Email us at: info@appawn.com
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people have heard of pawn shops,
but many have ideas and images that are, shall we say, less than accurate on just
what a pawn shop is and what we offer. The short definition - we offer a short term
loan based on the collateral that you pledge. No credit check, no wait for approval
by the loan officer, just fast cash!
When you have a loan to buy your home, you pledge the home as collateral in the event
that you don't, or can't, pay back the loan. If you don't pay your loan back, your
home becomes the property of the bank. We operate in much the same fashion. You bring
in an item to pledge for a loan, you leave the item with us, and we give you cash
and a receipt to bring back.
In Westbank, B.C., the term of the loan is 30 days. You can pay the interest at this
time and we will give you a "new" loan, again good for another 30 days.
Most people do pick up their collateral and repay the loan, but when they do not,
we in turn sell the items to recover our investment. That, in the short definition,
is it!
Hollywood has long portrayed pawn shops as being dark, sleazy operations, just full
of stolen property and shady characters. Nothing could be further from the truth!
We are in fact, a combination 'Lending Institution' much the same as your bank, and
discount retail/jewelry/tool store, only with the BEST prices in town.
Our store is clean and well maintained, with large and varied inventories and is
staffed by some of the finest pawn brokers in the country! Feel free to bring your
entire family in to shop! We work very closely with law enforcement at all levels
to ensure that the material that we take in is legally owned and offered. As a matter
of fact, some of our best customers are these very same law enforcement officials!
So why should you shop or get a loan at A&P Pawn? Simply put, to get the best
possible deal around on the finest of merchandise from our friendly, well trained
and educated staff and at the best possible price and terms! What more reason do
you need! "Something" comes up and you need a short term loan but are unsure
just how to go about it. Follow the page down as it answers most of the questions
that you may have.
What types of items do you take for collateral at A&P Pawn?
Most things of value! The most popular items pledged include gold and platinum jewelry,
diamonds, high grade watches such as Rolex, Baume & Mercier and Patek Philippe,
quality tools (makes such as Snap-on, MAC, Makita, Craftsman, Milwaukee and other
industrial grade tools - nothing from China, Pakistan or other 'third world' nations),
coins, guitars, musical instruments, TVs, computers, metal detectors, camcorders,
cameras, collectable items, swords, knives...the list goes on and on! Part of the
fun of this business is that it is different every day. We STILL get offered things
that have never come in before!
COINS, PAPER MONEY AND
GOLD, SILVER AND PLATINUM BULLION - we
loan on better date and grade rare coins and bullion items, especially silver dollars,
key date coins and 'slabbed' coins from PCGS and NGC.
TVs, CAMCORDERS - must have remote controls and be 2 years old or
newer.
CAMCORDERS and RECHARGEABLE
TOOLS must have the charger.
MICROWAVES, and other electronics must be 3 years old or newer,
completely operational and CLEAN.
GUITARS and other musical instruments must have a case.
CAMERAS must either be a professional grade format type camera or
certain digital cameras. Check with us to see the current megapixel rating required.
LAPTOP COMPUTERS must be either a WINTEL Pentium 4 or a MACINTOSH
G-4 powerbook or iBook/eBook
DESKTOP COMPUTERS must either be a WINTEL compatible with a Pentium
4 CPU or be a MACINTOSH G-4 or G-5 (including iMac, eMac and iBook). They must have
a keyboard, mouse, and the cables. LAPTOPS must have a power cord, charger or adapter.
TOOLS must be American made and/or of a quality make, such as Craftsman,
Snap On, MAC, Milwaukee, Makita, Porter Cable, Bosch and other QUALITY makes; NOTHING
from China, Pakistan, Korea, or other third world countries.
