How do you top a Charles Barkley!?

I saw an ad on tv the other day. Magic Johnson pitching Rent-a-Center. Have a LOT of respect for the guy. Primarily for his strength and courage in dealing with his own HIV, and his advocacy and activism on HIV/AIDS. Not to forget his legendary basketball career.

And so it was with a twinge of sadness and disbelief that I watched this ad. The ad actually looks good, talking about shared values between Magic's life, and the values that the company represents. It sounds like a good ad campaign, except the company he represents. I mean, RENT-A-CENTER!?

If you look at the values that Magic Johnson promotes through his philanthropy and through his Magic Johnson Foundation, it is obvious that the focus is on empowering and supporting disadvantaged, ethnically diverse urban communities. And if there is one company that takes advantage of such disadvantaged people it would be RAC. Hello!? Shared Values!?

Here is one consumer's grievance about R-A-C listed on ConsumerAffairs.com:

Dee of South Easton, MA July 10, 2009

In February of 2009 I rented a laptop computer from Rent A Center in Brockton MA. When I contracted with them, they gave me a computer that worked for a few weeks and then started to overheat and shut down. I took the computer back -got a loaner - ended up keeping the loaner after I had reloaded all of my business applications on it. I am on unemployment and attmepting to establish myself as a real estate agent so my computer is paramount to my success.

In early June, I had a financial issue. When I required an unemployment extension my payments lapsed for a week. I called Rent A Center immediately when I knew this and tried to make a payment arrangement. It was granted. I payed two weeks as soon as my unemployment was reinstated. The week after, I had a family emergency and my payment would have been four days late. I called to pay it and was told I couldn't pay just one week due to the upcoming holiday (July 4th). I was told that I couldn't make any payment under 2 weeks.

I called the district manager and left a message. I did not receive a call back until Tuesday of the next week. The manager told me to make a two week payment and he would work with my account to get it up to date. When I called the store to do so, they refused the payment again, saying the Distrcit Manager never told them I coudl do that..now I was up to three weeks, according to the store - that I had to pay. During all of this - the store left numerous phone messages not only for myself but my family and friends that I used ONLY for references to open my account. They were not honest during these calls either, saying that I hadn't contacted them in over two weeks, that I was unreliable, that I was stealing the merchandise!

I was completely embarassed by this and humiliated. Not only am I hurting during these economic times financially but I am a survivor of Domestic Violence and have ongoing cases in court against my abuser. Just last week, Rent A Center started coming to my home, terrorizing my son who was home with a friend while I was out. They were banging on the door very aggressively and yelling in windows as well as trying to open doors that thankfully were locked! This behavior is aborehent and criminal!

Now the last conversation I have had with the company, they stated that I was being taken to court and they were going to file criminal charges against me! This was after I stated that I wanted someone else to bring in the merchandise. I don't feel safe going into the store - They are bullies and from I have heard from other people there is system is as follows: After a certain amount of payments have been made - they aggressively look for ways to reposess the merchandise in order to have the ability to rerent it another customer. This lowers their inventory costs and they can make THOUSANDS on one product by continually recycling it and re-renting it! Horrid!

Read more consumer experiences with RAC from ConsumerAffairs.com here.

While I personally don't have any experience with RAC, never having even gone into one, I do have an interesting story.

A couple of months ago, I saw a friend at a barbeque at my ex-gf's. And she had her newish laptop with her. Since I dabble in that field myself, I was interested and curious, and in the course of the conversation, it came up that she had bought it very recently at RAC. "Really!? Wow. I didn't know RAC had laptops.." For around $1400. *GASP* That was me.

A very quick, cursory lookup on the internet showed me that laptop was available for as low as $550 online, brand spanking new. And even if I had sold that laptop for profit, at $700, it would have still been only half the price of what she was going to pay on the laptop. And maybe it's ok if it's a smaller dollar amount, like maybe $50 or so. But she was paying $850 more for her laptop than it was worth. She was paying more than double the cost of the laptop.

That prompted an internal debate. Should I tell her, should I not!? I didn't want to brag and I certainly didn't want to embarrass her. In the end though, I didn't have to make that choice. She saved me the trouble and asked me herself. So I told her.

Here was an educated black woman, 32 years old, computer literate, and otherwise very street-smart I would guess. She put on a brave front, but I wish I had a picture of her face. Her eyes told their own story. It's the story of poor, disadvantaged people everywhere.

I understand Magic Johnson is just a pitchman at best, and a spokesperson at worst. This is a classic case of a celebrity lending their name to any cause. R-A-C as a cause is unworthy at best, and sleazy at worst.

I'm not going to flog Magic Johnson. Enough others have done that already. Here and here, for example, and I'm not joining that band-wagon.

As an active philanthropist, and through his Magic Johnson Foundation, he's done a lot more already than most people hope to in a lifetime. But he's still only human. And we all make mistakes occasionally. It is my fervent hope and desire that he corrects this mistake sooner than later.