paw law Is That Doggie In The Window? –by Dionne M. Blaesing, Esq.
Consumers are unknowingly signing questionable lease agreements to purchase pet store puppies.
Clewiston, Florida November 2015. More than 100 dogs were found living in deplorable conditions at a puppy mill, and confiscated by authorities.
How Much, Actually,
It is human nature – we cannot resist a good bargain. So, we popularize financially hurtful follies such as the infamous 2016 no interest mortgage or the Madoff investments.
Behold, the latest modification/adapta- tion of a common financial tool: a Leasing Agreement used for pet purchases. Pet Leases are not a good idea for a pet lover like me. Consumers lease apartments. We
understand we do not own the apart- ment; we are paying for its use for a fixed time period. Consumers lease cars. We can buy it at the end of the lease for a fixed amount but usually we lease a car to ensure that we are only responsible to the end of the lease. Cars and apartments are not living creatures. Wags Lending, a Nevada company,
has developed a new lease designed for “pet loving people” through their “innovated underwriting” as “an alterna- tive financing option to help you take home that pet you love, today. No appli- cation documentation is required and our application process takes only min- utes.” Puppy buyers, beware.
36 THE NEW BARKER
Here is how the leasing scenario plays out: When I go with my 10- year-old grandson to the pet store, see a cute “designer dog” with a waggly tail, we fall in love, but gasp at the ticket price of $2,184.99. In minutes, the pet store worker presents a six-page document and tells me I can make monthly payments allowing us to take the pet home immedi- ately. I am in love; I want my grandson to be happy. The Lease document sounds like a financing plan. I look at the document which “takes minutes” to review and I have my financing questions answered by a pet store employee, trained to sell dog, cat, ferret and bird food. What I have actually signed is a promise to pay on a lease, just like my
lease car payment. I do not own the pet. I pay $183.41 monthly, for 40 months. I may pay more if I opt for a Health Insurance policy because I am also liable for veterinary care. The total sum paid, at the end of the lease, is $7,519.93. If I want to own the pet after 40 months, I will pay an additional $450.00. If I elect not to buy the puppy, I will still owe a “disposition fee” of $225.00. If I miss a monthly payment, the puppy is repossessed; I owe the
entire amount due on the lease and the disposition fee. I have no puppy, a broken heart and a credit disaster affecting my credit score. At Lease end, I return my now three-year-old dog to the pet store at
the store’s option. Will someone pay $2,184.99 for my dog now? If the store refuses, I am obliged to find, then surrender the dog to a no kill shelter. How do I explain this to my now 13-year-old grandson? Under Florida law, by signing the Lease Agreement, I possibly have
waived any rights I may have under Florida’s Pet Lemon Law (Fl. §828.29). We can argue in court that Florida Law requires a specific disclosure statement to be attached to an alternative agreement for a waiver to be effective. Now, we’re into attorney fees. Pets are not cars or apartments. Leases are not simple alternative
financing tools. Besides, we have a huge number of beautiful, lovable pets in shelters and with rescue groups. One of those dogs could become my grandson’s favorite pal, about whom he will tell hero adventure stories to his own children one day.
www.TheNewBarker.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104
