A debt collection agency had been calling me for two months, causing absolutely horrible panic and anxiety attacks everytime I saw them in my call history. Yesterday, I hit them up to ask what the problem was, and they weren't even looking for me! I politely asked them to lose my number and now I haven't gotten a call except for the confirmation that my number was taken off the account! I still absolutely despise debt collectors though, especially those that collect during a Major Historical Event™, so I will not be providing them with any more help.
It's a shared experience here that most industries in the US are experiencing some form of hiring shortage. We have people on here reporting every day from healthcare, teaching, construction about the workforce becoming more and more stretched thin.
One industry that I haven't seen but have thought for a while that probably is not immune to this is collections, AKA the guys who will collect your debt if you start ignoring your bills in the mail. I think we can see this right now with the constant pushing back of compulsory student low payments.
Simply put this scheme of debt only really works with mass compliance, that most people will just allow Sally Mae to take that money directly out and throw it on the pile. Because of how interest works this is basically free money. However, when enough people are unable or unwilling to make payments, as we see now, there is not enough spam callers and adjusters on earth to collect all that money. This is just a reality of the scale of debt in the US.
This is not all sunshine and rainbows obviously, because if they're unable to collect on their debts using their own resources, they will take things to phase two of the plan, which will be massive bailouts. As people sink deeper into medical debt, student debt, credit card debt etc, and become unable to pay them, the banks will expect to be bailed out by the government, and they will do this by raising taxes. This will be inseperable from the necessities that you need to survive, like food and clothing, and is automatically taken out of your paycheck. It will represent the final heist of the America people and nothing short of blows will be able to stop it at that point. Simply by being an American tax payer you will end up shouldering the debt of decades of unstable investments masterminded by the banking industry, and it will make 2008 look like paradise.
These are the consequences of an economy predicated entirely on infinitely expanding profit margins and it will get worse before it gets better.
Tl;Dr: This is going to happen https://youtu.be/KrrFqtgQjUA
So I have made bad decisions when I was 19, limit all my credit cards, and never paid them back, it has been 4 years since it since all the debt been sent to collection agency, I wish I didn’t make poor choices but I did. I don’t have the money to pay off the debt, only have 5k save and I know that after 7 years it should come off the credit report, what’s the best thing for me to do now, also if anyone has had their credit clean after 7 years can you please let me know what you can do and not do, for example I know you can get a credit card with the same bank that you previously went to debt with
Some details to clarify my position. I'm not posting on my own account because I don't want others to know my financial position. My cousin was kind enough to let me post under her secret account. I'm a gamer in my mid 30s and due to some bad decisions in life (completely of my own making) I accrued 50K in credit card debt. Eventually I wasn't able to keep up with it and confessed to my family that I had a spending addiction and needed help. They were amazing. They payed off everything to stop the debt collectors and in return I would pay them back. I went on a payment plan $5K/month, took strict budget cuts and started Therapy (my parents said they would cover it). I was truly proud of myself because I was able to pay all off in about a year. I'd come a long way. We all went out to celebrate paying off the debt. Halfway through dinner my dad hands me an envelope in that is a bill for $8K. I asked what this was. My dad smiles and says while he's proud of me for paying off my debt I still owed him for the 12 months of therapy He paid for. I told him that I wasn't going to be able to pay it back right away. He shrugged and said "That's tough" he then went on a long speech about it being long over due for me to learn how to survive in the real world, that actions have consequences and that he wasn't going to "bail me out again". He expected me to pay him back in 30 days or he would sue me. I left ashamed, embarrassed and upset. My mom came over the next day. I asked her if dad was serious about suing. She just shrugged and said that I was a huge burden on them financially and caused a lot of unnecessary stress. I asked what stress? I pointed out that dad owns his own company and makes over $200k a year. I know because I work for him. She said that's not the point. That they had to put their lives on hold for me. She smiled "Now it was time to pay the piper". She looked over my house and asked if I could sell my games to get extra cash. I said I didn't really want to because for the past year they were my only entertainment and even if I did I probably wouldn't get that much money. She said "I looked at some of these on ebay you can get $200 for hem." I said "Yeah if they sell. Mostly I'd be at the whims of whatever I can get for them and most wouldn't go for more a $10. But i don't want to sell." She frowned "Well you don't have a choice. Tell you what I'll leave you to think about it, but don't take too long. The sooner you sell the sooner you pay your deb
... keep reading on reddit ➡Based in England North West.
