A wacked-out debt collector robot left a weird message on one of our reader’s voicemail. Seems someone forgot to properly program its “Madlibs” file. Take a listen and you’ll see what we mean… [More]
debt collectors
Govt. Notices Rise Of "Debtor's Prisons," Doesn't Like Them
By 10.4.10
An increasing tool of choice for collection agencies is getting folks thrown in jail for missing “financial assessment hearings,” even when the folks had good reason – like moving and never getting the letter – or the validity of the debt is in dispute. In addition, collectors are requesting forfeited bail to pay off judgement, turning our local jails into de facto debtor’s prisons, and the police into deputized debt collection agents. Now regulators and officials are taking notice, and taking action to curb some of the worst abuses. [More]
You Order 2 iPhones, AT&T Ships 4, Sends You To Collections
By 10.1.10
Redditor Sketchampm says he and his girlfriend ordered two iPhones, and AT&T shipped them four. They sent two back as instructed and got refunded, but AT&T kept sending them bills for the other two phones, which customer service told them to ignore. Today, 3 months later, they get a call from a debt collector, demanding $1,100. [More]
Collectors, Stop Harrassing Me About Mom's Debt
By 9.28.10
Michele keeps getting nasty letters and phone calls from debt collectors trying to get her to pay for her mother’s debt. One of them told her the local police had said she “should be arrested” and another pretended to be from the U.S. Department of Education. How does she get them to stop? [More]
Al Franken Wants To Put An End To Abuse By Debt Collectors
By 9.28.10
A few months after Minnesota Senator Al Franken convinced the FTC to look into the practice of debt collectors having arrest warrants issued for people with less than $100 in debt, the former SNL star announced that he will be introducing legislation to put an end to some of the collection industry’s more abusive practices. [More]
Urban Active Gym Appears Lets You Cancel, Then Charges You More
By 8.6.10
Gyms are notorious for being difficult to cancel your membership at, so at first Heather thought hers was different. They even backdated the cancellation date so she wouldn’t pay for the full month. So nice! A month later, collections called her. [More]
Please Make Dead Friend's Creditors Stop Calling My Mom
By 7.29.10
Kevin’s mom is the executor of a family friend’s estate. Chase, the company that holds this family friend’s mortgage somehow got hold of her phone number, and is now calling her incessantly, looking for…. the dead person? Chase reps claim that they’re not allowed to speak with the executor of the estate, yet they keep calling back despite pleas to leave her alone. [More]
Former Debt Collectors Tell All
By 7.19.10
CNN’s Money mag has published ten short confessionals from current and former debt collectors. A guy who’s been doing it for twenty years says that “being authoritative and abrasive was like a high,” and that it helped him provide for his two daughters. A woman who’s been in the business for ten years says she knows collectors who hold contests to see who can make the most people cry each day. Another ten-year veteran quit after a debtor he was harassing shot himself. Yeah, it’s a fun Monday morning read. [More]
Debt Collectors Discover New Levels Of Relentlessness
By 7.12.10
It makes sense that as the economy has soured that the rapacity of debt collectors would rise, but this much? [More]
Help, Expedia Sicked Debt Collectors On Me After Botching My Hotel Reservation!
By 7.10.10
Poor Victoria, all she wanted was a queen sized bed. Expedia told her she had one, but when she arrived at the Mosser Hotel, what she found was a double bed and a moldy room. After both Expedia and the Mosser refused to issue either a credit or an apology, Victoria called American Express, which quickly issued a full refund. Now, Expedia has decided to get their money back by sicking debt collectors on Victoria. [More]
Debtors Increasingly Thrown In Jail. Wait, What?
By 6.9.10
Did you know you can get thrown in jail for not paying your debts? Yes, in America, in the 21st century, debt collectors are effectively deputizing local police forces to collect on debts, manipulating the system and using your tax dollars to do their dirty work. [More]
Debt Collection Company Sued Over Racist Voicemails, Must Pay $1.5 Million
By 6.1.10
Advanced Call Center Technologies tried to collect $200 on a disputed debt from Allen Jones a few years ago. Part of the company’s advanced technology is its innovative voicemail strategy, where its employees leave wildly offensive, racist messages for people. Jones sued the company, and last week the jury awarded him $50k for mental anguish and $1.5 million in punitive damages. [More]
Guess Who Said It?
By 5.28.10
Let’s play a game. Can you figure out who said the following? “You’re a loser. Why don’t you just jump in front of a train?” “You a f***ing thief, you know. “I’m gonna find you and you gonna be walking like a b***h on the side of the street.” “I’m the guy who’s gonna end your life. That’s who I am.” Find out the answer after the jump! [More]
My Dental Bill Was Sent To Collections By Mistake – Who Do I Pay Now?
By 5.20.10
S. writes that in 2008, she owed a lot of money–about $8,000–to her dentist. She worked out a payment plan with the office, and asked them to auto-bill her credit card every month. They frequently forgot to bill her, but she wasn’t too concerned about the situation. At least, until a debt collector called her, saying that the dentist had sold her balance to them. The dentist’s office claims that this is a mistake. Now both entities want S.’s money, and she’s not sure who she should pay. [More]
Now This Is How You Tell A Zombie Debt Collector To Buzz Off!
By 5.5.10
“RJM Acquisitions” mailed Mark a funny notice asking him to pay up $4,448.23. The address they had associated with it was indeed Mark’s, 20 years ago, that is. Not only was the debt invalid, but even if it hadn’t, the statute of limitations was well expired. Mark got to work and drafted a kickass letter to dispute the debt and tell them not to contact him again unless they wanted to be sued $1,000 each time. Here is his letter, which can serve as a good model for any other readers fighting off invalid debt collection attempts, and his story: [More]
Man Out For Repoman's Blood (Listen To Their Calls)
By 2.10.10
Some “pal” of Mark’s put him down as a reference on a motorcycle loan with Freedom Road Financial and fell behind on his payments. So now the company is making harassing phone calls to Mark and his elderly mom, almost giving her a heart attack, telling them that Mark is in “serious trouble,” that he’s “a party” to the “stolen motorcycle.” They wouldn’t stop even though he told them to, and now an “investigator” identifying himself as “Marshal Davis” is also making calls, threatening to send “people” to his home and office. Mark recorded a conversation with Michelle Peacan at Freedom Road Financial (FRF) and we liked it so much that we added some funny photos, and uploaded it to YouTube. Then we reached FRF for comment. [More]
The Debtor Debt Collectors Hate To Call
By 1.26.10
Craig Cunningham has made $20,000 from 18 lawsuits he’s filed against debt collectors for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). In fact, it’s something a part-time job/hobby for him. To ensnare his first FDCPA-violating collector, with voice recorder running, he called back the number they left on his answering machine, and asked: [More]
Make Debt Collectors Give You Money By Suing Them
By 12.25.09
This may not work for everyone, but it worked for Jeff. He tells Consumerist that after he filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy, Sallie Mae representatives continued to call him, which is sort of illegal. So his bankruptcy attorney sued them. And won a $4,000 settlement. [More]
