On October 21, 2026, West Virginia joined 16 other state attorneys general in a nearly $664 million settlement with a lease-to-own provider, resolving allegations involving its consumer leases. The states investigated alleged violations of state consumer protection and rental purchase laws, including West Virginia’s Consumer Goods Rental Protection Act.
The provider offered lease-to-own agreements through merchant partners. Under the settlement, the states alleged that its practices:
- Misrepresented lease costs and terms. Some consumers allegedly believed they could pay off a lease within 100 days or less, but instead entered longer agreements that cost more.The states also alleged that advertising slogans could obscure the lease’s true cost.
- Limited consumers’ access to contract information. The states alleged that consumers could not review the full terms before signing and that payment terms were confusing.
- Made misleading credit-score claims. The states alleged that consumers were told that applying for a lease or making timely payments could increase their credit scores.
- Created difficulties for consumers seeking to return products or end leases. The states investigated potential problems with the provider’s communications, return process, lease termination procedures, and debt collection practices.
The settlement requires changes to advertising and disclosures, protections for repairs and replacements, clear notice and practical options for ending leases and returning products, and restrictions on unsupported credit-score claims and threats to seize goods. It also requires merchant training and annual compliance reporting for three years. The provider did not admit that it violated any law.
Across the 17 states, the settlement cancels $662.1 million in lease payments and requires $2.75 million in payments to the states. In West Virginia, $4.44 million in lease payments will be canceled for consumers who entered into covered agreements from 2017 through 2022, and they may keep the merchandise without further payments.
Putting It Into Practice: This settlement adds to recent state AG attention to consumer financial practices, including online lending and debt collection actions (previously discussed here and here). Lease-to-own providers and merchant partners should review their advertising, point-of-sale disclosures, contract access, return and termination processes, and collection practices under each state’s rental purchase and consumer protection laws.