I am not understanding these forums...

Why thank you for telling me how to do my job.I suggest you read the tos & rules of this board before slinging your comments in my direction.All posts that I edit are in accordance with our rules.

If that were true, then you should delete your post for being sarcastic and rude. That's why you've deleted a couple of mine. Just sayin'.

I read the rules and terms of service. My comment did not sling anything in your direction...it stated the truth as did my first post here where you practically called me a liar. Instead of doing that, why didn't you have some faith that the agency I dealt with had been pleasant and in accordance with fdcpa?

I am not stupid...I know there are nightmare collection agencies...I have dealt with them. The whole point of sticking to our guns with the nightmare of debt and harrassing collection agencies is that positive change will happen. As people in debt, we continually educate ourselves to protect ourselves. The more information we arm ourselves with, the better we are able to handle ourselves when faced with dealing with a debt collection agency.

I attribute the positive experiences I have had, not only with the most recent CA, but another just prior, to being better informed of my rights as a consumer. I know I owe the money and I know it is my responsibility to pay. I see consumer knowledge as the best and only viable way to fight the bad collection agencies.

Your job? I was not aware you were employed by DCC and have supervision over the forums. I am not questioning whether or not you are, but if this is the case, I am surprised that your employer would allow you the license to respond in such an unprofessional manner.

waterbug -

I appreciate your honesty and candor on this topic, and the fact that you're being cordial and polite about it.

I just want to clear the air on one thing I noticed in your first post. You stated:

Quote:

Well, I agree.

I have always thought there is way too much deleting going on. I personally WILL NOT delete a post unless it has personal attacks or is nasty crude. Same goes for locking a thread.

My big beef is how guests get treated, or CA employees. GetYourCheckbook has done or said nothing nasty. Yet he/she has been treated poorly at times. (there have been some people treating him with respect) I will not tolerate this. What gives any of us the right to think that we belong here and not them? Why can't someone simply state their opinion without being jumped on? That's why it's that..An opinion. I am sick and damn tired of it. And another thing..Mods are not any more important than anyone else, contrary to what anyone may think. We are not the "bosses" of this board. All we are are people who watch for dirty words or personal info. That's it. Someone has to do it.

So there's my opinion. Sometimes people on this board look like bullies. I am so disgusted. If anyone has a problem with this, come to me. Don't slam me behind my back. It'll only get back to me anyway.

Me three!
I personally encouraged Get Your Checkbook to register with us--but I told him that as long as he made helpful posts and stopped flaming our members that he would have no problems with me.
We need to feel like we can disagree on this board, as we all have different experiences and opinions and have the right to express them freely here. What noone has the right to do is bash other members, which is what I think was happening.
And I think it's great you're almost out of debt and ask if you could share how you did it! It would be a good learning tool for everyone here! If you had a good experience with a collector, by all means share it! It's good to know that there are some good ones playing by the rules out there.

Thanks Ks..And yes, that is what's happening here.

I support GetYourCheckbbok 100%.

I agree with the fact that SOME posts are getting deleted that don't warrant it. My opinion is that it's a personal vendetta between two people - not what we should be seeing on here at all.

I posted what I did about the "pay your bills guest" because we've seen this person before, and they don't post anything constructive or helpful - they only tear people down.

I agree with posts by some guests that we've dealt with before being deleted if they are inflammatory, or are just posting things like "pay your bills you deadbeats", as we've seen in the past. Those serve no purpose at all, and only start trouble.

However, if posts are being deleted just on the basis of WHO they are posted by (which is some of what I'm seeing happen), that's just plain wrong.

Here's a scenario for you: a collection agency employee comes to this site to offer advice and assistance to those who ask. Their post is worded fairly, they are not inflammatory in any way, and all they ask is not to be flamed. They immediately GET flamed anyway - which makes them react in kind.

Why should someone who comes with an offer to help, stay if they're only getting attacked?

Me FOUR! People get out of hand sometimes with this deleting crap. Just because somebody posts an opinion which somebody(s) don't agree with it may get deleted. I understand completely what waterbud and getyourcheckbook are saying. And I agree. I will go even further to say that some of the advice on this forum as of late does not hold substance. And nowhere in that post did I see somebody telling another how to do their job.

Absolutely right. I will repeat..There have been no personal attacks. None. There has been no reason for anyone to be upset about anything.

Not that anyone asked my opinon but i'll give it anyway! lol
Instead of making this thread longer and longer why dont' we ALL try to find a post of someone who feels desparate and give them some answers! I know i haven't been here that long, a newbie so to speak, but i remember SO many times posting a question and just waiting and waiting to get an answer as i was SO stressed out!! Things always have a way of working themselves out and on here it's harder cuz u can't actually hear voice tones and some things are read differently from one person to the next!
This forum has saved my sanity, let's not take that away from me again! lol
SO back on topic,
Ang

Well, waterbug, I THANK YOU for posting this topic. I'm sorry that I didn't catch the original topic that you posted about a CA. I agree with 100 %. It seems that a healthy debate is not allowed on this forum anymore. Believe me, it never used to be that way. We all have the right to share our experiences. It seems that you had a positive experience with a CA which we need to see more of on the forums. I agree that there are good ones out there. I have dealt with a few myself and even posted on it earlier in the week. Please don't be discouraged from posting what you need here. This is an open forum and everyone's experiences are valuable. I agree that we must pay our bills as well. I have dealt with a couple of scavenger collection agencies over the past few months. They did not validate my debt and I've shared my stories here. I still made arrangements to pay the original creditors and not ignore my obligation. These are now paid and I find personal satisfaction with this. I have been a moderator here for awhile and we are not employees of DEBT CC. We are here on a voluntary basis.

