Geneva Roth is Taking Me to Arbitration

Wow, I am so sorry to hear about this. I had no idea these places would have the guts to try this if they weren't licensed. I say, hang tight and see what Langhorne has to say in the morning. Have they been accepting payments from Langhorne? (I'm not sure how Langhorne works.) I wish I had some better advice for you but try not to worry all night.

I know that Langhorne has been trying to work something out for me with them. I had 5 PDL's originally and two of them are taken care of, with a pending settlement in the works. I really need to talk to Dennis Williams about this in the morning--as they are giving me thirty days to respond.

I am sure that Dennis will call them up and take care of it. They are just trying to be difficult. I didn't have a loan with them but they sound like a hard company to work with. I still can't believe they are doing this to you! :( Congrats in the nearly 3 pdl's down by the way. Let us know what Dennis says and how things go.

Thanks, Sass. It's not been a great day...didn't need this!!

You are welcome. I have not had a good day or week either so I can relate. That's why I'm sitting on here after midnight when I should be sleeping. Try to relax and have a good night. Things will look brighter in the morning. :)

You too. And guess what, debt sucks!!

Thanks...yeah it does. I wish that I had been smarter throughout life and never accumulated any....then when I did, I filed bankruptcy and did I learn from my mistakes? Nope...I got 4 cc's thinking I could manage them......poor us huh :(

I am sorry this happened. I would call your state and ask them about if they can do this or not. It just doesn't seem right. But yes I would call Dennis and talk to him also. But isn't CA cracking down on things like this? I would let them know. I will keep you in my prayers that this all turns out ok for you.

I would think that they are blowing smoke up your you know what because if they are not liscensed in your state how can they take you to arbitration? Perhaps they are just trying to scare you into paying them? I would also recommend contacting your AG office to see what they can and cannot do! good luck

These are the same bloodsuckers that refused in writing to stop ACH withdrawals when my account became overdrawn do to my direct deposit suddenly becoming interrupted. They are still hitting my account months later. What exactly are "arbitration papers"? Is this what I have to look forward to even though they are breaking the law? They are not licensed in my state either. We also are a no wage garnishment state.

From what I can see, Arbitration papers are alot like a court case--except we're not going to a court. They're asking for $1430 off a $300 pdl. It's going to be interesting, but I am definately giving Dennis a call today.

Ks-I read somewhere where these places send these kinds of papers that look official but they are not...I am trying to find it agan but that was months ago...If i can find it i will send you the link!

kscornell,it is unlikely they even have a leg to stand on. What your attorney is going to do is file a motion contesting arbitration and counterclaims for lacking the standing to even do arbitration(not licensed)in your state. He will probably do this in Federal court if they don't fold after a phone call. This brings up my old contract theory.When a contract violates laws of the state,it is almost always declared null & void by the court of jurisdiction.

I just called Langhorne and I am going to fax over the paperwork when I get to work in a little bit. Thanks so much for everyone's support. You guys are THE BEST!!

Hi all,

I reported GR to my state authorities and received a copy of their response this afternoon. Below is a portion of the text:

"It is Geneva-Roth's belief that it is not engaging in the business of payday lending in Virginia, nor has it taken any action that would submit itself to the jurisdiction of the State of Virginia. In light of that, Geneva-Roth is not subject to Section 6.1-445 of the Virginia Code."

The Bureau of Financial Institutions says that they are unable to assist me any further, but the consumer finance section will review the issue of licensure in VA.

Not sure what to do now... T&C has this account so I guess I'll be paying off my balance. I hope that Langhorne is able to work with them for you guys.

GRRRR.... at least this has renewed my interested in getting out of debt! I've been really tempted to start spending again, which is crazy because I'm not out of the woods by any means.

I thought Virginia was a more crack down state. Have you filed a complaint with your attorney general's office yet?

I used the complaint form from the PaydayLoanInfo website: http://www.paydayloaninfo.org/state_detail.cfm?id=VA

Everything on Virginia's government websites says to go through the Bureau of Financial Institutions,
which is what I have done.

I know that the brick-and-morter PDL companies have to be licensed but maybe there is a loophole here for the Internet PDL's. I think WVA has cracked down much harder on payday loans with the recent class action suits and investigations there.

We used to have an attorney from Virginia post on the forums a long time ago. He was pretty knowledgeable about these things. I'm going to see if I can find some of his old posts. Maybe that can help you.

If you have any questions about PDL's in WVA, I would suggest PM'ing Kyside. She was a big factor in the suits that were filed in that state and can get you up to speed.

Sounds like the Virginia authorities are picking and choosing their battles. All that money the pdl's poured into lobbying earlier this year when the VA legislature was looking at pdl reform must have paid off.

Well if they won't fight this battle, that's no reason you can't do it yourself. Go down to ther local small claims court and sue GR for everything you overpaid. A judge might just see things differently than the AG's office. And if nothing else, Geneva will have to make a business decision. Write off your loan, or spend thousands of dollars on a local attorney to fight off your lawsuit.

BTW - Don't worry about the arbitration section of your contract. That's actually the point of bringing the lawsuit. They either have to spend a fortune on an attorney to try to enforce it, or give up. If a hundred different people in a bunch of states did that at once . . .

Please keep us informed about this one. I have a personal war with them and really would like to see how this unravels.

kscornell, what happened on the outcome? Did you come up with some payment plan or did you fight them??

I settled with them for $150 (thanks, Langhorne!!) and sent payment out on June 30th via money order. One kicked to the curb!!!!!

Wow, that is awesome and a relief! How long was it from the time you defaulted when you were served with the papers? I am just getting ready for a fight because they have until the 19th of July to respond to the BBB. Is this Langhorne debt solutions to which you're referring or Langhorne Law office??