sources: Okinus, Inc. business profile and complaints; Okinus, Inc. customer reviews; Overview of BBB ratings

What customers complain about most

Reading the complaints and reviews on Okinus’s BBB profile, the same themes come up again and again:

• Automatic drafts

  Payments drafted after a manual payment, duplicate withdrawals, or drafts from a card the customer says they didn’t authorize.

• Changing payoff amounts

  Payoff figures that differ between calls, and requests for itemized ledgers.

• Total cost

  Customers who expected a lower total or a shorter term than the lease set out.

• Fees and add-ons

  Disputes over returned-payment (NSF) and late fees, phone-payment fees, and add-on charges such as Care Plus.

• Customer service

  Unanswered emails, conflicting information between agents, and collection contact after a customer believed the account was paid.

• Early buyout disputes

  Customers who say they understood a buyout deadline or price differently from the lease.

Sources: Okinus, Inc. complaints; Okinus, Inc. customer reviews

How Okinus responds

In its public responses, Okinus usually points back to the signed lease. Responses cite specific sections of the agreement, such as the section showing the total amount due under the full lease, and the payment authorization the customer gave. Okinus has said it cannot reverse or waive NSF fees, and often offers the customer an early buyout. In a few cases it has acknowledged its own errors.

The takeaway: with Okinus, what’s written in your lease is what counts. Reading the cost, payment authorization and early purchase sections before you sign prevents most of these disputes.

Sources: Okinus, Inc. complaints; Okinus, Inc. customer reviews

How to read lease-to-own reviews fairly

Online reviews tend to come from people with problems, so they aren’t a random sample. For a wider view, the FTC’s survey of rent-to-own customers across the industry found that 75% were satisfied with their experience, and 70% of merchandise was eventually bought by the customer.

That survey doesn’t cover Okinus specifically. Use reviews to learn which problems happen, then check whether your own agreement protects you against them.

Source: Survey of Rent-to-Own Customers (FTC Bureau of Economics staff report)

How to avoid the common problems

Sources: Okinus: Loss Damage Waiver; Okinus: Care Plus

If you have a problem with Okinus

1. Contact Okinus first. Call customer care at 1-800-472-1334 or use live chat. Write down the date, the agent’s name and what was agreed.
2. Put it in writing. Ask for a copy of your lease and an itemized payment history.
3. File with the BBB. Okinus responds to complaints filed through its BBB profile.
4. Contact your state. Rent-to-own is regulated by state law. Your state attorney general’s consumer protection office can take complaints.

Sources: Okinus: Consumer FAQs; Okinus, Inc. complaints; Rental-purchase statutes explained

Common questions