VIDEO GAME UNITS must have controllers, power adaptors/cords, and
a game cartridge or disc. IN ALL CASES, THE ITEM MUST BE FULLY FUNCTIONAL, WITH ALL
KNOBS, DOORS, BUTTONS, CORDS, ANTENNAS ETC PRESENT AND WORKING!!!!!! IF YOU NEED
TO TELL US ABOUT HOW SOMETHING EITHER DOESN'T WORK, OR SORTA WORKS, OR WORKS SOMETIMES,
WE DO NOT WANT IT!!!!!! ALL ITEMS WILL BE TESTED FOR FUNCTION!!!!!! The reason we
have to be so fussy is because we warrantee all of our used electronics, tools. If
your item is older than what we list, we may be able to buy it from you, if you wish.
And of course, items we accept are subject to change as is the amount we will loan.
We do not accept ALL brands and/or models of the above items for collateral, so we
of course reserve the right NOT to take something, even if it is on this list!
Do you buy as well as loan?
Yes we do! If you do sell, you DO NOT get the item back and we cannot hold it for
you! Many items, such as used video tapes, guitars without cases and DVD's may ONLY
be bought!
What does it cost?
You pay back the loan with an interest charge of 25% per month or any portion of
the month. That's it! You do NOT need to make any payments until you pick up your
items.
How much can I get?
That depends. We really have no maximum amount that we can loan on an item, up to
a portion of its resale value. We loan a portion of the amount that we can expect
to receive if we have to sell the item if you do not come back to get it. It is based
upon years of experience and how well and fast different types of items sell and
does not relate to how much the item cost new. Yes, your item is worth more than
we are loaning on it and we will take your past loan record into consideration, both
the redeems AND the losses. We do need to see and examine the item before we can
give an estimation, however. MOST people do of course pick up the items they put
into pawn, but we have to look at all things by what we could sell them for if you
didn't come back.
What do I need to have to take out a loan?
You will need a government issued picture ID card or drivers license, a Passport
will do fine. This can be from any province. We CANNOT take anything from you without
ID! PERIOD! We also CANNOT take birth certificates, SIN cards, temporary driver's
license or ID cards, car registrations, verbal ID from a friend, health department
cards, pawn tickets from another pawn shop, paycheck subs, police reports and printouts,
traffic tickets, insurance cards, rent/utility receipts, bank statements, photocopies
of ID, passports, student ID, ID bought from the back of a magazine, mail, marriage
license, divorce decree, fishing license, hunting license, library card, health club
card, credit card, membership store card, draft card, hospital ID bracelet, report
card, welfare/food stamp cards, your fingerprints or fingerprint card, union card,
notes from your mother, company employee ID, high school or college diploma or check
cashing ID cards for acceptable ID. The list of acceptable ID is very short and is
defined by law. (And yes, we have been offered ALL of the above for ID.)
Will my items be safe?
Yes they will. We are licensed by the City and Province and have undergone very extensive
background investigations in order to be in business. Our operation is constantly
monitored by the City and law enforcement. In addition, all employees are checked
out by the Police Department prior to gaining employment. Our store is highly secured,
multiple security systems, monitored camera systems and personnel. All of us have
heard the horror stories concerning items left in pawn. This is NOT the case at A&P
Pawn! Many people, in fact, are so comfortable with us that they pledge their jewelry,
coins etc. for a small loan in order to have it safely stored, retrieving it when
they want to wear or use it.
What are the terms of the loan?
You have 30 days in which to repay the loan and retrieve your items. The interest
runs 25% per month. You can pay the interest towards the end of your loan and we
will give you another 30 days. This also applies if you are using A&P Pawn as
a secure place to store your valuables!
How many tickets can I have at once? How often can I pawn something?
In short, as many as you want and as often as you want! We have many regular customers
that pawn often and others we see but once a year. You can bring in as many different
items as you want, or you can bring in the same item many times. That is the beauty
of the pawn shop - you can't max out your credit, only to be charged with an 'over
credit' charge and the only limit on how much you can borrow is in how much your
items are worth on pawn to us!
I want to pawn more than one item. Will they all be on one ticket?
