Actions speak louder than words, thoughts on debt collection.
I am just a bit peeved right now and I thought rather than ranting about it and making certain people look bad I would write a somewhat informative post to help those certain somebodies, then I would rant at the end…
Do you receive at least one debt collection letter a month or perhaps you are get debt collection calls… They are annoying and stressful right? So how do you deal with them? Most people simply choose to ignore them, they do this for many reasons.
I know that being in debt is stressful, the collectors are usually jerks, you feel like you will never be able to pay the debt off and that it is just easier to pretend the issue doesn’t exist. I have my fair share of debts and know exactly what you are feeling and thinking, I have some advice for you…
Pay them whatever you can, NOW!!!
Did you get that? Right now send them a check, even if it is only $20.00. Common, get your check books out and write that check!
Don’t argue with me about it. I don’t care if that $20.00 only goes towards interest, I don’t care if they said they will only accept X amount of dollars when you called… Just send them a payment, NOW!
The worst that could happen is they don’t accept the payment but I am telling you the majority of them will cash your check and then you’ll be making good on the debt.
If you don’t deal with the debt (in writing) and if there is no proof that you are making attempts to repay the debt they can and will take legal action against you. I am talking wage garnishment, fund levying and so on… Do you want them to get a judgment against you that forces you to pay even if you can’t afford to or would you rather voluntarily pay what you can afford?
As a consumer you do have rights and options when you owe debt. If the debt collector is rude or uncooperative you can take steps to protect your rights. Those debt collectors want to make it hard for you to repay the debt, I know it sounds crazy but think about it… They want to charge you penalties, interest and milk you for all they can. The more uncooperative and overwhelmed they can make you the better their case is against you.
They tell you they can only accept payment for a certain ungodly amount of money that you obviously can’t afford, this ensures you are feeling defeated and trapped. You will either agree to pay them the amount they are demanding and you will default on the agreement or you will avoid contact with them all together. Either way you loose, right? Well that is what they want you to think!
Are they bullying or harassing you? Are they refusing to provide you with requested information about your debt? Could the allegedly owed amount be wrong? If you answered yes to any of these questions chances are they violated the fair debt collection laws and you do have options!
Forget what the collector has said you must do, chances are they are just screwing you. Here is what you need to do right now to cover your butt in regards to your owed debt:
- Write letter to the creditor (send it via certified mail) asking that the validity of the debt be proven, in writing.
- Report the collector to the FTC if they violated the fair debt collection laws.
- File a complaint with BBB outlining your issues with the creditor and their collection practices.
- Make a good faith attempt to repay the debt by sending any payment amount you can afford.
It is that simple! Send them some money, send them a letter that documents your attempts to gain account information, report their unfair practices and you are done! Each month just pay them what you can, don’t skip a month and you’ll be repaying the debt without having to deal with the nasty creditors plus you will be protecting yourself from the legal repercussions of not “making good” on a debt.
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A personal story about debt collection:
Just last night a major debt/ collection issue was brought to my attention that inspired this post. Apparently the Department of Education has been waiting for someone to begin repaying money borrowed. The requests for payment were confusing and overwhelming so they got ignored then the collection letters came.
The collector gave that certain somebody the runaround via the phone over the course of 3 months. This collector was “on vacation”, then he failed to return calls or provide the requested information regarding the debt and repayment options. The certain somebody thought the issue was being dealt with but the collector was actually just buying more time.
Surprise, a wage garnishment threat has arrived in the mail! Phone calls were again made to the collector, he was rude, uncooperative and made several attempts to break down and anger the certain somebody. Eventually the collector conveys that no payment under $2000 would be accepted, more confusing and overwhelming repayment options were discussed and at the end of it all that somebody was left feeling like there was nothing that could be done.
Finally this information was brought to my attention and I became livid! Simply sending a payment in whatever amount that could be managed would have prevented this whole situation! They try to confuse you and make you think you can’t pay them what you want, in doing this they buy themselves time to charge you penalty fees and to take legal action against you. This makes them more money!!!
If you make attempts to pay your debt they can’t claim you are refusing responsibility of the debt, which means they can’t take legal action against you. If you dispute the debt in writing via certified letter they are required by law to prove the validity of the debt BEFORE they can force you to pay. Note: Phone calls to creditors are not legal proof of an attempt to make good on a debt.
It takes 15 minutes to draft up a dispute letter and send a payment folks and it could save you tons of stress and legal repercussions! Heed my advice guys, dispute the debt in writing and send any payment you can afford, do it right now. If the collectors are violating the law you should also report them.
Don’t sit idle and let the case pile up against you, take action, protect your consumer rights and make some financial attempt to repay your debt- it is what the collectors don’t want you to do and that is exactly why you need to do it!
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Woho, got a house and some travel ideas…
After weeks of excessively emailing property management companies, banging my head against the wall when they don’t respond and after much hair pulling it appears we have found ourselves a house! I posted a few “housing wanted” ads on craigslist and several property owners responded to me. After viewing photos of homes we have found one we are comfortable renting once we arrive in Evansville. We are just waiting for the lease to be faxed over now. Having this taken care of is a huge relief for us!