My boss decided a certain software we were using wasn't beneficial and just stopped payment on their card, against softwares terms and conditions. You must give 3 months notice.
The phone called today, I answered it and this company asked for me using my full first name (I go by a shortened version normally only using my full for official things) and my surname.
I clarified I was that person, they then informed me it was a collections agency on behalf of the Software company, and they are after the outstanding £1500!
I explained that debt was not associated with myself, but send an email and I will direct it to the right department. When querying my boss as to why my name is being used, they claimed ignorance and said they had no idea at all but don't worry they'll get round to sorting it out at some point today. This honestly did not fill me with confidence, because they didn't seem shocked that my name was used.
Legally where do I stand with all this?
On 8/17/2020 I moved out of an apartment complex. Upon moving out I made a prorated payment for 17 days of august rather than being charged for the full month.
The property management company has since been bought out. The company that bought them out reported to a collection agency that I was short the equivalent of 21 days of rent. When talking to the collection agency they have my move out date on 9/7/2020. Exactly the difference between the day I thought I moved out and the day they have me moved out.
Looking through my records I only have one email exchange with the property management in April of 2020 confirming my move out date of 8/17. Property management was on sight so most of our communication was done verbally. Originally we were planning on moving out in May but we had changed our minds (because of Covid) in the email exchange the property manager gave me two options. I could go to a month to month at a higher rate of rent or I could sign a 3 month contract for lower rent and move out on 8/17 extending my lease from May to August. We replied to the email that we would like to going with the 3 month option and to send us the paperwork needed for that three month extension. Never got that paperwork back via email because we probably were in the office that same day (its where we got mail and packages) and likely finished the conversation in person.
That is when all of my super relevant records end. No more emails about moving out with anyone. I have spoken to the current property management and they have no records of anything (including my move out date) and say they turned everything over to the collections group and that I just need to talk to and work with them. The collections agency don't have a full record of things they just have what I owe and what my move out date was. Doing the math I can deduce that they charged me 21 extra days of rent taking my lease to 9/7.
Both my wife and I looked through all of our email history and we have no record of any request for rent after we left or any outstanding balances. We were never contacted in writing at our current address about any outstanding balances. They never called us.
It was a complete surprise getting this call from the collection agency. I thought it was a scam at first and just hung up on them. After talking to the property management and confirming it was real I called the collections agency back to get details.
How do I proceed? To avoid any di
... keep reading on reddit ➡
As the headline states I have a company continually messaging my mobile phone, asking someone to get in touch with them about a financial matter. The company from what I can tell looks legit, but that doesn't mean much. I'm getting fed up with the voicemail and texts for this guy to contact them.
So I'd like to know, do I call them and let them know they have the wrong number? Or is opening a dialogue with these people a bad idea? I have had my phone number for the last 5 years so it's not like I inherited the number from someone. I just want to make sure I don't keep getting harassed for a strangers financial woes. Any advice would be fantastic.
Living in the south west of the UK if it makes any odds.
I have around 40k in credit card debt. Between 6 different accounts. 3 of them are already in collections. The minimum payment for each is unaffordable, but I’ve created a budget and plan on living very minimally in 2022 and hope to cut it all in half or more by the end of next year. I am just worried my clearance could get revoked before then. I’m and E-4 and have been in 4 years for reference. Has anyone seen a TS be revoked for CC debt and if so what would happen most likely if I have a clean record besides this? I’ve searched reddit and just see some post similar to mine. It’s obviously completely my fault but I had several major things happen in my life over the past year that caused so much debt, but stupid decisions were made as well.
Apologies if this is the wrong sub for this question, but I have hit a dead-end in my research.
My parents paid out of pocket for my first two years of college. My third year there, I dropped out. My parents did not pay tuition for that year, and I never took out a student loan to cover the balance ($25,000). Fast forward 4 years later, Due to a series of mental health crisis that led me to ignore most of the mail sent to me from the school, I have recovered but my bill has been sent to a collections agency.