We can put your items on one ticket, or we can split them up. The ticket is a contract,
and so if you enter the items in with us on one ticket, you must redeem them at the
same time as well. We also do not bring items out for your friends to consider buying,
without you redeeming them.
What if I can get a higher amount for my item, but I elected to take less. Can
I get the additional amount later?
No! Once a loan is written, we CANNOT change the amount of the loan. Our bookkeepers
would have us shot! You can 'redeem' your item and we can write a new loan for the
higher amount, less the interest already accrued and the original amount given, at
that time. And no, you do not need to pay us before we pay you back; we will just
deduct the interest from the difference.
I want to get a loan on something that I bought from you....do I get a better
price?
On jewelry that you buy from us, if the item is still in good condition we will loan
you up to one half of the original purchase price, AS LONG AS YOU BRING IN THE ORIGINAL
SALES RECEIPT!! Other items, such as electronics, tools etc, are subject to our regular
rules as to age and condition. If you have the receipt on these types of items, we
MAY be able to give you a little more, depending on the type of item and its condition.
Do I have a 'grace' period on the loan?
No. We need to see you by the end of your loan! We do have considerable expenses
in lending money, and if we cannot get it back from you, we will sell the items to
offset the losses. We certainly will work with you, if possible, but we are not required
to do this. If you don't get it in writing from us, it is not official. WE DO NOT
MAIL ANYTHING OUT TO YOU!!!!!!
What if I can't pay the loan off?
You may pay just the interest and handling charge. This will give you another 30
days. We do not accept partial payments; however when you pay the interest and we
re-write the loan for you, you may elect to pay off part of the loan at that time
and we will re-write the new loan for the new amount. If you are out of town or cannot
come in, you can have someone else pay the interest for you and we will give them
a new pawn ticket for the new loan. It will be still made out in your name and you
will either have to give someone written authorization to pick up the loan or come
in yourself.
I live out of town. Can you ship me my items?
We can ship jewelry items and guarantee the shipment. This requires an additional
charge of $15.00 which covers registered shipping and insurance. We can ship other
items in pawn, but THIS WILL BE DONE AT YOUR RISK and not all items can be shipped!!
You will need to check with us as to whether the item can be shipped and what it
would cost. We will carefully package and ship the item. Check with us and we will
give you the estimated costs. We need the written request for shipping to be made
out and sent in with the ticket, with the address to ship to included! WE WILL NOT
JUST SHIP IT TO THE ADDRESS ON FILE!!!! If your signature tends to vary, it is a
good idea to get it notarized.
Can I have a friend/family member/spouse pick up my loan?
Yes, as long as you give WRITTEN permission for them to do that BY NAME. They will
need to have ID. If you know that you may want someone else to pick up the loan when
you make it, you can sign a permission slip at the time of the loan and we will keep
it with the loan. As long as your signature matches on your written note with what
we have on file, we can release the items to someone else. THIS IS A COURTESY THAT
WE EXTEND TO OUR CUSTOMERS. WE REGRET THAT IF YOUR SIGNATURE DOES NOT MATCH WHAT
WE HAVE ON FILE, WE WILL BE UNABLE TO RELEASE IT TO ANYONE ELSE! THIS IS A SAFETY
CHECK FOR YOU, SO THAT AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS NOT ABLE TO REDEEM YOUR ITEMS IN
THE EVENT YOU LOSE YOUR TICKET!!! No, we cannot call someone on the phone to have
them give permission to pick up a loan, and I don't care if you do have their ID!
NO WRITTEN PERMISSION WITH A MATCHING SIGNATURE, NO RELEASE OF THE PAWNED ITEMS!
If your signature varies, you may wish to have the note notarized.
Do you mail out a reminder notice?
No. It is your responsibility to remember that your loan is about to expire.
Can I get information about my loan over the phone?
