Debt collectroll: You're talking to me,so you must not be looking for work

[liberalhistorian]

GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Those of you who know me on here know I have absolutely no love at all for the goddamn ruthless, bloodsucking, inhuman, inhumane, vulture bottom-feeding scum-sucking pond scum debt collectrolls (particularly the medical collectors) who prey off the misery and misfortune of others and who make a lot of money off of said misery and misfortune. They LOVE economic down-times like this, because it means even more moolah in their already fattened-by-misery wallets. They have jobs because too many others don't. GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Okay, anyway, I was laid off seven weeks ago and, despite having a B.A. in history and sociology AND a paralegal certificate AND years of experience AND good references, and despite my best efforts and the efforts of my former boss (we're attempting to start a legal research/paralegal services business, but it's been slow-going) have been unable to find another position.

I've even started looking in Columbus and Cincinnati and out-of-state because there's nothing around here (Northeast Ohio) and, of the jobs that are available, there are over 100 applicants for each one. I'm grateful for unemployment compensation, but it's less than half of my regular salary and I'm not even getting child support right now (that's a whole other story that would take another thread to get into and it makes me too mad to even think about right now, anyway; Chris's father's girlfriend has decided that he shouldn't have to pay anything because they have a son together so the enforcement agency and I have been fighting with them). My already-meager savings are almost gone. Even though I only have $1,500 in my 401(k) I really, really don't want to take that out unless I absolutely have to because I'm almost forty years old and so far that's the only pension money I have; I may have no choice, however, if I don't get something soon. And as a single parent, I HAVE to have a steady, secure income, I HAVE to work, I have no choice in the matter.

So I made arrangements to pay a particular debt in three installments of $120 each, on May 29, June 30, and July 31(actually, the collectroll made the arrangements, saying it was the only acceptable one). Yesterday, I realize that, while I got my unemployment check, it just isn't enough to cover everything that needed to be covered. So I call the collectroll that I had made the arrangements with, since she'd told me to call if there were any problems with not having the money available.

Well, she had the nerve to get nasty with me, saying what a loser I am for not yet having a job and that it may be too late to stop the withdrawal from my checking account and that there'd be hell to pay if it bounced. I asked how could that be, because it was posted for the 29th and today was only the 28th; she had ASSURED me during our arrangements that the money wouldn't be withdrawn until the very date it was posted for so this REALLY REALLY pissed me off! So she gets her supervisor on the line who wants to know just how short I am because they "have to take out something." I know, being a paralegal, that that was bullshit but decided not to start any fights. THEN he had the UNBELIEVABLE NERVE to say "well, you're at home right now on the phone, so you're obviously not looking for work." THAT, folks, is the EXACT QUOTE! CAN YOU FUCKING BELIEVE THAT?

First of all, I was NOT at home, I was at my former boss's and business partner's office, because we were going over the promotional flyer I'd designed for our legal research/paralegal services business and were discussing where we could post it and how we could get the word out otherwise without spending too much money that he didn't have. Second, I have done NOTHING BUT LOOK FOR A FUCKING JOB during the past eight weeks, including being registered with every single damned staffing agency within a 100-mile radius. Where did he think I was supposed to call the collectroll from, anyway, the fucking moon? So, I did something I probably shouldn't have, and that was totally lose it. I've been dealing with rearranging bills and having little money and having no success with the job search for two months now, and I just fucking snapped. I screamed at the idiot that I was at my former office, not at home, and that I'd done nothing BUT look for work for the past eight weeks and that THERE WERE NO FUCKING JOBS AVAILABLE AROUND HERE!

He got extremely nasty right back, saying how dare I use profanity with him, what a loser I must be, etc., etc. I'd made the promise to pay, he said, and "Charlotte" (the collectroll I'd been working with) had been kind enough to help me make the arrangements (yeah, they just did it all out of the goodness of their hearts, GAG!) and if I didn't fulfill it then they would just have to take further collection action. Actually, she HAD NOT made the arrangements "out of kindness", but had pretty much forced them on me, saying that was the only acceptable arrangement even though I'd tried to explain that my money situation was such that I simply did not know if I'd have that amount available at the end of each month the next three months.

And I almost told the fucker to go ahead and take "further collection action", what the fuck could they do, anyway? Garnish my wages (I have no job). Put a lien on my property? (I own no real estate or other property). I have few other assets, as well. And like they're going to go through the expense of all that for a $350 debt? WHO THE FUCK DO THESE INHUMAN FUCKERS THINK THEY ARE? HOW DARE THEY SAY THAT TO ME! GODDAMN THESE FUCKERS TO THE HOTTEST SPOTS IN HELL!

I have no problem with paying it, since I owe it. The problem I have is the way it was handled and their complete indifference and hostility to my current situation. They only have jobs because I and millions of others DON'T, and yet they treat me and those others like total pieces of shit, and I'm not going to stand for it. I almost feel like getting a job as a collectroll so I could do some inside maneuvering, lol! You have to have excellent credit for that, though, and I don't have that. The sweetest poetic justice of all is when these collectroll fuckers themselves lose their jobs and have to deal with all the financial and emotional bullshit that the people they harass and hassle have to deal with.

And GODDAMNIT I NEED A JOB! That's ALL I'm asking for, I'm not asking for the fucking moon and stars! I JUST WANT A JOB! I can't take much more of this, I just can't. I'm doing everything I can to find a job, and nothing is working and I CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE OF THIS!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[gmoney]

1. My sympathies... n/t

[mhr]

2. liberalhistorian - I Hear You And Feel Your Pain - No Pun Intended

Unemployed four years - no work in sight.

BSEE
MBA
Honorably Discharged Naval Officer
Commercial Pilot

Like you, plenty of good experience.

Closing in on 2000 resumes out the door.

Nothin, nada, zilch!

[liberalhistorian]

4. I know, and it's beyond frustrating, isn't it?

Especially when you know you're a good worker, with good qualifications and credentials, you've done nothing wrong, and nothing you're doing is working. Oh sure, my former boss and I are trying to start a business, and hopefully something will come of it, but those things take time and you don't make money right away. And as a single parent, I need a job NOW!

Have you thought about starting your own business, maybe some consulting? You're certainly qualified. What about being a pilot for private charter companies or private airports?

