The Detroit times., 1910-10-25
An Exposure Of the Msrcilcss
Methods Of Detroit Installment
House, Based Upon Facts Of
Public Record.
Victims Drawn TO tn Store Through
Big Ads. In Newspapers That
Do Not Care.

at is easy to pay the Peoples way

IL ID y catCuy puIobSs VIC thos heb
attracted the attention Of many
home-loving workingman to the So
called bargains displayed beneath II
and has led him into the meshes OF
the Peoples Quitting Co.
He found one thing about their ad-
vertising to be true-that II was easy
to pay"
Getting what he had paid for; get.
ting anything like worth for his mon
ey; getting consideration that was
fair or even human-that was far
different.
The Times believes in honest ad-
vertising and for the benefit of the
readers of advertising that appears In
It's columns a. well as for the benefit
of honest advertising. believes that
1t is high time that the public should
know something about the methods Of
this nrm.
Based upon complaints that have
from time to time come to my notice
have conducted an investigation OF
their methods OF doing business.
have endeavored to be fair and
have based my statements on facts
that ! have personally examined, or
upon personal observation, and
have found the truth about this COM
pany quite sufficient for any exposure
that I might make.
It must be understood at the out
set that from all can dnd In the
course of my investigations. the Peo-
pies Quitting Co. IL the only install.
ment house that IL practicing such
methods In Detroit.
/ have no fault to find with the
firm that deals squarely with it's
credit customers, gives them what
they pay for and lives up to its ad-
vertisements.
There 10 no reason why the honest
poor man should not get credit with
his merchant Just 40 the rich man
does with his bank, and II II Is in
convenient for him to pay cash, to pay
in installments.
What The Times does desire to &C
complish, however, for the benefit Of
public and merchant alike, is the
exposure of all who use the public
prints to mislead the people and take
the peoples money without giving
value for It,
The reason why the Peoples Outfit.
ting Co. has been permitted to grow
and flourish and continue to prey up
on the public without q peep from its
victims, n the same a. the reason
why patent medicine fakirs. mining
sharks and all the horde OF swindlers
and confidence men were once able
to wiring millions Of hard-earned dol
lcrs from the public year after year.
An INSCRIPTIONS and conscienceless
press has always been willing to be-
come q partner with such swindlers
X they paid them q portion Of the
swag In advance for the use of their
advertising columns.
This 10 the kind Of q conspiracy
against the people that The Times IL
going to stop in Detroit IL fearless,
honest and unceasing publicity can do
II.
But have gone far enough In gen.
eral terms. Here Is specific in.
tstance that can be verified from Of
fetal sources. In q little cottage In
the western end of the town lay q
mother with a babe a few days old.
q stove almost paid for In THE Peo.
pies way" A furniture wagon came
up In THE Peoples way" and took
that stove out Of the house because
the last installment had not been
paid, leaving the mother and child to
freeze. A kind-hearted neighbor call.
ed up Sergeant Hicks at the city hall
and he Immediately ordered q stove
and coal to be delivered before the
house had time to cool.
Parallel to this Is the case OF a wo-
man who lay sick on a bed bought
In "the Peoples way" A burly driv.
er called one day and took 1t from
under her because the last install.
ments had not been paid.
or course these incidents are mere.
ly business. II you consider them
hard-heartedly, and there might be
, justification urged. Here Is one that
Is bit different. A stranger-most
OF the Peoples Quitting Co.'S Gus
toners are newcomers In town
bought a bill of furniture amounting
to $l55. Later he found that he had
been outrageously overcharged and
bought from another, losing the S2s
he had already paid In the People
way" and still saving about $50 on
his outfit.
The Peoples Quitting Co. was re
quested to remove the goods, which
had hardly been unpacked, and keet
what had been paid for their trouble
This they finally did. but not until
they has exhausted every blum they
knew Of to make the man take the
goods, threatening to garnishee the
mans pay, circulating scandalous
statements among the neighbors and
trying to make every possible trouble
they could for their unfortunate Gus
toner. He had not paid enough tc
make them ready to take the stun
back, you see.
One Of the chief causes of complaint
with customers of this firm is that
they do not get what they are shown
In the store, and think they are pay.
ing for.
a good example is the method of
selling stoves.
The customer IL shown fine samples
and selects No. IL range. we will
say. When his stove In delivered be
10 likely to nnd, II he takes the
trouble to notice, ~ he usually will
not, that the stove that was sent TO
him IN q No. IL. When he asks for
an explanation 1t IL always ready.
You see we had no more of that
size," the clerk says blandly, $50 We
sent you q larger size"
This OF course In a pure swindle
when worked in this way.
The stove delivered 70 smaller ana
cheaper than the one for which the