Frequently Asked Questions

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IF LACKS HAS DECLARED BANKRUPTCY, WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY ON MY ACCOUNT?
If Lacks has declared bankruptcy, why do I have to pay on my account?
Some customers wrongly believe they don’t have to pay Lacks for the merchandise they purchased because we have filed for bankruptcy protection. That is not true! You are legally responsible for paying for the purchases you made from Lacks. Your monthly payments need to continue to avoid delinquent correspondence, telephone calls, late charges and possible legal action. You must keep your account current to avoid a bad report to the credit bureau.
ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT
How do I make a payment on my Lacks account after you close your stores?

All customers with accounts will have several options for making payments on their accounts:

a. Make your payments at H.E.B. or Wal-Mart.
H.E.B. will charge a $2.00 fee and Wal-Mart will charge $1.88 for your payments and require cash or debit card payment only. They will transmit the funds to Lacks within 24 hours. The fee is cheaper than the charge for credit card use or for purchasing a money order.
H.E.B has have a form you will need to fill out every time you make your payment, and Wal-Mart will ask for the same information. Show Lacks as the “Biller” and fill in your account number. If you don’t know your account number, call our Customer Service Office (1-800-242-1123). Write down your account numbers so you will have that information in the future.
b.      Mail to:Lacks Payment Center
PO Box 33158
San Antonio TX 78265-3158
Do not send cash. If you normally pay with cash, you will now send a money order or a personal check.
c.      Online credit/debit card: On the website opening page, click on the blue button marked “Make a Payment.” We accept VISA, Master Card, Discover and American Express, as well as a debit card.
d.      Online electronic checking/savings withdrawals. On the website opening page. Click on “make a payment.”
e.      Sign up for Automated Recurring payment drafts from your checking or savings account, Direct Pay (ETF). Payments draft monthly from your account and cease automatically when the contract is paid. Get the form by going to the opening page of this website and clicking on the green button “Direct Pay Form”.
If you have questions, call Customer Service toll free at 1-800-242-1123.
My online password doesn't work--why?

We frequently get this question. Usually, a customer has changed their email address, and their password no longer works.

a. When you change your email address, Lacks cannot enter the change on the website. You must make that change by creating a new account using your new email address. You will use this new account in the future to make a payment to your account.
b. To make this change, log in as a new user under the "First time logging in? Start here." This will allow you to create a new log-in and password under your new email address. Just follow the instructions to set it up.
c. If you have any questions, please call customer service at 1-800-242-1123.
I forgot my password--what do i do?
a. If you forgot your password, click below the line "Forgot your password?"copy and paste the new password into the password space. Don't key it in.
If you don't receive the new password promptly, please check your "junk mail" folder.
b. If you have any questions, please call customer service at 1-800-242-1123.
How can I check out the balance of my account?
To find out the balance on your account, call the Lacks Customer Service Office at 1-800-242-1123, and give them your account number. If you do not know your account number, the Lacks associate will be able to obtain this information by using your name, phone number or social security number.
If I want to pay off my account ahead of time, how much do I owe?
To find out the “pay off” amount on your account, call the Lacks Customer Service Office at 1-800-242-1123. Give them your account number and the date you plan to pay off the account. The associate will calculate the amount due after rebating any unearned interest and insurance premiums based on the pay-off date. If you do not know your account number, the Lacks associate will be able to obtain this information by using your name, phone number or social security number.
Why did I get a late notice?
At the time you signed your contract, a payment due date was established. If your payment is more than 10 days past that due date, then you are late. Lacks will assess you a late charge equal to 5% of your payment due or $5, whichever is less. This amount will be shown on the late notice sent to you. The amount that is due is your normal monthly payment plus the late charge.
Why don’t I get a monthly statement?
Your installment contract is a “closed end” account. This means that the amount that you owe on that contract is fixed. The monthly payment amount is already determined as well as the due date and the number of payments needed to pay off the contract total. There is no state or federal requirement to send out a statement for this type of account.
Why was interest shown on my “no interest” contract?

If you under one of our “no interest” plans, we informed you that interest would be shown on the contract and that all interest would be refunded if all payments were made on time as agreed and the contract was paid in full by the designated date.

Some of our customers don’t make their payments on time and don’t complete their contract by the final payment date. In those cases, we are entitled to the interest shown on the contract.

Customers, who pay on time as agreed, get a full rebate of their interest charges.

REFUNDS DUE TO CUSTOMERS
Refunds due to customers?

There are customers who made purchases before our bankruptcy and who made a down payment on the purchase or paid in full, either with cash/check or a credit/debit card. There are other customers who had paid money on their layaway account. If you did not receive your merchandise, you were entitled to a refund.

In December 2010, the bankruptcy court ruled that we could repay funds owed to our customers, either by check or by issuing a credit to the customer's credit/debit card. All refunds have now been paid.

