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My Collect America story (LONG!)


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Posted by glitter_girl (12.211.14.118) on November 18, 2003 at 02:04:56:

In Reply to: Collect America posted by jlypntn on November 17, 2003 at 23:09:29:

I have also been dealing with Collect America.

I NEVER got a letter from them - if I did I must have thrown it out without opening it since "colelct America" sounds like a 10-10-220, 1-800-collect phone typ deal and I probably thought it was junk mail... ANYWAYS.... When I could the OC to try to make a settlement I got referred to BRONSON & MIGLIACCIO - lawyers for Collect AMerica. Freaked (as most do when they hear the account is with a "lawyer") and called B&M to strike a deal. THe guy said they were about to go to court, he had the papers written up and they were planning on filing the end of that week.... I was in tears and made the only deal they would give me - $1000 up front, $350 a month. I couldn't afford it but I had to - didn't want to go to court. NOW I know I shouldn't have even called, but like most people I wanted to pay what I thought I owed and didn't want to have to go to court over it. I paid the $1000, and the $350 several months, then paid $100 then missed a few months when I had surgery and couldn't go to work for a while. I got calls every week, detailed messages, threats of lawsuit etc etc, paid another $100 to buy some time till I could go back to work. Worked graveyard, told them no calls before 2pm since i had to sleep at some point during the day... Got calls ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK at least once a week (8am!!!!!) - usually two or three days BEFORE a payment was even due!!! sometimes three calls in a row around 10-11am (once I did finally get to bed). Then I stopped paying and stopped answering or calling back - the calls eventually stopped.

August they called again and gave me "one last chance to settle" for $2700 (I only owed $2200 at that point according to Collect America's TL on CR's) said we will go to court if we do not get money now. I said "no." I had just settled another account through my settlement program and had no extra. Lawyer guy said "I have to talk to my litigator" and came back offering a $1500 deal with 2 payments starting end of month. I said sure as long as I get it in writing first. He then tried to get me to do check by phone I said hell no - I knew their history for takign payments without authorizationa nd I was not going to let them try to take ALL the money they said I owed instead of just the settlement amount. He was "worried" for me that I wouldn't be able to get it to them on time and would lose out on this great deal unless I did check by phone. I said - you send me a written offer I will western union it to you on time...

Never received anything. I have never gotten a notification of debt, statements, payment arrangement notice, past due notice, settlement offer - NOTHING in writing. I had to search the internet for their address since they would not give it to me - when I did call to get it they asked for my SS# and pulled a hard inquiry on me, said the address so fast I missed the numbers then HUNG UP ON ME when I asked them to repeat it!!!! Sent the lawyer two validation requests got nothing. Then sent one directly to Collect America and disputed with CRA's. It was deleted from TU, and no word yet on EQ...

three months after my original request for validation and the accounts were never listed as indispute, and now CHASE is claiming on EQ that I owe them the full charge off balance...

DO not let Collect AMerica or their sleazy lawyers take you - file complaints to every one who should be listening, ask for validation from Collect America (NOT THE LAWYER) and then dispute it with CRA's. That should get rid of it for you. These people are frauds, I lost over $3000 to them - don't let them do it to you to!

They have not and cannot validate this account. I doubt they can on yours either. As long as the EQ listing is deleted I am going to assume they have dropped it - any further collection actions from them will result in COLLECT AMERICA and BRONSON & MIGLIACCIO being named in a lawsuit for numerous violations and I will try to get every penny of the $3000 I paid them BACK.


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