[Nikia]

3. What a jerk

A lot of people are having trouble finding jobs right now. There is only so much you can do sometimes. Why wouldn't you take time anyway to take care of something important like that even if you were literally spending all day in job related stuff? Good luck on finding a job. I have a few friends in the same situation.

[liberalhistorian]

5. Their purpose in saying things like that is to

intimidate you, make you feel even more like a loser than you already do, so that they will have the upper hand. They know you're already dealing with a lot financially and emotionally and are already feeling really low, and this is just another way for them to stick it to you so you'll be under their thumb even more.

[TNDemo]

6. Their entire goal is to get an emotional response out of you.

You would not be getting this kind of treatment if it was a debt with collateral. They would not bother you much - just finally take your house or whatever. These trolls know that they must induce an emotional response - anger or fear or whatever - so you will most want to pay them off and get them out of your life. They have nothing to hold over you than those emotions. So calm down and realize it's not personal - it just shows they are desperate.

About 10-12 years ago we were in that boat and I found a book that helped a good deal. It is called How To Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt and Live Prosperously by Jerrold Mundis. It helps you figure out how to live on whatever your circumstances have reduced you to and gives advice on how to deal with the creditors. It is a little 12-steppy and I ignored the advice at the start to ignore your bills for a month since I wanted to get started. But you can check it out at the library or order it for near nothing through Amazon probably.

Good luck.

[liberalhistorian]

8. Thanks, I'll check it out.

What really makes me sick is the thought of how much better off I'd be if I'd started a savings account when I was, say, 12, and first started getting money for birthdays and Christmas, and earning it from babysitting, etc., and stuck with it. Even five or ten bucks here and there would have really added up.

Instead, I always wanted to pay bills and debts first and always thought I'd start a savings account "when I was done paying bills and debts." Well, guess what, that NEVER happens, you will ALWAYS have bills and debts. And I also thought putting little amounts away here and there wouldn't matter much, that it had to be larger amounts to make a difference, when it sure would have. Even if it was only ten bucks here and twenty bucks there, etc., it would have really added up. And I'd be in so much better shape now.

It literally made me physically ill yesterday when I realized that, and how many chances I'd wasted over the years. If I'd started when I was 12, and I'm almost forty now, I could literally have tens of thousands in savings by now and I wouldn't be in such desperate straits. The only good thing about realizing that now is that, number one, I can teach my son to start RIGHT NOW (he just turned 13) to build up his savings (he has $200 in an account now, far more than I ever did at his age) and to keep doing it, even with very small amounts that may not seem like much.

And second, now that I have realized this, I can still start an account and build it up, even if it's little by little (if I start getting child support again-and I'll get his entire tax refund, probably several hundred dollars like last year, I can sock some away), and I've realized that bills and debts will ALWAYS be with me and that it's important to put at least something in savings instead of waiting to get "caught up."

[librechik]

7. try going to the original creditor

convince him of your record and reliability, make payment arrangements with him, and complain about the tactics and language of the collector.
Also report the collector to BBB and the various credit reporting agencices in writing.(TRW?)

[liberalhistorian]

10. That's something to consider, and

I certainly do intend to report this particular agency to the BBB. I realize they have a job to do, but it's simply unacceptable to treat people in this manner.

[the Kelly Gang]

9. my sympathies..I know how it feels. Of course no debt collector

would have a job if you and I hadn't lost our jobs and defaulted on loans but that logic doesn't work on them.

I never deal with debt collectors ..go straight to the one you owe money to always.

[playahata1]

11. It is ILLEGAL for them to make those type of comments to you,

according the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Read Richard DiMaggio's book COLLECTION AGENCY HARASSMENT. DiMaggio outlines the steps you need to take when dealing with creditors over the phone and in the mail. Among them: keep a written record of all phone conversations you have with creditors.

[liberalhistorian]

13. I have heard of that, and I'll

check it out. I believe the author is an attorney who specializes in this area.

[playahata1]

53. Richard DiMaggio is indeed an attorney.

Google him up and you will find out more. He saw that there were not many lawyers with experience in dealing with debt collection, so he has taken up the cause and is trying to educate lawyers and consumers alike.

[liberalhistorian]

56. And as a paralegal, I can tell

you that there are far too many attorneys who are using their skills and knowledge to screw people instead of help them, by being collectors themselves, filing suits against people who can least afford to pay (especially where medical debt is concerned, hospital attorneys and attorneys for doctors are among the most ruthless). Sickening, but true.

[OneBlueSky]

12. send the $10 a month, and do it religiously . . .

that demonstrates a good faith effort to pay the debt . . . they'll yell and scream and threaten, but legally they won't have a leg to stand on . . .

[liberalhistorian]

15. See, that's what I tried to tell the collectroll,

that I didn't have to pay the monthly amounts she was demanding. The problem is, I'm so tired of dealing with these people right now, and I'm getting so worn down by all of this, that I just wanted to get her the fuck off the phone and quit bothering me.

[OneBlueSky]

26. get an unlisted phone number . . . :) n/t

.

[liberalhistorian]

27. The problem is, my son and I live

with my parents, and it's their home, so that's not an option. And collectrolls will ALWAYS find your number, unlisted or not. They usually get it from their client, the creditor, though, and not the phone book.

[OneBlueSky]

28. o-o-o-o-kay . . . get an answering machine that allows you to . . .

pre-screen calls . . . generally, when a bill collector gets the machine, s/he either hangs up or leaves a message to call them back . . . either way, you don't have to talk to them . . .

hey . . . I'm tryin' . . . :)

[jayavarman]

14. Best of luck, man . .

Maybe you have to get the hell out of wherever you are & move to someplace that has some jobs . . . .Not trying at all to be harsh here, but it scares the hell out of me to hear that you're 40yrs old, with ony $1500 in 401k, no house, no real estate whatsoever and that people are dunning you for 120 bucks!? Kinda scary to see an educated 40 yr old living so much on the edge. . . .

Just Dammmmmn!

Best of luck to ya, I wish I could give you better advice, but it's hard to not knowing you & your skills . . . Lots of employers check credit these days, as well, so don't let your hated of the collectors cause you to get stubborn & hurt yourself.

[liberalhistorian]

16. Hell, it scares me, too, lol!

I could just kick myself for not getting a teaching degree to go along with my B.A. My parents were both teachers, though, as were all their friends, and I think I was rebelling against that at the time. Sure wish now that I hadn't, though.