My question is how to handle this, because I do not actually have a student loan. Per the collections agency my debt is not accruing interest and I am having a hard time finding information on how to handle this situation because there are a LOT of resources for folks talking about loans, but almost none talking about… whatever my situation is (owing a tuition debt to a school). For example, since this is not a student loan, can I discharge this in bankruptcy? I think I did sign something called a promissory note when I first enrolled, but I am not sure. Only thing I am sure of is that I never took out a loan.
Should I take out a loan to pay this debt? In the preliminary conversation I had with the collections agency, I requested that they validate the debt via a letter (which they agreed to do) but insist that I pay $600 a month minimum as part of a payment plan. That is an absurd monthly payment that I cannot afford but I am worried they will garnish my wages, which would be embarrassing and super stressful. But they pushed me HARD on the phone to take out a loan, which makes me think that they are just trying to scare me into getting myself into an interest trap.
Any pointers or guidance would be greatly appreciated!
Edit: TL;DR - I enrolled in a semester of college, didn't attend classes and dropped out. The school said I have to pay my balance (Or I wouldn't receive transcripts or be able to graduate, which was fine... because I wasn't going to graduate anyway) and sent my debt to a collection agency. I never took out a student loan so I'd like to run out the clock on the debt, but I have been threatened with wage garnishment.
Read about the rules here:
Debt collectors can now text you, email you and DM you on social media : NPR
and here:
full text of changes here:
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/documents/9275/cfpb_debt-collection_final-rule_2020-10.pdf
Please keep the discussion civil as this will be undoubtably a heated topic.
In summary, debt collectors can now use additional methods to contact people. Text, email, social media, etc. are now allowed with rules / caveats.
Please be aware this will has already lead to an increase in scammers trying to take advantage of people. Always verify who you are working with by using their officially published contact methods on the debt collectors website / phone number or address listed in your credit report (if the debt is reporting).
https://imgur.com/a/bq0ctUj - the letter itself, with identifying info removed
I've been going back and forth with Blue Cross Blue Shield and local Walgreen's pharmacy trying to figure out the situation related to the this debt. To summarize - at the very least this debt isn't adding up (Walgreens unable to show proof I picked this up from the pharmacy) and may not have actually happened. I've discovered more information at different times over the past year trying to make sense of the initial prescription and now give it a 60/40 probability against it happening.
Now that it's at a collection's company and I unwittingly missed that 30 day window the company mentions in the 3rd paragraph to dispute the debt, I'm wondering what my options are from here. Also wondering what would happen if I didn't pay it; does it accrue interest? Would they sue me? This $464.88 would be a significant hardship to try to pay.
First post here, I apologize if there's a mistake.
Pretty much the title. Never mind the $7,000 I paid to one of those companies with "registered agents" who promised me that they'd put me on a payment plan and do the ACH for me.
I got a letter saying they sold my debt to a collections agency, which to me seems like a much better outcome than if they had pursued a lien and/or garnished/seized my accounts.
Not that I intend to stiff the collections agency, but in my personal experience and correct me if I'm wrong;
They are far easier to work out a payment plan with
Their options if you don't pay are to sue you in a non-criminal court
IDK man I fucking hate dealing with this but it kind of felt like a relief that the IRS wasn't going to show up, audit my assets and take my bank account.
So from August 2018 to August 2019, I lived in a 2bedroom apartment with a roommate. Midway through our tenancy the management company changed and it turns out somehow only I was the "primary tenant" despite us for applying on the same application. They had no knowledge of her existence and couldn't find a copy of our lease until we showed it to them. Relevant? I don't know. But said roommate never heard anything from them either.
When we moved out, the property manager told us we passed inspection and owed nothing. Neither of us ever received another communication of any kind from them (mail, phone, email, nothing).
Today I received a debt collection letter saying I owe 416 dollars. I checked the mail after work, so no offices were open to call, but I've never had a debt before so I'm unsure what to do.
I plan to dispute, as last we were informed we were clear and good. Should I contact the apartment complex or speak directly to the loan company? I feel like lawyering up is going to cost more than the alleged debt, but I'm also concerned about it affecting my credit score, which is quite good.
What steps should I be taking? I appreciate anyone who can help. Snohomish County Washington.
