steve bernas is president and ceo of the bbb of nothern illinois. i was astounded at what customers can pay through the rent-to-own process. > >most customers are astounded by that. they don't realize that sometimes you can pay double of what it would cost you if you bought it outright first with cash. people have to be very careful and read the fine print on those contracts because they soemtimes lock you in sometimes through long term contracts. > >and some consumer groups say that the people least able to pay these high fees are the ones who are typically doing that. > >exactly. the advertisements are geared to those people that can't afford it unfortunately---the people that can't pay cash or don't save up for it. so you have to be very careful. it sounds good but you can end up paying double. > >for short term renting, it's probably okay as long as you return the tv set? > >short term is okay but it's gotta be very short term. and most consumers don't go full term with those contracts so be very careful how long you go. make certain that you ca