And I'm well aware that employers check credit, as well, I used to work for an employment screening company. It infuriates me to no end that they do that, because frankly it's none of their business and it has nothing to do with performing the job. And they often miss the context behind any negative information, as well.

[jayavarman]

17. Are you good with people?

A nice guy/gal . . . easy to talk to? I'm sure you are bright

I'm a history major as well, who should have ignored my folks & just gotten PHD & tried to be a professor . .. . but anyway, I bring it up because there are pretty much no jobs that look for 'historian' in the job description. . . You would be surprised how many of us there are in banking. Look at bank one or 5th3rd or whatever the big banks in your area are . . . they all will have great benefits for your family & most will provide rock-solid job security.

Also, if you need a job quick you can always go into sales

[jayavarman]

18. Employer Credit Screening

Some kinds of collections, especially medical, will not hurt you & hopefully negative info will just start a conversation . . . "what happened in the fall of '01' kind of thing . . . . Luckily people are people & can be more understanding thean we would expect (they can be assholes too . . . . )

[liberalhistorian]

20. I do realize that,

and that they don't much care about medical collections and things like that. They're looking more for bankruptcies and large credit card debt chargeoffs, things like that, which I fortunately don't have on my credit. I paid off all of my credit cards a few years ago, and refuse to have any more, even though I'm constantly getting pre-approved offers for cards. I do have a department store credit card that I owe on. Then there's my car loan, my hearing aid loan, and a credit union loan from a few years ago which is nearly paid off. Or, at least, it would have been had I not lost my job because now I can't keep up with those payments. Those are my major debts.

It's just the very idea of potential employers checking credit that really bugs me, it's really none of their damn business unless the position is a high-level job with financial responsibilities.

[Az]

19. I used to work with a former debt collection caller

Nasty SOB. He was technically qualified to handle support calls on our computer help desk but his manners were abysmal. He tells us it was this that made him qualified to do the collection gig. He had no sympathy for others. Seemed a border line sociopath. And was just plain mean.

[liberalhistorian]

21. I almost think that's the way you have to be

in order to have a job like that. How else can you live with yourself, be able to sleep soundly at night, and look yourself in the mirror every morning? I just don't see how a non-sociopath could have that kind of job.

[jayavarman]

22. That and . . .

Can you imagine how many of the same stories you would hear all day long? I've met some of these collections people & they've told me that after a while they just assume that everyone is lying to them 100% of the time.

Personally I could never do that job, it would be better to be a car salesman, even.

[liberalhistorian]

24. They assume people are lying until

they themselves are in that position, which, happily, happens to some of them. What's really unexcusable is the fact that people who are dealing with a terminal or major illness, such as cancer, either themselves or a family member, constantly have to deal with fucks like this, especially the medical collectrolls, instead of focusing on getting well or on their remaining time.

My stepdad's brother is terminally ill, and he and my aunt are having to fend off these fuckers left and right, who are harassing them so that doctors and hospital CEO's can make their BMW payments and continue to live in the style to which they're accustomed.

[Derrow]

23. I hear you and feel your pain <<<<comfort>>>>

I've been living and working in the US since 94 (the early years were the best, I worked in NYC and made $50 an hour making housecalls on offices at the Garment District troubleshooting PCs). Never finished college (which was why I was in the US in the first place) because all my friends were making tons of money from the dotcom economy and I didn't want to get left out. Anyway, I got married to an American in 2000 and moved to Mississippi. Not the best of ideas as asian male-caucasian female unions in the small town she was from was frowned upon (don't get me started on why male caucasian-female asian unions are more mainstream even down south) but I managed. I'm quite handy with technology but my main talent is professional writing, so I did a few short gigs while trying to break into the ad business. My wife's family were hardcore born-again xtians so they grudgingly accepted our marriage but wouldn't help us in any way... which was fine with me since I was quite used to doing things on my own. The gigs didn't pay much (the most I earned was 8/hour working for AT&T) but it was enough to pay the bills and with my wife working we were surviving. I supplemented our income with freelance copywriting and some graphic design work (nothing fancy, I could work the proggies but I had no flair for composition or artistic concept) and I presented my portfolio to an ad agency in New Orleans, Gulfport and Jackson at least once a month.

Then 9/11 happened.

I'm tall for an asian guy but I had an Iranian name and I looked hispanic. Jobs started drying up. Offers weren't coming in. I even got interviewed by the FBI because my wife's brother-in-law reported me to the INS because he suspected I had terrorist ties. I was just lucky I didn't get 'detained for questioning'. My wife still had a job but I was living of my savings and some money my parents would wire me every month. Thinking that things would be better if we moved (plus I was getting tired of dealing with my wife's family), I freed up some cash and moved my wife and I to Seattle. Bad mistake. Washington State became the #1 state for unemployment. Nevertheless, I managed to get a job at Kinko's that paid 10/hour and my wife got a transfer and a promotion to another Kinko's nearby. We weren't living large but we made do. She had about 10,000 in debt from credit cards (75% from compound interest and late charges - she accrued most of the debts in college and buying her family xmas gifts) and a car note for a used ford contour (29% interest per annum - I didn't even know those kind of rates were legal) which meant that her credit rating sucked and I never really had a chance to build any sort of credit (I preferred dealing in cash most of my life, heard too many horror stories about credit card debt and I moved around the world a lot in my 20s working whenever I was short of cash and needed more funds to finance my travels). Not having good credit in the US makes things really difficult but like I said, we managed. No savings, no money set aside for a rainy day, just paying off bills and taking care of necessities with few luxuries (a dinner at Friday's or catching a few movies at the local cineplex).