I found out I have a medical bill from about 6 years ago in collections. I read that reported debts in collections generally fall off at the 7 year mark. I've managed to bring my credit score up 200 points over the past couple years and now I'm hovering around the "fair" range and I'm doing what I can to get up to the "good" range. Would paying off this debt ASAP substantially increase my credit score?
I got my current phone number when I was 16. I am turning 27 very soon. The entire time I have had this phone number I have been receiving calls from debt collectors for a man named Oscar D. I am not Oscar. I have never met Oscar. Oscar is apparently from Las Vegas; I have never lived there.
I have tried everything. Do not call registry. Blocking phone numbers. Picking up the phone to explain the situation to the collectors with varying responses. (Some simply hang up, some promise to remove my number, etc.) The calls never stop. They’ve even begun spoofing the numbers to appear local to me. Either that or the collectors are aware that the person that they think is Oscar is in my state.
What the hell am I supposed to do? I get the same spam calls as everyone else which is bad enough but just last week I got four voicemails about this guy Oscar. I feel like I’m losing my mind. It’s been 10 years and I don’t want to have to change my phone number now but it feels like I have no choice. Please tell me how to make this stop.
ETA: I googled the number in the voicemails and it is attached to a debt collection agency. Others online have said they have had similar experiences with this agency. They get calls and even letters to their homes with the wrong name. When they try to correct contact info that agency refuses to change the file unless speaking to the person it pertains to. Rinse and repeat. I assumed it wasn’t just a fake scam because how many of those go on for ten years? I was right. It’s illegally aggressive collection agency.
I’m going to take everyone’s advice and threaten legal action with the help of an uncle. If that doesn’t work, I won’t actually pursue a lawsuit. I don’t have the time or money. I’ll just change my phone number and hope my new one isn’t attached to another Oscar-type. Thanks for the quick feedback guys.
I received a letter in the mail today from a debt collector saying they are collecting for an apartment complex I co-signed for in 2017. This was an apartment my husband and I co-signed for and lived in for a year. This was a while ago obviously so things aren’t fresh in my memory, but I definitely would remember if I owed them if I had known about it. To the best of my recollection, we paid on-time every single month, including the last one and got our security deposit back? I am scared this will end up on my credit. Will they have already reported it if it’s with a debt collector? How much time do I have to clear this up? What should I say when I reach out? Is there some way I can gather proof that I don’t know anything? Thank you for your help in advance!
I live in Canada but come down to Florida often to see family and friends. Whenever I used to come I got a pay once SIM card, it was always around $50 plus $5 for the SIM. It was a one month plan that gave me like 2gbs and unlimited call and text. I was happy with this plan and kept doing one whenever I came down.
However, around 2 years ago I came down and I did it again, this time they (the employees at AT&T branch) looked confused as that same SIM deal wasn't available and this time they needed a SSN. First, this was unusual because I never needed this. nevertheless I was okay with providing it if that's what it took now to receive a SIM. Long story short, they did not accept Canadian SSN and so they said they will just make an American one up ( it seemed as if its been a problem before but they had figured it out doing it whatever way they did). I just went along with it all, it seemed like they knew what they were doing. So all was good, I paid like $60 for the SIM and went on my way. However, around 6 months later I got a bill for almost $400. They said I need to pay for additional GB's used and blah blah blah. But the problem was I purchased a SIM for one month. that it would deactivate after the month and I pay once and that's it. I didn't sign a plan or anything like that.
I disputed the charges and now another several months later they are saying they will lower the charges to less than half at around $150. but all this is not right, I used to get the same plan and there were no extra charges, no collections agencies etc.
I can't even sign in to my account because they need the SSN number which the AT&T employees made up.
What do I do?
TLDR: I got a $60, 1 month temporary SIM card but months later am being charged over $300 they thought I signed up for a plan and am not paying, that is not the case. I can't even sign in to Debt Collectors since the AT&T employees made up a fake SSN and to sign in you need that.