Now we have a motor home and a rental place in Evansville! These are probably the two major things we have been working the hardest to get squared away.
This weekend it appears I’ll be seeing my whole family! My mother is visiting to help out with the yard sale and she is bringing my two brothers and my little niece (who I talked about in this post last week). It looks like it will be a fun/ busy weekend for us, I hope to have photos to share once it is all over.
As you know I have also been looking at places to visit on the way to Evansville. Here are some odd-ball yet interesting places I came across in my research, clicking on the titles will bring up images of the sight, admission info is link to more info on the site. Enjoy!
- Cowboy Boot Tree at Dot’s Mini Museum, Vega, TX - Want to see some cowboy boots hanging from a tree outside a museum that is in someone’s home? If so check this sight out. My mom has a thing for cowboys so we may need to take her photo in front of this tree. Admission is free but donations are accepted.
- Cadillac Ranch Amarillo, TX - these old Cadillac cars are buried nose down in the soil and covered with colorful graffiti. This is surely a photo opp for N and I. We are fun like that. Admission is free.
- Huge Pair of Legs, Amarillo, TX- Giant leg sculpture art. Admission is free.
- Dinosaur Museum, Tucumcari, NM - My younger brother was really into dinosaurs as a child and I know visiting this museum will be fun for him. Admission is $6.00 per adult and hours are posted on their site.
- Dorothy’s House and Land of OZ/ Wizard of OZ Complex, Liberal, KS -This attraction was suggested by Karen who has visited. She makes it sound very fun and my mom and I are now sold on visiting it! A bit more info is available here.
- “Open Book” Library, Liberal, KS -Yep, the library is shaped a an open book, this would also be a good photo opp as we are passing through. A bit more info on the library is available here.
Apparently the site roadsideamerica.com is great for finding offbeat attractions, I found much great info via their site!
Okay, now that I have wasted 2 hours compiling and researching this info I need to get busy on clearing out the spare rooms for our weekend company. Happy Tuesday everyone, you think I’ll be productive today?
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Lo, lo lo… Which route should we take?
It appears we have gone through each and every thing we own in preparation for our yard sale, it is happening this weekend! We are making great progress on the moving preparations and I am having less anxiety these days. Yay!
We also nailed down which RV we were going to buy and we have a set price of $1800. The mechanical inspection came back towards the end of last week and we negotiated the price less the cost of essential repairs. Now all we need to do is pay for the RV, have those essential repairs completed and take possession.
We are also planning our route to Indiana, which do you prefer in regards to sight seeing? We have a week to get there since the moving company is estimating a week’s transit time and I want to have some fun along the way!
Option #1 - 1,543 mi – about 22 hours 30 mins
Option #2 - 1,785 mi – about 1 day 3 hours
All in all the moving prep is going very well and we are ahead of the game. We still have tons to do but it is all manageable I think. I have been focusing my moving thoughts in a more appropriate place as opposed to boring you all with it. I wrote an article about it, How to prepare to relocate for a new job.
So that is all I have to report at this time. I am off to do more moving and yard sale prep now, let me know which of the two routes you like best and if you think of any wacky sight seeing we can do along the way let me know. I’ll visit and take photo to post here just for you (I am cool like that)!
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Thoughts on struggle and peaceful garden photos
To me the hardest thing is to watch a loved one go through trying times and to not be able to help them. My brother is dealing with some heavy stuff right now. He had a child with a girlfriend and they have just come to terms with the idea that they can’t be together as a couple. His daughter and now ex-girlfriend just left his house to be on their own. He is not on his daughters birth certificate because his pregnant girlfriend was a minor when she gave birth.
Ugh, it is a whole slew of drama that I don’t want to bore you with. Basically sitting by and watching him make his choices and watching him struggle is killing me. As outsiders to the situation we can see what his next step should be and we have given him advice but he sees things differently than we do, he is doing what he feels is best. He is scared and overwhelmed, all we can do is support him and hope it all works out.
This quote reminded me of him:
We want facts to fit the preconceptions. When they don’t it is easier to ignore the facts than to change the preconceptions. - Jessamyn West
He believes that he has no chance of gaining parental rights to his daughter despite the fact that he IS the stable parent. He believes that mothers have more rights than fathers regardless of the situation, we cannot seem to convince him otherwise.
Okay, enough of the family drama and stress talk. Lets spend some time in my garden!
Here is a wildflower growing in my yard that I like and managed to transplant into some pots. maiden53, this is the flower you were asking me about that I’ll have at the yard sale.
I have no idea what this flower is called but it is pretty and I like it! got any ideas what it is?
My lilies are in bloom! I believe these are tiger lilies, they don’t have a fragrance like my white stargazer lilies but they are so pretty!
Got any fun garden photos of plants growing in your neck of the woods?
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Why I like summer…
This is in response to Pipper’s “things I like about summer” post! I like summer because you get to tan and wear cute summer clothes!
Create your own puzzles at PuzzleBee.com!
Why do you like summer?
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