My wife and I split up in late '02. She missed her parents too much and I guess a small-town girl like her can't always adapt to big city living. The last days were hell. We fought constantly about everything with a lot of finger-pointing and guilt trips. What I didn't expect to encounter in 'progressive' Seattle was being picked on not for my race or my religion but for my perceived ideological allegiance. In the store I worked for, one of the key decision makers was staunchly pro-israel and she made my work environment quite difficult because as a Muslim she assumed I had Palestinian sympathies. Which really confused me because I was Asian and although I felt sorry for the Palestinians because they were fellow Muslims and (most importantly) members of the human race I had always felt that the Israel-Palestine issue was more of an Arabic/Middle-Eastern thing. My wife moved out and went back to her parents and I tried concentrating on my job but it was all too much, you know? And for what? 10 dollars an hour? I quit my job and tried working a midnight shift doing warehouse inventory at Target (manual labor no thinking required) but the pay really sucked and I could only get 25 hours a week. And it was the Christmas season too. So I quit that job, sold off most of my stuff, packed the rest in a few suitcases and took a flight across the atlantic to where my parents where staying. I kinda sat home and brooded a lot for a year then I started reading the want ads for a job, called up a few places, shaved, showered, put on some clean clothes and went for some interviews. Now I work as a copywriter for a small ad agency, getting a small but decent pay every month and I plan to build job cred for at least 2 years so I can move on and join a bigger firm for more cash and better work. The funny thing is, I still have to wire money to my ex-wife every now and then because of her debts and her job with a cellphone company in Mississippi only pays 12/hour (funny because in American money I barely make 400 dollars a month - a decent amount here but chicken feed in the US). Her family still won't help her out because she got 'tainted' by my marriage to her and they're punishing her for going against them.

Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble. What I really wanted to say was: I hear you and feel your pain. I don't have any advice to give but I've been where you've been and I know what it's like. I used to love America. I still have a deep and abiding fondness for the US. But it's become a country club for the rich and pampered with the rest of us begging for scraps at the dinner table. The promise was if I worked hard enough and made smart choices, I would be given a piece of the American dream. The American dream is, to put it frankly, bullshit.

I wish America well. I really do. Kerry has a lot of hard work ahead of him and I don't envy his position. But first he has to win the Presidency. America and the world can't take another 4 years of Bush. And I pray that in my lifetime and in my children's lifetime we never see an administration like this ever again.

And yeah, those debt collectrolls are a real pain in the ass. If karma doesn't get them in this world, I can only pray that there's an afterlife to deal with anyone who profits from human suffering.

Screw Osama Bin Laden. The only terrorist the world needs is Tyler Durden. He, in my opinion, had the right idea (re: erasing credit records albeit in an unstintingly violent manner). And the most famous terrorist of all is, of course, Jesus who broke the tables of the moneylenders at the temple. That was another guy with the right idea.

[liberalhistorian]

25. Wow, you've really been through a lot!

I hate to say it, but it sounds like you're better off without your wife and her family, especially since her brother actually reported you for suspected terrorist ties (and then they wonder why people still consider the South to be a racist hotbed!) I'm glad things have finally settled down for you.

I'm also a writer, but just try to find something around here. I've been trying to get free-lance stuff here and there, but no success so far. I did write and design the promotional flyer for the legal research/paralegal business my former boss and I are trying to start, so that's something at least. I didn't have to pay someone money I didn't have to do it for me.

[loftycity]

30. I hope it gets better for you Liberal Historian you deserve a big

brake from all the bullsh*t. I've been through the same and the situation is horrible. When you go through this kind of thing you wish you could just unplug and go underground and not have to deal with this creepy reality.It just burns me no end that the banks are paying 2% on loans and we are being harassed for the tacked on 20%.
Wages have not gone up enough for anyone to catch up and if you;re female and have had a divorce you are screwed. No money here for retirement and my neighbor who is 40 and has been a waitress, no retirement. Something has to give. There is no money left to put away and that is the real reality.
Take care..you're the best!

[liberalhistorian]

38. The problem is that the people

who are in the position to do something about it don't give a shit themselves, because they're well-set. It's like the health-care situation. The people who are in the best position to change things don't care or have no clue because they don't have to deal with it; they have the money for the best care and, if they're a senator or congressman, they have the best health insurance program in the world, paid for by the taxes of those who do NOT have that luxury.

[Derrow]

31. Legal Background + Writing Skills = You Could Try Advertising

In America, they used to hire people with 'life experience' to work in advertising but the trend these days is to get someone with a degree in English or Advertising who have the worldview of myopic dirtworm to write 'polished' copy to suit corporate tastes. By the same logic, Hunter S. Thompson wouldn't even be fit to write the index for a skin magazine and the great icons of the advertising world, David Ogilvy, wouldn't even be trusted by his own ad agency to make coffee today. That said, it's a great business to be in. The pay is quite generous, the work environment is casual and you usually get free sodas (I don't drink sodas so I get free bottles of juice instead, he he).

A few of my asian friends in the US, who landed some really good jobs, gave me a few tips that really helped.

(1) It's not what's on your resume, it's how you phrase it and how you place it. Instead of just writing PC-literate, you should list down the exact softwares you have used with a rating system beside it (Poor - used a couple of times, less than basic proficiency; Expert - Memorized the manual and/or have a certificate stating that you took a class in it). Simple but striking designs help. And always write a personal cover letter (call the office to find out the name of the HR Manager or the person in charge of hiring) outlining your strong points and how you would contribute to the company. It always helps to do a bit of research on the company and to casually sprinkle that information in your cover letter (e.g. check out the company's website, scan the news section, and relate one of your skills to something the company had done 'I see that you recently garnered Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. As you can see on my resume, I took an undergraduate course in pharmacology which allows me to write about the industry in a the capacity of an informed and effective advocate'). Use a lot of strong and positive words. Don't be afraid to suck up in your cover letter, but do so in a subtle and tasteful manner. Take control of the interview: ask questions, be informed and gush about how much you admire company X (with relevant fact-checked examples) and cite how your skills and experience correlate with the position (jingoistic references to your life's philosophy matching the company philosophy doesn't hurt either). Think of yourself as a product and pitch at the interview like you're selling yourself.

(2) Appearances, surprisingly, are the most important factor in securing a job. Especially in America, attractive people have an advantage when interviewed for a position. Simple things help like: cut and clean your nails before an interview. Yup, they notice. If you can afford a manicure, even better. Get a haircut or a trim. Ensure that your hairstyle flatters and accentuates your facial features. Talk confidently. Make sure you pay attention to enunciation. Wear business casual (grey or black), freshly laundered the day before. And always watch what shoes you wear. Interviewers for some odd reason like to judge people by their shoes. It doesn't have to be one of the high-end brands (it helps, but you can compensate) but make sure that it's polished and in good condition. Be confident and yet comfortable at the same time. If you can build rapport with the interviewer, you're in.

