Is there anything we can do, or are we screwed?

We live in Louisiana. My husband (without my knowledge) took out 2 different internet payday loans in September, each one for $400.* The lending companies are "One Click Cash" and "United Cash Loans". Each month, each company takes out $120. I was hoping that this coming payment, the fourth for each, would be the LAST payment, as we would have paid $480 back on each. GUESS I WAS BEING REALLY NAIVE...NOW I SEE WHAT A HUGE RIPOFF THESE COMPANIES ARE!!! They are telling us now that, after the January payment, we'll STILL owe them each $400 MORE.

Please HELP!!! Is there ANYTHING we can do?? Or do we just take this as a VERY expensive "lesson learned"??

*Actually, he didn't take out 2 loans...one of the companies DENIED the loan, but then gave him the money ANYWAY. I see now that this is another tactic of these rip-off companies!

You are stuck at this point in the game. You can close that account and attempt to make arraignments, but that is a gamble. Payday loans are terrible and you are caught in their trap. I would close my bank account and fight them that way....Good Luck

ok, actually i do not think you are screwed.. these loans are both illegeal? there is a sticky here about dealing with illegal lenders. secure your account asap (there is a sticky about that, too). a hard block (debit only) will work but the account has to be closed, it is the only safe way. (make sure any ach will not push the closed account back open, too).
it is not a gamble to close the account, it is the only way. if you still can, i would reverse the loan you did not ask for before closing the account.
someone will be along with your state law information because the first thing we need to do is see if these were even legal in the first place.

I don't know about One click cash, but isn't United Cash Loans illegal just about everywhere?

Oneclickcash and Unitedcashloans are the same people....and they are big time illegal and big time pains to deal with.

i thought that but i did not want to say anything in case i was wrong..
yea you are totally not screwed.. correct me if i am wrong but you paid $480 on a $400 loan? if that is the case than they owe you $80!

First of all, I REALLY do not want to close our bank account. Is there any way to demand that withdrawals stop after this 4th payment is taken out WITHOUT closing the bank account? (By then, we would've paid $480 on each $400 loan.)

Second, to "bea21s"...I don't really understand your last comment...why would anybody lend you money if all they expected to get back was what they lent you in the first place? (Except maybe if it's your parents, or best friend, of course!) So, I feel that it's reasonable to pay SOME interest...a business has to make a profit, after all.

They are not legal, therefore, they should not have lent the money to you. they lent you money against the law. So you only owe them what you borrowed.

The ONLY way to get out from under this is to close your checking account. Sorry, but this is the only way. You can keep it open until your other checks clear but you need to put a block against all debits. If you keep your account open, some time down the road they will debit your account again to recoup their money. This is the way they do business, and they won't care if they strip your account and leave you penniless.

What aubrey said is correct, they are not legal so honestly it does not matter what they want.. they never should have lent this money out. i mean, you can feel free to pay them if you want but do not feel sorry for them.. once you default, you will see their true colors. they are not a legit buisness and we always advocate just paying the principal amount borrowed for illegal lenders. so i stand by my claim that they owe you money.
also i am really sorry but the only way to protect yourself is to close your account. they will drain you comepletely. they do not care about your other bills and will not go away as long as that account is open.

So, please forgive my ignorance, but...are you saying that these companies are NOT LEGAL, anytime, anywhere?

If this is true, how can they continue to get away with this???

Again, excuse my dumbness. This is the first time I've had to deal with such a scam.

they are getting away with it cause no one has put them in their place yet. This is why we need to complain to anyone and everyone. Some day someone is going to notice and hopefully soon.

you are not dumb at all we have all been here, that is why we want to help you.
they get away with usually because they are either outside of the country or nobody shut them down. we do recommend filing complaints but i think it goes deeper than that.. the officials are very well aware of these lenders but often turn their head on them, who knows.
not all payday loans are illegal.. it depends on your state's laws and the actual company. I am not familiar with your state but it seems as though this company is illegal everywhere.

Okay, so now you all have convinced me that we need to shut down the bank account. After reading so many horror stories in this forum, I see that this would be the wisest thing to do.

We're leaning towards, once the bank acct is closed, paying the balance off (by money order?? What is the best way to do this?) on the United Cash Loans, because the husband DID "sign" an agreement with them, even though he didn't really understand their terms. We have now paid them $480, on a loan of $400, and they're saying the balance owed is still $400 more.

However, on the One Click Cash, since they initially REFUSED his loan application, but then gave him the $$$ anyway, we figure we should be able to tell them we're DONE paying them, since they illegally gave him the money. (This will be after we've paid $480 on a $400, "declined" loan.)

Any further advice?

M currently dealing with the 2 same companies and they sent me a wonderful email asking me to login and pay the account by checking info or credit card. The wont supply me with a mailing address. U can send them a email letter once ur bank account is closed to customerservice@unitedcashloans.com and customerservice@oneclickcash.com. But please file ur reports with bbb, attorney generals office, ftc and department of corporations. Do this asap.

i still say do not pay the balance.. you overpaid them by $80. what your husband signed is not a legal document, they were are not allowed to lend to you. you are morally responsible to pay what you borrowed but you have already done this.. they really owe you $80. people on these boards have gotten refunds in the same situation you are in. please do not feel sorry for them, they need to be shut down for doing illegal business.

bea21s...I do not "feel sorry" for these companies, however, I do sorta feel "morally responsible", but only to the one where my hubby electronically signed the agreement.

Tell me...if what he signed is "not a legal document", how is it that they can report people to credit bureaus and successfully (sometimes) prosecute ppl for not paying them?

I'm not trying to be difficult, just trying to understand. All this is just SO complicated!!

Thanks so much for your time and effort!