The Collections Run Around
Have you ever paid off a bill to a creditor, or to a collections agency, only to have two or three or for or more collections agencies call you demanding payment for the same bill? Even worse, have you ever truthfully insisted that you already paid the bill, but you never saved the canceled checks, or proof of payment?
When you owe money to a creditor or business, and you send in the money just before the last deadline date, it’s often too late. It can take the business up to ten days to record your payment, and by then your account has been referred out to a collections agency. That’s where your problems begin. The original creditor quite often, fails to notify the collections agency of the payment, and when you contact the original creditor, they will tell you it is now out of their hands, and that you must talk to the collections agency. The collections agency will tell you that they will contact the original creditor for verification, but they don’t really bother.
If the first collections company can’t collect on a bill you have already paid, it will eventually get sent to a second agency, and the paid bill just keeps moving further down the line. Now, because of the failure of the original creditor to do their job responsibly and collections agencies that won’t lift the phone or fax to help you because there is no money involved, your credit is slipping further down the credit score hill to the mud puddle at the bottom.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to keep copies of all of your payments, for several years. This includes all of your money order receipts and bank checks. You should also demand a letter from the original creditor, or collections agency showing that the account has been paid off and is now closed.
Don’t trust the creditor or collections agency to notify the credit bureaus that you have paid off the account. Contact the credit agencies yourself, and send them each a copy of the letter. At www.directcomplaint.com you can do this for free by going to our free services link to each of the credit bureaus.
If a collections agency takes you to court over the payment that you have made, and you have proof, let them. This might give you grounds to sue them for damages later.
If you are not the assertive type, or if you just need help, visit www.directcomplaint.com or call 877-969-3463 for assistance.
Don’t let collection agencies scare you!
I hate it when collection agencies call people and make threats, or offer payment plans that people can’t possibly keep. All too often, the collection call or letter will put fear and fright into a persons mind.
The fact is, collections agencies are suppose to adhere to specific federal and state standards, (FDCPA) Fair Dept Collections Practices Act established by the federal government, but many of them use tactics that go way beyond what the laws allow. Often, when an agency can not collect from you, the account is given to another more aggressive agency that will stop at almost nothing to get your money. In some cases, the agency calling you is a scam. They get your information from credit reports, or boxes of collection agency reports improperly discarded.
Here are a few suggestions I recommend when you are first contacted by a collection agency.
Keep an accurate record of the agency name, the callers name and ID number, and the time and date of the call or each letter you receive.
If you don’t believe the bill is yours, send them a letter or e-mail requesting all of their supporting documentation, including original credit applications if applicable. This is not only your write, but a legal requirement if requested. Remember to keep copies of any letters or e-mails you send to the agency.
If you don’t want to be called at home or at work, send them a letter, e-mail or fax to let them know. If you tell the agency in righting, they have to stop the calling.
Never, and I mean never give anyone your Social Security number, date of birth, or banking information. Ask the caller what they have for information, and only verify the accuracy. Do not correct the information if it is incorrect, just politely tell the collector it’s not accurate, but don’t ever correct it for them. Scam artists will often use the information YOU provide to gain access to your credit or banking information.
If the letter or especially the caller is threatening or rude, contact the original creditor, and file a complaint about their collection practices.
Don’t panic if they threaten or begin legal action. If you don’t owe the money, can’t make the payments they offer you, or even if the bill is not yours, and you can prove it, you stand a much better chance going in front of a judge or clerk magistrate.
If you are on a fixed income, such as Social Security, veteran’s benefits, or public assistance, offer to send the agency proof of your limited income. Federal law and the laws of some states prohibit collection agencies from using certain public or government assistance as a form of repayment.
Lastly, if you have already made payments to the original creditor, or another collection agency, offer to send proof of your payments, but only after you verify that the company is a legitimate collection agency. To do this, you can check with your states Attorney Generals office, or your states consumer protection agency.
If you need help, or an advocate to help you, you can call us at 877-969-3463, or log on to www.directcomplaint.com to fill out a Collections Complaint form in our Consumer Complaint Center, or send us an e-mail at www.support@directcomplaint.com
As a consumer, even when it comes to collections, the power is in your hands, use it.
Airport Screening
Going through airline screening is quickly becoming more intrusive, but there are plenty of things you can do to make the process faster and easier.
When you are packing your carry on bags, think security. Pack only what you are prepared to have another person see and possibly examine. Remind yourself to have your liquids in three ounce containers, and placed in a closed plastic bag. Check your identification to be sure it is up to date, and keep it in a place that is easily accessible.
Try to remember that all of the airport and restaurant employees who work on the other side of the screening stations have to go through the process every day. For more information visit the link provided.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/screening_experience.shtm
liquid limitations
Your Home Office On Wheels
Your home/office on wheels is coming sooner then you might think. Pretty soon, you won’t have to go to your office to do your work, and you won’t have to go home to your family at the end of the day. Technology is quickly bringing the internet and social networking into, and on to the dashboards of new cars. Pretty soon, the glove box will be replaced by an all in one printer, fax, and copy machine.
In keeping with the theme of yesterday’s blog post, I feel it is necessary to at least question the direction that technology is taking us. Not only will the new automotive technology increase our distractibility factor, it will make it easier for us to shut out the rest of the world. Pretty soon, when a friend tells you they slept in their car, it will probably mean they were using the car as a kind of escape from the rest of the world.
The pace of technology is moving so fast, that we barely have a chance to get a taste of one type, and a new one comes along. When will we reach over load? Before we know it, psychiatrists will be treating people for technology over load and interface related disorders. Here is just one example of future automotive technology, you be the judge.
Texting While Driving
Texting and Driving don’t mix; at least that’s what the federal government thinks.
We have all heard arguments for and against using our cell phones for texting while driving. I would even bet that most of us who do text while driving have been asked on at least one occasion to stop texting by passengers in the car. If you have young children in the car or mini van, and you are texting while driving, you are probably already distracted by the children, and they don’t have a voice to ask you to stop texting.
I am totally blind, and there are not many things that scare me, but hearing the driver text while he or she is going sixty miles an hour down the highway does not leave me with a safe feeling inside.
The federal government via congress, seems determined to get into the argument. Pending legislation would link the amount of federal highway funds a state receives directly to their texting while driving laws. In affect, the federal government won’t tell individual states what they should pass for laws, but they will with hold valuable resources if states don’t conform to the federal mandates.
As a passenger, I want to be able to talk on my cell phone, and if I could see to text, I would do that too. But, if I were a driver, I would not talk on the phone, and I definitely would not text, even if the texting screen is in the middle of the steering wheel, no way, not me.
What do you think? This is an important issue that will effect us all in the future. To learn more about proposed legislation check out the link provided.