(3) Especially when trying to get a job in the ad business, be prepared to do a lot of cold calls. Buy local magazines related to the industry and popular newspapers and scan their want ads or run searches on the internet and get their mailing addresses and telephone number. Make up a 'press kit' to sell yourself (a resume no more than 2 pages long, usually double-sided, a cover letter, a gimmick of some sort - I got the help of a friend to design a flash animation that I scripted that told in gist my experiences, skills and why I should get the job, put it in an envelope and make sure you have the name of the HR manager or person in charge of hiring written on it, otherwise it'll get intercepted by the secretary or a flunky) and hand-deliver it so you can scout the place or if you mail it then make sure you mention in your cover letter that you'll call within a few days (be specific about the time and date) to check up on the response (examples being 'I am excited at this opportunity for us to speak further about how I and your company, with my skills in desktop publishing and experience in writing effective, pragmatic copy, can prove mutually beneficial to each other. I will call you at 11 am on Friday so we can discuss further how I can contribute to the growth of your company'). Be pushy yet polite. The rule of sales is out of 20 people you talk to, one person will be open to making a purchase. The same rule applies here. It might take you a hundred companies to get 5 callbacks but keep in mind it's a numbers game - eventually, the odds will favour you.

(4) If you can sign up for industry-specific qualifications, do so. An agency that does a lot of pharmaceutical ads will need someone with a medical background or at least someone who has taken enough classes on the subject to competently advocate it. Highlight every proficiency you have. If you're a good speaker, list it. If you're diplomatic, list that too. If you know how to write a company profile or a press release, make sure to add that. Everything is relevant. Someone with a legal background (like yourself) can do PR work, join the research department or write 'corporate' ads.

All I have to say is that it works. That's how I landed the $50 an hour job in NYC. I cold called a lot of offices, put out an ad in the classifieds and when I got a callback I went to the interview in a mid-end suit, a sharp haircut and polished patent leather shoes. Having an Oxford accent helped too, I guess. I had quoted $15 an hour but the person interviewing me misheard what I said and paid me $50 instead. It was a good gig while it lasted. If not for my wanderlust, I could have done that for at least a couple of years. There's a company in New Orleans (called the Tech Geeks or something like that) that does exactly what I did in NYC.

My main problem when it came to pitching myself to ad agencies were that I had only done print ads (but I had considerable writing experience, which was a plus). Oh, and make sure you have a portfolio of things you had written. Another gimmick I had was to place my portfolio in a leather-bound black book usually used by models to place headshots and photos. You get paid what they think you're worth. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, a steak served on a garbage can lid is exactly the same sort of steak served in a fancy restaurant on fine china. The only difference is that one is worth $40.

Sorry for rambling on again. I have a bad habit of pointdextering when it comes to something I'm interested in. Oh, and a good way to build a portfolio is to coldcall local businesses in your area and ask them if they have jobs you could do, like designing flyers, writing company profiles, e-media content writing (that's a fancy term for writing content for websites - you'd be surprised at how many websites are written by techies as opposed to actual writers), etc. I made a bit more than a thousand a month in just freelance copywriting, and this was in a hick town right smack in the middle of Mississippi. Another profitable outlet for writers is placing flyers in colleges and universities advertising your services. A lot of college students have access to credit cards. Open up a paypal account and have them pay you there. I charged $5 a page to edit and proofread essays and term papers. I personally won't write an entire paper for anyone although I have gotten offers of a quick $500 for twenty pages. (a) too much work and takes too long (b) unethical and they're in college for a reason.

And thank you for your kind words. I wish you the best of luck in your job search.

[liberalhistorian]

40. I'm considering contacting

some of the major law firms in the area and offering my free-lance advertising and public relations services. It would certainly be cheaper for them than having someone in-house. I'm well aware of just how much, unfortunately, appearance counts and spend quite a bit of time preparing before any interview. Also something for people to consider-some employers are now doing a google search on your name to see what comes up. So anything you've written under your name will come up, letters to the editor, columns, web logs, etc., etc.; if you've written something politically they don't like, you're out of luck!

Pure bullshit, isn't it? Used to be the prime consideration was your qualifications, experience, and how well you could do the job. Now you've got to worry about credit checks, medical records checks, driver's license checks, google searches on your name to see if you've written anything "suspect", etc., etc.

[NightTrain]

29. Aww, honey....

It's so goddamned frustrating for me to be 550 miles away from you and living from paycheck to paycheck. God, how I wish I could help you out during this difficult time! :hug::*

[liberalhistorian]

41. I know, hon, but it helps

just knowing I have your support emotionally.

[boobooday]

32. The BASTARDS

Oh honey, I sympathize, have been there, and still am not totally out of the woods. Let's put it this way: I screen my calls.

Give 'em hell. There is still no debtors prison in America. Yet.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[liberalhistorian]

42. YET being the operative word!

And the Wall Street Journal, of all papers, published a series of articles several months ago on how hospitals and doctors are now among the most aggressive collectors in the country and how some are even using "body attachments" (arresting people and throwing them in jail for unpaid medical bills, usually uninsured people who couldn't afford care in the first place but who had an emergency) against people. Imagine that, pretty soon it'll be illegal to be sick without any money!

[boobooday]

54. I saw that.

God, it's like we're living in some kind of a Dickens nightmare, only with cell phones.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[sendero]

33. Are you under any obligation...

.. to talk to these people at all? I would simply not answer any call that might be them.

[nini]

34. tell them you'll have to file bankrupcty then

they HATE that and would rather take ten bucks a month than nothing.

and tell them you're going to be recording your phone conversations.

I always wonder what kind of person can do that job and be so freaking nasty. Seems they'd get better results by really trying to help people out. Both sides then win...

[patrick g]

35. here's my .02

i feel so very much for you. it sounds you've no manner of luck at all. my sympathy will do nothing to better your situation, however, i offer it anyway. i've been in the same boat before. still stuck in it actually. one thing is for sure. the poor get poorer. that's just a fact . . ..

[Renew Deal]

36. Cancel your arangement with them.

Call your bank and have them change your account number immediatly if you have to. Pay it directly to whoever you owe it to if you can. Don't let them get credit for collecting. You will cost them money if they don't collect. That's what I would do. You can probably make arrangements with the original lender and bypass these morans.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

37. One of those fucktards called me a couple weeks ago...

She said, do you remember our conversation last week about you being 900 bucks over your limit on your credit card and you need to pay that. My mom has been paying 20 bucks over the minimum balance for a couple semesters for me for a while. I was like, well, what I'm sending you is what I can send you. That's what I told you last week. Then she goes on to say that it's not going down much, and I was like, did you just hear me? She asked if I had a job, I said I'm a full time student. She said, maybe you should get a job. I'm like no shit sherlock. If you can find a job in Weatherford Oklahoma, good luck, because it's hard as hell with 5000 other students and a limited number of jobs in that place. So she starts in again. And I'm like lady, look, have you been listening to me? There is no more money I can send. I said I don't want to be rude, but are you listening to me? THERE IS NO MORE MONEY TO SEND. And she finally said well, if that's all you can send. Thank you for your time.

