Boa gets on her soap box

Posted by Boadicea (66.149.179.202) on August 06, 2004 at 21:38:40:

In Reply to: The sad thing is this posted by Rommel on August 06, 2004 at 13:20:32:

There are *many* people out there who are in complete despair, and not just solely through any fault of their own. Those who are simply having a good time at someone else's expense, and are trying to avoid paying their debts, don't feel that despair because they have no remorse.

But ALL are *guilty* until proven innocent in the CA world. They can reach out from the dark, try you and find you guilty without you even knowing what you are accused of, and then summarily punish you more harshly than any court system in the land. Few of us can believe what they are capable of before it happens. Many lives are ruined for no good reason, because most of us would gladly pay a debt that ISN'T EVEN OURS if only given the chance. But none are ever given the chance.

And it's not *just* the CA's who contribute to the ruining of lives. It's the OC's as well, who think nothing of closing an account or accelerating an account in good standing (with exemplary payment history) simply because *something* showed up on that person's credit report. Do they give you the opportunity to prove that the information on the CR is incorrect?

HELL NO!

I was given ten days to send $4000 to a creditor to keep it from closing an account in excellent standing, because some of my ex's accounts IIB were suddenly reporting on my CR. Did I know about the Bk? Nope. Did the creditor TELL me that was why they were accelerating the payments? Nope....just mentioned adverse information on my CR. Would they listen to me at all when I said it had to be erroneous? Of course not. Ten days later, my credit limit is reduced to $4000 BELOW my balance. And since I didn't have $4000 to pay in ten days, I was now in default on a CLOSED account. That created a domino effect with other creditors who also took note of the escalating "adverse information" and took pro-active measures to insure I didn't have any credit left.

So in a matter of a few months, I went from a spotless platinum-level credit rating built over a 14-year history...to that of one of the hunted. Was it my fault? YES. Because like most Americans, I had over-extended my credit and had LITTLE or NO savings to tide me over while I battled the CRA's and my ex's creditors. I never expected such an event to happen and wasn't prepared, just as few of us are.

But I *know* now that I am not the only one who has been waylaid by unforeseen circumstances and poor personal choices. Hindsight is always 20/20. I have learned a lot from my experiences and am doing everything I can think of to prevent it from ever happening again. But I do know that despair, and I cannot turn my back on those who feel it. Thank goodness I have run into those who feel the same way and reached out when I needed it. Can I do any less?

Yes, it is sad. But perhaps --- some day soon ---we can look back on this time as a darker, less-enlightened one, where not everyone was aware of their rights, and the protection those rights afforded were not enforced consistently.

Change starts with only a few.

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