I can see how people fall for these because they make it sound so scary and threatening. Could someone please help me be at ease that this email I just received is NOT legit (to be honest, I have a ton of loans right now and I’m assuming this is a scam because they don’t use my actual name or specific collections agency name but I just want to make sure…):
“ Docket Number: -2:19-AP-938273-FC Amount Outstanding: $1649.68 Settlement Amount: $850.00 for Today or two payments of $425.00 from Today Case File Transferred:- December 2021. Legal Charges-Section 19(A), Clause 21(US). Case Format- Fair Debt Collection Act 811 (FC/SC)
URGENT DEMAND
Dear Debtor, You will note that the sum of $1649.68 is due by you. This amount is now outstanding for more than 90 days. We would like to draw it to your attention that in the event of non-payment by you we will commence our legal Debt Collection procedure in respect of your case and we will pursue the amount due by you together with legal costs until settled in full. It is strongly in your interests to avoid the additional expense and embarrassment of a court appearance. We strongly advise you to take this opportunity to reach an amicable solution. Through Small Claims Court I have the right to request a payment hearing to find out information about your financial situation. I also have the right to apply to garnish money from your wages and bank accounts, hire a court bailiff to seize and sell your belongings, or register a judgment against your Name. I am hopeful that we can resolve this matter without going through Small Claims proceedings. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss payment options. We advise you to make your payment before December/22/2021; otherwise, your details will be submitted to our external debt collectors, and from there legal procedures pertaining to our loan recovery will be taken against you. This move could affect your credit history seriously. Therefore, we ask you to make communication with us to make payments or arrange alternatives before the mentioned date.
Best Wishes, Mark Smith Sr. Investigation Officer”
Please no judgement… I’m almost positive this is a complete scam but could just use some extra reassurance please!
You like records.
I like records.
I hate credit card debt.
You help.
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Anthony Braxton – Creative Orchestra Music 1976 - 1976 press - VG+/VG+ - $12
Anthony Braxton With Muhal Richard Abrams – Duets 1976 - 1976 Promo - NM/VG+ - $8
Astrud Gilberto – The Shadow Of Your Smile - 1965 Mono - VG+/VG+ - $8
Astrud Gilberto – The Astrud Gilberto Album - 1965 Mono - VG+/VG+ - $18
Blue Mitchell – The Thing To Do - 1985 Reissue/Remaster - NM/VG+ - $20
Charlie Haden / Carla Bley – The Ballad Of The Fallen - 1983 US OG - NM/VG+ - $12
The Chet Baker Quintet – Cool Burnin' With The Chet Baker Quintet - 1967 Stereo - G/G+ - Record is very scratched up. Plays with significant noise. NO skips on my end. Jacket has moderate wear. Mostly in the edges and corners. No splits. - $10
Circa Survive – Juturna: Deluxe Ten Year Edition - 2016 Orange/White Haze - NM/NM - $60
Creepoid – Creepoid - 2014 Olive Green - VG+/NM - Great shoegaze/grunge band you've never heard of. $10
Daughters – Hell Songs - 2006 PLUM Pressing - NM/NM - $75
Dave Harrington Group – Become Alive - 2016 Stereo 180g press. - NM/NM - $12
Dead Milkmen – Big Lizard In My Backyard - 1985 US OG Press - G+/G+ Graded conservatively. Considerable marks and wear. Plays strong VG for me with no skips. Moderate shelf wear with some creasing and banged corners. Good starter/play copy. - $30
Gene Ammons / Sonny Stitt – Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead From Chicago August 1961 - 1962 Mono - VG/VG - Light marks. Light wear. - $12
Gene Ammons All Stars – Jammin' With Gene - 1958 Mono - G+/G - Scratches throughout both sides with the B side being worse. Plays with noise but no skips for me. Jacket has a top seam rip about 3/4 of the way through and must have had some moisture damage at some point. Browning near the bottom corners. - $30
Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - 1980 Reissue - VG+/VG - $8
Grouper – Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill - 2013 Reissue - NM/NM - $30
Guerilla Toss – GT Ultra - 2017 OG - NM/NM - $25
Have A Nice Life – Sea Of Worry - 2019 Clear [Milky Clear] With Black Splatter - NM/NM - $25
Herbie Mann – Memphis Underground - 1969 OG - VG+/NM - Great copy! $7
**James White &
... keep reading on reddit ➡Just got a letter from collections for an ambulance bill back in 2014. I thought my insurance had covered it, but apparently they didn't fully pay for it and the account has been growing at a 7% interest rate. I moved shortly after the accident and never got a bill. I got this letter at my parent's address which is strange a few weeks ago. Is there anything I can do about this? It's a few thousand dollars...