God, I swear they go looking in the developmentally delayed bin to get employees for these places. They're dumb shits, and they don't listen to anything. They all should just die.
Duckie

[liberalhistorian]

43. I know, what gets me is that

creditors don't seem to understand that when you're out of work and have no money and can't pay your fucking bills, that that means you CAN'T PAY YOUR FUCKING BILLS! I don't understand why that's so hard for them to understand. If you don't have any money, you don't have any money; what do they expect, that you'll just start magically pulling money out of your ass? They also think their bill is the most important one of all, when you may have little things like rent, food, clothes for the kids, etc., to pay.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

50. I sometimes think they don't act in THEIR OWN best economic self-interest

All this time and energy for the sole purpose of being rude and nasty and making other people suffer. Maybe THIS is the ultimate goal for them, with money being only a distant second. One thing is having ZERO empathy for other people -- thinking only of yourself. Then there's NEGATIVE empathy -- you'll PAY to see other people get fucked, and jerk off on that. That's where the John Wayne Gacys of this world come from.

I wonder if anybody ever made a statistical study of confirmed sociopaths' and psycopaths' job histories, I'll bet the occurence of collection jobs is higher than in the general population.

[liberalhistorian]

52. LOL!

That's certainly an interesting thought. Although, I think a lot of collectrolls are simply motivated by money since they can make a lot of it; most get a base salary plus commission on every debt they collect.

And it doesn't make any economic sense, frankly, to spend all that time and money and, if necessary, legal fees to collect smaller amounts like that.

[HEyHEY]

39. For $350 dollars.....just tell them you refuse to pay

They'll never call again.

[liberalhistorian]

44. Unfortunately, that isn't true,

at least not in this country. Creditors and collectrolls usually do NOT give up, they just keep on harassing you.

[HEyHEY]

45. Really?

Cause a couple years ago, I had a problem with a university trying to collect money for a semester that never took place. I went through all this shit the troll said I had to to prove to them the matter was going to court. Then I phoned up the place and spoke to the manager - he said that it didn't matter because the day I told them I was in fact counter-suing the school - they just mark down refuse to pay and I am taken off their list..it is then up to the University to take me to court...to bad I was already taking them to court as part of a class action suit with the student union.

Anyway, in our conversation this manager let me know all the true angles.

[liberalhistorian]

46. Yes, but nowadays, most creditors are so aggressive

that they instruct their collectrolls to take you to court even for smaller bills. Refusing to pay and telling them just to put it on your credit doesn't seem to work anymore like it used to.

[Beaker]

47. not true- at least not in the U.S.

as a former collector, I can assure you that for bills under $500 especially, if you ignore them, they WILL go away.

true- it will most likely end up affecting your credit rating, if that's important to you- but that can be repaired over time.

[liberalhistorian]

48. I agree that

that USED to be true, but it isn't anymore in a lot of cases.

I have a hospital debt for $460, the amount my insurance wouldn't pay, from a trip to the emergency room last March, over a year ago, for pneumonia (they charged over two grand for a three-hour "visit", my insurance paid $1700). I've been arguing with the insurance company for over a year that they should have covered it, meanwhile the damned hospital is up my ass for the amount. I'd dealt with their horrendously ruthless collection agency before for other bills, remainders of what insurance didn't cover, and ended up paying over half a paycheck to take care of their fucking bills. Well, I'd had enough this time and told their agency that. But the fucking hospital just will not let it go, now they have a lawyer on my ass for it who's threatening to garnish wages, put liens on real estate, etc., etc. Never mind that I don't have any wages to garnish right now and that I own no real estate or other assets.

I know many other people with similar smaller bills, and they're getting harassed just as much as if it the debts were larger and the collectrolls simply are not giving up anymore if the debt is under $500. Unless it's a business, of course, and not a person without money, then they'll go out of their way to leave the business alone.

Also, this debt was for $350 and was from last year, and I assure you they are most definitely not leaving it alone. I don't know whether it's because businesses themselves are also tight financially or what, but I've noticed increasing aggressiveness on the part of many creditors and agencies, even when they know the person has no money and no assets.

[Beaker]

55. if you have no wages, real estate or assets...

why do anything but laugh at a lawyer who makes those threats?

you definitely shouldn't let it get to you.

[liberalhistorian]

57. Because just my luck, the fuckers would

find a way to attach what little remains of my checking and savings accounts and drain them of everything. I just don't trust them.

[loftycity]

68. Zip banking-advise from accountant

Deposit, withdrawal immediately. Do not ever let your money sit there like a sitting duck. Just keep the minimum in there. Get money orders and some cash.

[liberalhistorian]

74. How would that work, though,

I have checks I need to write and there are several payments taken directly out of my account each month (car payment, etc.). I hardly have any savings left, though, so at least I don't have to worry about them trying to take that. Sheesh, 39 years old and no job, only $1,500 in the 401(k), an investment account worth only $600, and very little savings left after having to make a down payment for my hearing aids and my car.

That's why I'm trying to teach my son to save everything he can NOW and to KEEP saving it, even if it's just a few bucks here and there because that really adds up. If I had done that, I'd have tens of thousands right now and it makes me sick to think of the fact that I didn't. Time just seemed to sneak up on me, and before I knew it I'm 39 with little to show for it.

[Beaker]

70. 3rd party collectors generally have a lot of restrictions -

on what they can do to collect a debt.
most of them will certainly talk tough, but usually won't do anything too substantive to collect small debts, especially if the debtor has no job or assets.
obviously, things like car loans- you will get repo'ed, don't pay rent- you'll get evicted...don't pay utilities, they get shut off...

[Derrow]

69. Second Home Program

When I lived in America, I was shocked by the insane amount charged by hospitals. And the fact that I paid $300 for health insurance with my employer's HMO plan only to be told that I wasn't covered for a lot of treatments (a broken leg, for example, is a non-emergency procedure so I couldn't get compensated for going to the emergency room and I had to submit a request to my HMO to get their approval before persuing treatment otherwise I was up shit's creek).