GIFT CERTIFICATES
Gift Certificates?
The court has approved our honoring any customer Gift Certificate that was purchased by a customer and any gift certificate given to a customer that was purchased by someone else. If you have a gift certificate and would like a refund, contact our customer service department, and they will give you instructions.
GIFT COUPONS
Gift Coupons?
These were given to customers by Lacks, as prizes in a drawing or as part of another promotion. The customer did not pay for these. We cannot honor these coupons.
ABOUT MANUFACTUERERS’ WARRANTIES AND PLATINUM PROTECTION PLANS FOR YOUR FURNITURE
If I have a problem with my furniture what do I do?

Did you purchase a Lacks Platinum Protection Plan? If not, and the product is under a manufacturer’s warranty, you will need to call the manufacturer’s customer service number. Call our customer service department (800-242-1123) and they will give you the number to call.

If the item is no longer under manufacturer’s warranty or the Lacks’ warranty, you need to contact a service technician in your city to take care of the problem, but it will be at the customer’s expense.

If I have a problem with my furniture and I purchased Lacks Platinum Protection Plan, what should I do?

If a stain or damage does occur, you need to contact Lacks Customer Service (800-242-1123) within five days of the date the stain or damage occurred.

So that Lacks may assist you as quickly as possible with your claim, be sure to have the following information ready when you report your claim:

a.      Your furniture protection plan or your Lacks invoice. Customer service will need the number on the document. These documents were included with your original package of information from Lacks, or received at the time of delivery or pickup.
b.      The Fabric Cleaning Code. If an upholstered item, this is typically found beneath the seat cushion.
ABOUT YOUR APPLIANCE AND ELECTRONICS WARRANTY
If I have a problem with my appliance or electronic purchase, what do I do?

If the product is under warranty, contact the manufacturer. They will arrange for a technician to take care of the problem. If your item is under Lacks warranty or manufacturer’s warranty, this should be done at no cost to you.

If the item is no longer in warranty, you will need to contact a service technician in your city to take care of the problem, but it will be at the customer’s expense.

If I have a problem with my appliance or electronic purchase and I purchased the GE/Assurant Product Protection Plan, what do I do?

Just call the 800 number to report your problem. Assurant will take over from there. That number is: 800-626-2001.

(Note: Assurant—a multi-billion dollar corporation--purchased the service business from GE in 2009 and assumed all of their responsibility for the GE service policies.)

ABOUT YOUR PURCHASE
What about the insurance on my contract?

Property insurance

Until you pay for the merchandise your purchase, Lacks has a financial interest in that merchandise. We want our interest protected with property insurance, and we offered a property insurance policy. We were also comfortable with your homeowner’s insurance as long as we were shown as an “additional insured” on that policy. If you brought in the homeowner’s policy within 30 days of your purchase, showing Lack’s as an additional insured, we removed the property insurance charge. In case of a disaster, we know the merchandise is covered.

Non-filing insurance

Since you owe money on the merchandise, Lacks has a lien on the items. To perfect the lien, Lacks should file the contract at the courthouse (just like your home mortgage is filed). This is expensive and would cost $25 to file and $25 to release the lien. Instead of charging you those expensive filing fees, Lacks purchases insurance that protects us and this charge is only $10.

Life and Accident & Health Insurance

We also offered life insurance protection and accident and health protection. Both of these programs provide additional protection to you as a customer. These are not required, but are offered by our associates.

Can I cancel my insurance coverage at any time?
Yes, of course you can. You are still required to have either property insurance (or a homeowner’s policy) and non-filing insurance. You can certainly cancel your life insurance policy or your accident and health policy. Since you are covered from the date of purchase until the cancellation date, premiums are earned by the insurance company during that time. Therefore, you will get a refund for the time from the date of cancellation through the end of the contract.
ABOUT BEDDING
Why is my bedding warranty void because of a stain?

That is the Manufacturer’s Policy. Both Sealy and Stearns & Foster will not recognize a claim under a warranty if the bedding is stained. They make no exceptions to this rule.

If you have a problem with your bedding that may be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, call 1-800-MYSEALY (1-800-697-3259).
Also, go to www.sealy.com and click on the “customer support link”. There is a claim form to fill out and then print. That form needs to be mailed to the address shown on the form to get the service call initiated.
ABOUT LACKS RETURN POLICY
What is the return policy?
Since we started our Store Closing Sales on November 18, 2010, no returns or exchanges were allowed. All merchandise was sold “as is.” All sales are final.
ABOUT THE LACKS #1 CLUB
About the Lacks #1 Club.
With our bankruptcy, we are not allowed to honor any obligations under the Lacks #1 Club.
ABOUT MAILINGS, TELEPHONE CALLS, E*MAILS AND TEXT MESSAGES
About mailings, telephone calls, E*mails and Text Messages.

Lack’s has a legal, established relationship with its customers and is allowed by law to contact you by mail and telephone. We respect your privacy and your time, and try to limit the number of contacts we make.

The primary reason we will contact you is if you are behind in your obligation to make payments on your Lacks accounts.