What to do when working with a debt collector isn't working?

[qtkitty]

I am currently trying to pay down debt as fast as i can. All of the companies have been really nice once they hear you want to make payments on a regular bases ..... EXCEPT ONE.

This company has been exessively agressive from the first time i contacted them. On first contact I had told them that i wanted to make payments of $100 a month. To which I received a woman basically yelling at me telling me that I had to pay in full and they could reduce the amount i owed. I definely told the woman that I could pay $100 and that was all. She then asked if i had any family or friends I could loan the money from. Of course it went on from there for a good half an hour until she finally took my payment of $100. Then of course there was the matter of the every time fee of $14.95.

The second time I called to make a payment I asked if instead of making payment through my debt card if I could do a payment by check by phone ( which the first time the lady had said they had avilable) I was asked why I wasn't using my card. I stated that I had cancelled it. She wanted to know why I had and I told her that i thought it none of their companies business. ( I actually had tucked it in my ash tray and it slipped behind and into the dash of my car where I could not reach it ... color me embarassed. I just didn't think this woman who was giving me such a nasty tone needed to know anything more then she had to. ) Well finally she let me make the payment.

The last time I called in to make a payment I stated that the last time i had used my check but this time I would use the debt card. The represenative told me that there was a $14.95 charge for cc's but an 11.95 charge for check by phone. Of course i went for the check by phone. Another company had told me if I mailed in payments that there was not a charge, so I asked her about that option which she did not have any information on. I ended up being asked to hold so her manager could confirm the transaction. Once the manager was on the phone i proceeded to ask him if he knew anything about the charge system. He refused to tell me anything and litterally started to yell at me that the company wanted to know when i was going to pay in full ect and then HUNG UP ON ME!!

Needless to say I was LIVID after I hung up the phone.. no confirmation number nothing. The last time I had done a check by phone with this company it was on my online banking the next day ( I watch my bank account regularly and check every transaction to make sure, because I have had my numbers taken at another bank and then used against my will by some hack.. but besides the point), and the transaction from this company did not come through. So I started to think they had not charged me at all. A week later I was finally charged.

It makes my blood just boil typing about it. I litterally put off paying this one company until i absolutely have to, just because i don't want to talk to the people. I still want to know if i send in a payment by mail what the charge will be.

I checked online at their company website and there is no information about payments. I checked with the BBB and they do not have any negatives ( if its the correct company i found) On the internet I have found a LOT of complaints about the company however.

So what do you do ( other then pay them off ) when a debt collections company is a royal pain in the BEEP?

[IntlMom]

I don't have answer, only hugs.

I'm glad to see you back......I;m guessing life has changed for you a bit since you were here last?

[qtkitty]

Oh there is a lot of change that has happened, but I prefer not to get into it in a public venue.

Oh andi forgot to mention in that ... * coughs * rant * coughs * that i do not have the option of just holding off payments and saving up to do a lump sum payment, because I have to get all my debt paid down for work related reasons.

[Contrary Housewife]

There should be no charge for payments sent by mail, made out in check or money order form. You are getting a monthly statement from them, right? Use the form and the envelope.

I would not do payments over the phone just because of the stupid fees.

CC companies are not going to be very helpful. I learned this the hard way a few years ago when we nearly went bankrupt. Don't believe a word they tell you unless they will give it in writing.

Who are you dealing with? HSBC or Bank of America?

[Greebo]

First of all, they're acting the way they are in order to get a rise out of you. It appears to be working. You need to get past the emotions when dealing with these people and recognize that you're dealing with the scum of the earth here and they will do anything, including violating the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act 80 million ways, to try to get you to pay them on their terms.

I'm going to guess that this is a collection agency and NOT the original company to whom you owed the debt. In that case, its very likely that they bought the debt for pennies on the dollar- so if you can save up, say, 50% of what you owe them (how much do you owe them anyway?), you could do that and then call them up and say "I can pay you $X - if you send me, IN WRITING, a letter stating that if I pay $X you will consider the debt as settled and release me of all future obligation, then I will overnight mail you a cashiers check the day after I get the letter." If you keep repeating that mantra over, and over, and over, and if they won't budget, say "Talk to you in 2 weeks" and hang up and DO NOT TALK TO THEM FOR 2 WEEKS, eventually they'll take your offer. You can keep saving while the 2 weeks pass.

Now - one thing very important:
STOP GIVING THEM ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO YOUR CHECKING!!!!!
No more debit card. No more check over the phone. You're running the risk of getting a very serious shock if they say they'll pull $100 and instead pull $350 or try to pull the whole amount due. It happens all too often!

If they won't give you an address to which you can mail a check, they DO NOT GET PAID, EVER AGAIN. EVER!!!