I'll tell you what a lot of people are doing, though, especially Brits. For surgery or other potentially expensive medical treatment, they just take a 'medical holiday' in Asia. Our private hospitals are dirt cheap, they're manned by doctors who've worked in the US and Europe, plenty of beds, first-class service and cheap living costs. The two countries I know that offer medical holidays are Malaysia and Singapore. Malaysian currency is pegged to the US Dollar by 1 USD: 3.8 Malaysian Ringgit and the average cost of major surgery here is about RM40,000. I know a lot of British health insurance will cover the cost of a medical holiday but you have to check with your HMO in the US to find out if you're covered. On the plus side, though, if you contact most private hospitals here (they're listed on the internet and easy to google) they'll actually take care of the whole procedure for you for free. Oh, and to see a doctor here in Malaysia if you go to a government hospital (the wait time is the same as a standard private hospital in the US - a couple of hours and people here bitch about that all the time - in a private hospital, the wait time is less than 15 minutes) is 0.25 cents. Medicine is subsidized too. Dental procedures at a government clinic costs the same. The ratio between doctor and patient in a public hospital is 1 doctor: 500 patients. They're trying to privatize the entire healthcare system here but it won't happen in my lifetime. Air fares to Malaysia are pretty cheap (summer specials with major airlines run to about USD500 economy class return trip). Even going to Canada or Cuba would prove cheaper in the long run should you have to undergo any sort of costly medical procedure. I'm not sure about the medical services offered in Thailand or the Phillipines but I do know that the currency exchange between Thai Baht and US Dollar is something like 1 USD: 40.540 Baht. The cost of living in Thailand is really cheap too. I had a steak dinner with all the trimmings at a 5 star hotel and paid the equivalent of USD10. I don't think even Waffle House charges that little.

A lot of Asian countries are also trying to attract retirees from the US and Europe to make Asia their second home. Heck, I even know one couple from Wisconsin who are in their late 50s who have a house on a private island off the coast of Malaysia. It's usually leasehold so you own the rights to property for about 99 years. Costed them less than USD10,000.

There are a number of US retirees who live in the Philippines and Thailand because of the exchange rate. For USD1000 a month, you could live pretty lavishly (chauffer, domestic maid, gardener, two-storey bunggalow house, large garden etc). The tropical climate takes some getting use to (but most public areas are air-conditioned and there are things like underground malls) and the political climate is OKish (they usually leave Americans and Brits alone - we're more fond of downtrodding our own people). You could say and do whatever you want in Thailand, for example, short of insulting the royal family. The crime rate is surprisingly low (the police force are fond of using excessive force against criminals - but we have a human rights commission looking into that and they don't bother western foreigners). So if you're retired, making about $1000 a month and don't want to move to Mississippi (low rent, low living costs but, uhm, you figure it out on your own) try the second home program. We have private American schools and they're 80% cheaper than the private schools in the US.

Like I said before, the US has turned into a private country club where only 10% of the people are members. I know it sucks to even consider having to live outside your homeland due to economic necessity but I guess you got to do what you got to do.

Best of luck.

On Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention that we don't use credit ratings here in Malaysia. So Bankruptcies and whatnot won't show up. How do we determine credit? We check how much you have in the bank, how much you make a month and how much you have in your retirement fund (Social Security checks count). Oil is dirt cheap here too but that's no excuse to not use environmentally-friendly vehicles. :)

[question everything]

49. Try finding CCC

or through your university extension a program that assists people with financial problems.

Many years ago I was a volunteer through such a program and if we called the creditors they would listen to us.

As for child support, again, see if there is legal aid that can assist you, that can send a very official letter to your ex.

If you can, leave the 401K alone. If it is like an IRA, if you are taking money out of it you may have to pay penalty for early withdrawl... not sure. Being unemployed may be an exemption.

See what kind of social services are available in your area. These people should have the experience and the contacts to assist the unemployed who are often too exhausted to stand up for their rights.

Good luck!

[liberalhistorian]

51. Thanks for the suggestions,

what's weird is that, as a paralegal, I've often suggested the same thing to people. And you're right, it's beyond exhausting, both emotionally and physically, to constantly deal with these things.

I really will try to leave the 401(k) alone, since there is, indeed, a penalty for early withdrawal and also I'm nearly forty years old and it's the only pension I have right now besides social security (and we all know what may happen with that)! If I don't find a job soon, though, I may not have a choice. Unemployment just isn't enough, though I'm grateful for it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

58. How I stopped the collectrolls

About five years ago, I got into deep water financially because I suddenly lost a major customer that had been providing 60% of my income. (Lesson1: Have as many customers as possible.)

Anyway, the debts that I had been carrying first as a fulltime professor and later as a translator with a very generous client suddenly became insupportable.

The collectrolls started calling. I was a nervous wreck.

I went to Consumer Credit Counseling, they looked at my situation (which included a lot of unpaid federal and state income taxes, from which there is no escape) and concluded that in my case, bankruptcy was the only option.

So I went to a bankruptcy lawyer, and he agreed to take my case. However, and here's the ironic catch--it costs $900 to file for bankruptcy, including lawyer's and court fees, and he would not proceed until I gave him the money. This was to prevent his fees from being dischargeable debts.

So I had to wait several months until I had $900 saved up (which didn't begin to cover my debts, by the way. They were 76% of my now reduced annual income. Lesson 2: Avoid credit as much as possible.)

However, in the meantime, my attorney agreed to handle all collectrolls for me. All I had to do was pay him a token amount, and I became able to say to the collectrolls, "Take that up with my attorney." The calls tapered off dramatically after that.

Since you're on good terms with your former employer, it might be worth a try.

Damn, I don't know what's become of this country. We're reverting to the worst attitudes of the Victorian era, with everyone acting as if the poor are simply lazy.

I hope you can find a solution before you're totally frazzled. :hug:

[liberalhistorian]

59. Thanks, and I think we are,

unfortunately, in a latter-day Victorian mode of thinking, with the criminalization of the poor. Will Pitt is right, in so many different ways, WE NEVER LEARN (he made that point at his speech at this year's May 4 commemoration at Kent State).

[NightTrain]

66. I filed for bankruptcy in 1996.

And while it did get me out of debt, it destroyed my credit rating in the process. And that bankruptcy won't disappear from my credit history for another three years, so I can forget about applying for loans or low-interest credit cards until then. Just something to think about before you decide to file for bankruptcy.