I agree that plain meanness, profanity, advertisements, harrassment etc. should not be allowed. A good forum would allow people to speak their minds clearly, honestly and in in a good manner. I moderate a message board for the college I work for and students post positive and negative aspects based on their own experiences. Everyone sees a situation in their own way.

In my debt situation, I racked it up in credit cards during and after college. After I got them under control, I lost my job and made the dumb decision to live off of the credit cards for about 6 months. I fell behind was in a mess. The bottom line is I didn't pay the credit companies and the cards were charged off...5 cards in all were charged off. I can tell you stories of debt collection agencies (Gerald R. Moore, ER Solutions, LTD Financial, CCB, CRS, etc.) that had me literally crouched on the floor crying and pleading with them as they threatened arrest and lawsuits. I had no idea at the time CAs are not allowed to do that. Now, that I know this, I am more prepared to deal with CAs.

My accounts went to horrible agencies like those mentioned above. I paid Moore by borrowing against my life insurance. His office called me 2 days before Thanksgiving and said I needed to wire the money by 5 pm that day or I would spend Thanksgiving in jail. I begged for enough time to at least get the money from the insurance policy. Moore said I had 7 business days. I paid it and just feel stupid at how I let them treat me like that. But that was one account down. Another went to an agency that I cannot recall the name, but they hesitantly allowed me to pay in two payments.

The last three have been challenges. One was with Capital One and was paid in full through Pinnacle. Pinnacle sent me a letter stating it was paid in full, but Capital One still reports a balance to the credit reporting agencies. It is only $800, but I am still fighting with them. I will NEVER do business with Capital One again. I can't understand how I can produce a copy of the payment transaction, it posting to my bank account as well as the PIF letter from the CA and still have CO state I have a balance. Every time I ask for them to provide proof, I don't hear back. It's a pain in the behind, but I have Legal Aid working on it now and I have reported them to several agencies.

Another account from Household Bank (a balance of about $1100), was turned over to Cohen & Slamowitz. I looked them up and saw they were not exactly well-respected. I got into contact with them to validate the debt and went straight to my bank. I know one of the bank officers and asked her if a company can just freeze an account. She said if there is a judgement, yes. I told her my situation and an alert was placed on my account if any such judgement was reported. Nothing ever did. I paid C & S in three payments without any problem. They provided a PIF letter and reported it to the credit reporting agencies.

The final has truly been a thorn in my side. I am convinced it has been to every CA on the planet. It is a Citicard. The original amount was about $2200. Through the past couple of years as it has passed around it is now down to about $1200. It was bought by FMS. I called them, asked for validation (more so I could see all past payments applied) and they complied. I then set up a payment arrangement with them that would clear the debt by the end of July.

The way I began approaching my debt is handling the collection issues as they came. If I wasn't being contacted, I didn't bother with them. They were already charged off, so it couldn't get worse unless there was a judgement. When the companies called, I asked for a letter in writing, then requested validation. If everything checked out, I contacted them to agree to a payment plan to pay the account in full. If they wouldn't work with me, then I discontinued dealing with them. If they were ok with a payment plan, then I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

I guess there are some good ones among the bad. I also think that the way we all approach a collector (again, with our knowledge and professionalim) could make a difference in some cases. If you have someone just beating you up on the phone, obviously it isn't worth it.

The whole debt situation truly should be a learning experience. I am almost terrified to use a credit card. I have just one now that I use on occasion that has a low limit per my request. I also have another one with a very high limit that I keep locked away for emergencies. I never use it and I get a phonecall every 6 months or so asking if I still want it. You never know when you will need it and it is a positive entry on my credit report.

I am more careful with money and created a budget that goes for each 2 weeks rather than for a month. It works better for me than a monthly budget.

Waterbug, I haven't welcomed you to the forums..welcome.

Thank you for sharing your experiences..They are always welcome here.

Waterbug -

Glad to see you as a registered member, rather than a guest - this way, you can earn points and cash them in for payment towards whatever you want - including debts! :-)

waterbug,

Yes, welcome to the forums! It sounds like you are on the road to recovery. Thank you for sharing with us.

Wow,
Waterbug, it sounds like you indeed have been through Hell. It's great to see that you stayed strong and are digging your way out of it. I learned something from that post and thanks for sharing it with us. Please post frequently!

Thanks! I hope I can contribute positively. I welcome good debate and discussion especially as this topic is volatile.

Kristen

Kristen,

I've really enjoyed your posts so far. It's always good to have a difference of opinion. At least in my opinion!