Get yourself an answering machine that has an option to record an active call. When you call them, or when they call you, tell them "This call is being recorded" and start recording. If they refuse to let you record the call, say, "Ok, then we're not talking today" and hang up. If they call you and say the call is being recorded, you start the recording and say "Ok the call is being recorded on this end too" And if they object then you say "WHy object you said you already WERE recording - were you lying?"

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Debt_Collection_Practices_Act"]LEARN WHAT THEY CAN AND CANT DO[/ame]

Now that you know what they can and can't do, and you're recording the call, if they get abusive, if they violate the FDCPA in any way, you tell them, 'YOu're violating the FDCPA - if you don't start acting like a civilized collector you're going to get reported to the FTC and I'm going to call my lawyer."

If they insist on abusing you - hang up and call back and ask for the legal department - then play the tape back for them. More than once that's caused them to cease all collections at once. If that doesn't work, then you report them to the FTC and you call a blood sucker lawyer and say "I want to sue a collection agency. I've got a recording of them breaking the law. When can we meet?"

Bottom line is you need to not be nice with these people. They're not nice - they're scum sucking sharks who will do or say anything to get you upset so they can get you to do something stupid with your money.

Don't let them. Get angry and beat them legally at their own game.

[McD]

Now - one thing very important:
STOP GIVING THEM ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO YOUR CHECKING!!!!!
No more debit card. No more check over the phone. You're running the risk of getting a very serious shock if they say they'll pull $100 and instead pull $350 or try to pull the whole amount due. It happens all too often!

Exactly what I was going to say. Also, let's say they start playing really nasty and you stop paying under the situation Greebo outlined..well now they have your checking account number and routing number, making it that much easier to try and get a garnishment/levy against your bank account. With how nasty they are being, I would suggest mailing a money order to them.

[qtkitty]

This is not for credit card debt... I am dealing with Pinnical Financhial.

Now I will have to find the companies address I am sure that they will not give it to me.


I have yet to get any statements from some of the debt places this one included, my HR person at work told me to write a letter to them asking for a statement and give it to them and they would send it certified email so that they will have to sign for it so i have proof that i have requested this information multiple times. She also stated that writing tends to get better results.

[Nana2two]

Im sorry for your issues, but i would never ever give a collection place my debit number or bank info. I would just them a payment monthly by money order, keep a copy.

[mombottoo]

Back in the day when I had to deal with a couple of different collection agencies if they called & hassled me I told them, "Fine your company isn't going into the hat next month".

Fast forward, had a medical bill that we were never billed for end up in collections. Collection agency wouldn't talk to me, since it was hubby's bill...told her fine, no problem, but I'm the one who writes the checks & hung up on her. Wrote letter, signed hubby's name to it, sent it to the collection company asking for detailed info on the debt. Received info 3 days later, sent payment to hospital giving them hell for not billing us & sent proof of payment to the debt collector.

Debt collectors will lie to you to get you to pay on their terms. There isn't a law anywhere that requires a set payment amount to a collections debt. If you can only afford $100 that's what they get & I would never, ever pay over the phone use anything...pay by mail only and only pay if you are receiving statements.

On another note had a debt collector constantly calling here for someone who had used our phone # before. Told them the person didn't live here and to please quit calling...they continued to call until I told them point blank if you call one more time I will sue you and I will win.

Best of luck...working with debt collectors is never an easy task.

[qtkitty]

I currently do not have the option not to pay the credit companies. I have to keep up the payments ( all of which i set up with them on my terms not theirs, most taking the lowest allowable payment one of the companies could not process anything $20 or under over the phone so i paid $21 * rotfl * they are lucky i didn't really be a smart ... and do 20.01 *snickers* .. my bad) This one payment is the most out of all of them based on the fee and the fact that its $4k. This company offered $3.7 or 8 something like that if i paid right then. Riiiiiiight i have that right here in my pocket *rme* Then wanting me to hit up my family for money. They have totally rubbed me the wrong way from the begining and did not want to take the payment of $100.

I think for all of the debt collectors I am working with that have not sent me a statement i am going to send them individual certified letters. Which i think is 2 and one i have to send a self addressed envelope stamped to them inorder to get a statement ( that one actually is paid off. )

Basically i have tried to give myself room that i could pay one or another company a little more if i had it when i felt like it and would be under no obligation to continue that higher payment. That and when one gets close to being paid off i can go ahead and pay the rest and then get to do the happy dance wooooohoooo *lol*

I have paid down debt in a paniced frenzy at first, now i am wanting to work back up my savings so I am comfortable again instead of worrying about the money like I have been these past few months. This month since I am paid 3 times in one month I am determined to put my car insurance for the next year away, so I do not have to worry about that.