[liberalhistorian]

71. There are several reasons why I'm not going

to file bankruptcy. First, things aren't quite that bad yet. If I still don't have a job in another month that'll be a different story, but hopefully that won't happen. Second, I got a good used car through JDByrider last November, it's a national chain that gives car loans to people with bad or no credit; one of the stipulations is that the loan cannot be discharged in a bankruptcy and they don't even want you filing in the first place, and I desperately need the car anyway.

Third, my former boss and current business partner (although we don't yet have any clients, hopefully that'll change) co-signed for the loan for my new hearing aids last year, (after my ten-year-old hearing aids finally went kaput), which I absolutely have to have in order to function in the work world and anywhere else, for that matter, and I don't want him saddled with the remainder of the loan, especially since I signed a promissory note promising to fulfill the terms and conditions of the loan since he was the co-signer.

And, as a paralegal, I'm familiar with bankruptcy law and the process, and I don't want a bankruptcy trustee to take what little is in my checking and savings accounts, my small investment account I received as a Christmas present a few years ago (currently worth about $600) and my 401(k), to pay off what he could, which is what would happen. And a bankruptcy leaves a horrendous mark on your credit, worse than anything else, almost.

[Kat45]

60. My friend's wife used to work for a collection agency.

She's not a nasty person, so I don't know how she did it. I do know that she really hated her job, but I guess it was the only job she could get that paid well. She was so happy when she was finally able to quit the job. She also told me that all the workers used fake names, because sometimes a person they had been calling would want to come after them. Occasionally one would find the agency, show up and get violent.

As far as medical bills are concerned, I believe part of the reason for tougher collections on them is that many hospitals are hurting financially these days, especially the ones who are required to treat everybody, including those without insurance. I worked at a hospital, and they expected each department to pay for itself, to make money. They made everyone buy recycled ink cartridges for the printer because they were cheaper. You had to make sure you didn't waste paper when using the copier. All kinds of petty shit. Hospitals are also hurting because of all the crap HMOs pull on them.

Before anyone flames me, I want to let you know that I'm not making excuses for these folks, I'm just trying to shed some light on reasons for their behavior. I think the actions of collection agents are abhorrent; I've dealt with them myself. I have no idea why these people don't seem to understand that when someone is out of work and has no money, they have no money. Period.

Hang in their, liberalhistorian. You've been down for so long, things have to change soon. Folks here have been giving you some good suggestions, and I hope you're able to tell us real soon that you've landed a decent job.

[liberalhistorian]

61. They don't understand because they

don't CARE, they don't give a shit, it's just that simple. All they care about is getting that commission from the debt they're trying to squeeze from you. That's why they try to get away with saying and doing things that are violations of the Fair Debt Collection Act, and that's why they're so persistent and intimidating.

And as far as hospitals are concerned, maybe if they didn't pay their fancy CEO's and top executives (who don't do all that much, frankly) those megabucks salaries, and maybe if they didn't have megabucks advertising campaigns, they wouldn't have a problem. And the fact that they charge the ininsured more than twice as much as the insured for the same service, and the ininsured are the very people who can least afford it, and the fact that a nationwide business management consultant has called the uninsured a "cash cow" because of that, and because they can take the person's house or any other asset they may have, doesn't exactly endear me to them, either. And the fact that they so aggressively go after those who can least afford it, especially when they don't owe all that much to begin with, makes me ill, frankly.

[Kat45]

62. Is that true?

They can take a person's house, for unpaid medical bills? That's fucked! I didn't know that. What we need is universal health care, single-payer insurance. Health care is a basic human right (in my opinion), not a profit-making entity. I've been arguing for that since before HMOs existed.

[liberalhistorian]

72. Yes, that's why at least half of bankruptcies

are filed due to medical bills that simply cannot be paid (usually due to a serious, chronic, or terminal illness of a family member), and people are desperate to protect their house, usually the only real asset they have, from the goddamn hospital/doctor debt collectrolls and in-house attorneys who don't think twice about filing liens against a house, then filing a foreclosure to collect the lien.

As a paralegal, I've seen that happen first-hand and I've actually told people to file bankruptcy to be able to keep their house. And these are usually hard-working, responsible people who've had the misfortune of either being ill themselves or having a child or spouse becoming seriously ill and, even if they have insurance, being unable to afford the tens of thousands of dollars required for treatment.

[bobbieinok]

63. maybe someone here knows - is calling ClarkHoward helpful???

I listen to his radio show now and then; he seems to have some good ideas and want to work with people to solve their problems.

[thebaghwan]

64. Have you tried the old "accord and satisfaction" move?

n/t

[theoceansnerves]

65. do you intend to repay it soon..?

because if you can't afford it, then it's in your best interest to break off all actions on that account, to let the statute of limitations begin it's process. even sending them $1 resets the time. write them a letter stating all further correspondance must be in writing (you can find the correct wording in many places on the net), and they legally cannot call you on the phone anymore, and if they do, make sure you log it because that is a serious vioation of the fair debt collection act. seriously, at least do that, there's no reason to have to put up with their shit.

[liberalhistorian]

73. What I'm going to do is this:

I'm going to request written verification of the debt, because, according to my records, it shouldn't be that much and I should have done that in the first place instead of being blindsided on the phone by that fucking collectroll, who rushed through the arrangement and said that "this is what you have to do to avoid further collection action", which I should have known at the time, being a paralegal well-versed in this shit, was bullshit.

And in that written request I'm going to include a demand that they IMMEDIATELY cease contacting me by phone or else, and I'm going to let them know that I know the Fair Debt Collection Act by heart and that, should they fail to comply and continue to harass me by phone, I will not hesitate to report them.

And then I'm going to include a check for ten bucks, telling them that that is what they're going to receive each month once the debt is verified, and if they don't like it they can kiss my sweet Irish-English-Scottish-French-German ass!!!

[Iris]

67. check out consumer advocate Clark Howard's website

I believe it is clarkhoward.com

He has a radio program on here in Atlanta and is a wonderful consumer advocate. We used to listen to him all the time at one of my jobs a few years ago.

I don't think collectors have the right to talk to you that way and there are things you can do about it. Check out his website, it's kind of hard to navigate, but there's tons of information, especially about dealing with creditors and getting out of debt.