Some. We treat ALL transactions as confidential, so we are limited to what we can
tell you over the phone. Due dates and interest amounts can be given, but they are
on the ticket that we give to you and it would be much faster and easier to look
at your ticket. We CANNOT tell you what is in each ticket, determine which ring is
in which loan or give you other such info over the phone. This is to protect your
right of privacy!
I just realized that my loan expired a few weeks ago. Can I still get my items?
Maybe. But it may have already been sold, listed on the internet for sale, sold for
'scrap value' or otherwise not available. When material comes out of pawn, it is
grouped together with other out of pawn items, sorted, cleaned and repaired as needed.
Jewelry may be broken down into components or sent to be refined, or it may go to
our inventory or offered on one of the many internet auctions we do.
I lost my ticket....what now?
Just bring in your ID. We do have to charge you a $5.00 lost ticket charge for each
ticket. This is charged even if you still have your ticket but do not have it with
you, and is non-refundable. This is charged regardless of your pawn history with
us.
I think I see something out for sale that was taken from me. What should I do?
The VERY first thing to do is to make a police report. ALL items that we take in
are checked out by the police and are computerized to crosscheck with these reports.
We hold all purchases and loans for a month before we can sell them! WE CANNOT GIVE
YOU ANY INFORMATION ABOUT WHO PAWNED/SOLD US AN ITEM! Remember that manufacturers
make thousands, if not millions of the same item and that you are not the only one
who bought one. Serial numbers, inscriptions, markings and suspected individuals
are all very important items to put on the report. Less than one tenth of one percent
of ALL stolen items end up in a pawn shop. Most are sold at flea markets, construction
sites, second hand shops, taken to California or Mexico or to co-workers and friends.
If you do have a police report filed and have the file number and the item is listed,
we can put a hold on it while you contact the officer on your case. We cannot, however,
just give you the item back. We will do everything we can to work with you, but you
need to follow the procedures set up by the police department! This includes prosecuting
the individual(s) involved!
Do you offer any guarantees on an out-of-pawn item that I buy?
Yes we do. On electronics, tools and cameras, we offer a thirty day guarantee. This
does not cover abuse or a change of mind, though. We will fix, repair or replace
at our option. We do not give cash back on returns, but we can issue a store credit.
Do you do 'layaways'?
YES!! We need a deposit of 25 percent and usually set it up for sixty days on most
items. Other time arrangements can be worked out! We do not charge a service fee
for layaway.
I bought something from you and I would like to trade it in on something better...what
can I get on a trade in?
On jewelry items, if you have the original receipt and the item is still in good
condition, we will give you two thirds of the full purchase price as a trade in value on something
that is substantially more expensive. This will allow you to enjoy an item for a
time while you save up to buy a much better one, or to let you change your style
periodically. Other non-jewelry items are subject to our regular evaluation concerning
age and condition. Show us the receipt and we MAY be able to give you a better price
on a trade in.
So just what do you sell at A&P Pawn?
Jewelry, TVs, VCRs, DVDs, coins and bullion items, movies, cameras and lenses,
tools, radios, stereos, guitars, musical instruments, video games, computers, stereos,
mountain bikes, pool cues, camcorders, golf clubs, metal detectors, collectables, watches,
binoculars, spotting scopes, samurai swords, knives, microwaves, pocket watches....the
list just goes on. And of course, all at GOOD savings!
So.....what did I forget? Surely you must have more questions. Feel free to contact
us at any time. We are Westbanks FRIENDLY pawn shop and we are here to serve you!
Contact
us!
Stop by and find out why we are the locals favorite and the visitors choice for any
of our services and products. As long time residents, we understand your situations
and will do our very best to make you a happy customer. Many of the general questions
can be answered on our pawn shop FAQ page, but if we have missed something or you
have more specific questions, call any of our shops or email us at info@appawn.com
Thanks for stopping by, and we hope to see you very soon!
© COPYRIGHT
2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED appawn.com
A&P Pawn, 2440 Main St., Westbank, B.C. V4T 1Y9 250-768-1613