Gi-Hun signed away his body? And his debt collectors were going to take a kidney and an eye from him.. whatever happened to that story line?
Hi - I missed a ground rent payment of £125 in September. A month later I received a letter from debt collection agency asking for the £125 payment plus a list of late payment fees totalling £800, total to pay £925. Is this legal? I can’t afford this and £800 in fees seems very unjust.
I have a collections on my credit report I disputed through the mail. Two weeks later the disputed account got closed and removed.The next day the same account from the original creditor reappeared but with a different collection agency. Can they do this? Is this a tactic they use to recover debt? I’m just really confused and haven’t been able to find a answer.
Hi All - First time poster here so apologies if I missed any of the rules.
I received a letter from a collections agency called Convergent Outsourcing, Inc. claiming I owe a debt to T-mobile. I've never had a T-mobile account so I'm confused on why they are contacting me. I've also checked my credit reports and confirmed that a T-mobile account has never shown up there either. At this point I'm trying to see the best way to proceed. Should I contact T-mobile to let them know it's not my debt and I don't have an account with them? Or should I send a debt validation letter to the agency disputing that the account isn't mine? Just don't wanting to get into a stickier situation where the agency takes my contact with them as affirming the debt as mine. Thank you!
So a few months back I started receiving emails from Shell Energy, telling me that I owed them nearly £500. At first I thought this was an elaborate scam with a well designed email because I have never used Shell Energy for utlities.
A few weeks past and I got a voice mail from MIL Collections. They were very forceful and clearly trying to be intimidating with their message. The guy sounded angry, saying that I absolutely need to call them, it's imperative, blah blah blah.
Eventually I spoke to MIL collections and asked them to give me the full details. The debt Is from a property that I lived in 3 years ago, however the dates are wildly incorrect, I didn't move in until 3 months after the date they were trying to charge me from and I was using a different energy supplier well before the end date. At most I might owe them like £30 for a couple of weeks but even then, I have a vague memory of paying 'first utility' who are now owned by shell after switching suppliers when I moved in, although I have no way of proving this.
I do, however, have documented proof that the time period they're trying to charge me for is way off. I have sent shell pdf documents for tenancy agreement and energy bills and they came back to me saying they can't open files of that format. I replied saying it's ridiculous that a company like yourselves can't read a pdf, one of the most universally accepted file types for reading forms and the like. I asked them what file format they'd prefer and they never got back to me. I've sent multiple follow up emails and they still don't get back to me. Every time I try and call them I have to wait for so long that I need to give up because I'm too busy to hang around for hours waiting for someone to pick up.
During this time, MIL collections have been calling me and leaving voicemails every day, increasingly angry and using increasingly threatening tones and language in their messages. It's getting frustrating now and I'd love to know what my options are.
I have proof I don't owe the money they're asking for yet they seem hellbent on not seeing the evidence. It's starting to seem like harassment to be honest and I just need them to do one so if anyone can give me some advice that'd be great, thanks.
Hi everyone.
So a few years ago I had trouble with Three; basically I’d been paying for two separate phone contracts unnecessarily for nearly a year, so I complained to them and got the contracts closed, kept the phone on a pay as you go basis. I have screenshots of all the chats and kept all the reference numbers of chats and complaints etc.
Fast forward to now and I’ve got a letter from Three saying there is around £575 outstanding debt on my account that they have sold on to a company called Lowell Portfolio, who have also sent me a letter.
This is the first I’ve heard of this, and as far as I’m aware the account was closed over two years ago. Do I ignore it or make a complaint to either company?
Any advice would be appreciated. I’m in NI if that makes a difference.
After spending two weeks in hotel quarantine with my toddler in August 2020, my mother-in-law was told she would be sent an invoice for payment at a later date. The invoice never arrived and no one on the WA covid hotline was able to assist. Yesterday she got a debt collection letter with demands to pay the full amount by x date.
Since hearing this I thought I’d check with a couple of friends who also spent time in hotel quarantine and they both had the exact same experience. Never got an invoice and then received a debt collection letter this week.
Out of curiosity, has anyone else in Perth had the same experience? Heard nothing for ages post quarantine until the debt collector comes knocking?
Edit: Corrected date from May to August. We travelled to Melb from Perth on compassionate grounds and then returned for the same reason.
