Help and Advice with Payday Loans

Denina. . Welcome. I too am fairly new to this site but you will find out quickly that everyone here is wonderful at helping you out. We have all been and/or still are in this predicament. Please do not feel alone. I am not real comfortable giving advice as I am just going through this myself, but I felt you needed a response to your questions. I can tell you that you will be asked for the state you reside in, whether these loans are internet or storefront, who you owe this money to and how much you have paid against the original loan amount. Maybe this could get you going until a more "seasoned" member can interpret the state laws for you and advise you what to do next. Please hang in there. . .someone will be here soon to help you out and give you a little peace of mind right now.

Hey there llw! Nice to see you!

Denina-Welcome!

Give us a bit more info and we can help get you in the right direction:

The name of each pay day lender
Whether it is a storefront or internet
How much you borrowed and how much you have paid back
What state you are in



There are some members here that have used Langhorne or T&C to help with the PDL's, but lets see if you have actually overpaid and who is legal in your state.

Hey VB Mom. Nice to see you too! Hopefully Denina can resolve this herself. I know that I too talked with Langhorne but I wasn't totally convinced that I needed that service. Did get a response through the BBB from ameriloan (it's on another post) but nothing concrete as their "accouting" is not the same as mine. Waiting to hear back.

You have definitely come to the right place! I have been here one week or so and I have learned loads. These people will help you through the steps you will have to take to get out of the mess.
I am right here beside you. We can hold Cyber Hands if you wish?

Thank you everyone for your tips. I reside in Pennsylvania. I am not familiar with the laws.

PayDayOne $350 (past due)
PayDayOK $450 but owe $750 (past due)
Check N Go - $1500 was making installment payments of $120 (I think) until November 2008 (past due)
Quick Benjamin - $200 (current-worked out a payment plan of $46)
Geneva - $200 (past due. I don't even know how to get a hold of them)
Advance America $500-I was paying them until they closed their store in PA. They were sued for charging customes too high of a rate. I never received any information from them to pay the account.
CashNetUSA $350 (past due)
Arrow Financial - $200 (current)
Little Loan Shoppe - $350 (current)
I also have 3 credit cards that are seriously past due and a closed bank account that I owe $950 too. I feel like I am such a bad person because of all of this. I am to the point where I can take it anymore. I kept putting off getting help. I really need to step up to the plate and seriously work on my finances. My husband and I fight constantly about money and allot of it is because of my stupidity. I don't make that much money and am also working a second job. Can someone give me the website for T&C?
Thank you all so much.

First of all, I'm going to point out that in PA, pdls are prohibited. I am going to post the state pdl law for us all to see. So, knowing this, there are no storefronts involved, they must all be internet loans. Okay. In this case (sorry so confusing!), PA allows internet pdls if they are licensed SOMEWHERE. If they are licensed SOMEWHERE, they will be considered legal. If they are not licensed SOMEWHERE, they would be considered illegal. So.... with that said we need to check and see who is licensed. In the meantime, I will post the law so you can see it.

You will find the Payday loan laws for Pennsylvania here (just select your state),
http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/paydayloan/explain-pdls-laws.html

Let me ask another question. Your bank account is closed, correct? So these pdls can no longer debit your account?

I got this from the BBB site regarding contact information on T&C:

Town & Country Acceptance Corporation
Phone: (205) 823-4930
Fax: (205) 823-7858
Address: 2081 Columbiana Road
Birmingham, AL 35216
Original Business Start Date: October 1981
Principal: Mr. Eric Shears, President
Customer Contact: Mr. Eric Shears, President - (205) 823-4930

Yes, my bank account has been closed. I forgot to mention that Advance America was an in-store pdl. The others are all on the internet. I screwed myself up so bad with these pdls. My bank is expecting $100 a month for the next 9 months. Right now, I can't afford that. Is there legal action these places can take against me? I am been fortunate that they have not been calling my place of employment. Are they allowed to do that if I told them not to?

I forgot to ask you, how to I check and see if they are licensed? Also, is T&C a place that will make arrangements with my pdl lenders? From what I understand about Langhore, they are former pdl employees and know how to get around their harrassment and fees.

I have a silly question, why am I coming up as "dinab1" and "Denina"?

Hi Dina. Not sure why the name is different but I am sure someone can tell you. Both TandC and Langhorne will negotiate a settlement with the PDl companies but you have to pay them as well as whatever the settlement amount is. We can help you here if you want and we do not charge a penny. If you hang in there Cannr will surely do some investigating on the companies you may owe and let you know if they are legal. Can you list amount borrowed and total amount you have paid so far. Dont worry things will get better for you. We have all been there and came out on the other side wiser and happier.

In answer to the question as to the "name", Denina was showing because you were signed in as a guest. Apparently you registered as a member, so now you are dinab1! :wink: Advance America - they are a storefront that you owe. Where did you get it? If PA prohibits pdls, did you cross the state line and get it somewhere else? Also, is this already in default? Advance America is a member of the CFSA, which means that if the loan is NOT already defaulted on, you can go into the storefront at least one business day BEFORE the loan is due and invoke the EPP (extended payment plan). With this, you would sign an amendment to your loan documents and they would break down the loan into 4 equal payments until it is paid off - no extra fees or charges. However, if it's already defaulted, you cannot do this.

Langhorn and T&C both handle pdls. They operate differently though. You could try giving them both a call just to see what they have to say. It wouldn't hurt. Do you have information on Langhorne?

(www)langhornelaw.com

Wait! :shock: I just read that Advance America closed their store in PA (I guess so!) and you haven't heard a word from them since. Huh. I guess maybe they "ate" all the money that people owed them? Okay, so scratch what I posted about them!!!

Check n Go - is this an "installment loan" rather than a pdl? From the amount, it looks as though it's an installment loan - which would be different than a pdl.

I'm showing PayDayOne licensed.
I'm showing PayDayOK licensed.
Check n Go will be licensed.
I can't find anything on Quick Benjamin. Do you have any information on them?
Geneva Roth is showing as licensed.
Is Arrow Financial in NM? I checked there and am not finding a license for them.
I'm showing Little Loan Shoppe Canada LLC as licensed in Utah.

Thank you all for your advice. The Advance America was in in-store in New Kensington, Pa. I was paying them $20 a month and was current until they closed about a month ago. All the others were over the internet and I know they were in different states. How would I go about you all helping me make a settlement or a repayment plan. My paycheck is not that high. I make $732 every two weeks, pay my husband $330 for bills, etc, another $240 to a loan that my husband took out for me and leaves me wiht enough money for gas and groceries. This is why I feel that I am totally trapped. I don't even have enough to pay a settlement or replayment place or atleast I don't think I do. I just saw your other posts. I have Quick Benejamins address at work. I will have to get that tomorrow. Regarding Check N Go, I think an installment is different than a pdl. Can it be included?

I just told my husband that I found a wonderful website for advice and help. Of course I started to cry because of irresponsible I am with my money. He is ready to divorce me over this. One thing he doesn't understand is I do not make that much money. I went from making $17 an hour to $12 an hour. That was a drastic paycut. I was using his prescription insurance and fell behind on that. So, right now, things are extremely bad for me and I appreciate anything you all can help me with.

Well, marital problems over money ae the worst. I have never been able to talk to my husband about money. It has worsened the situation over many years.
The last was the worst as he made so little money and had to be hospitalized too, so I borrowed more and more to cover what he did not bring in. It has been awful and I have never felt this bad in my life.
And yet through it all he looks at me like I am the stupid one.
I mean, I doubt that you just blew all the money that you borrowed? you must have needed it for something that he shared the need for also? You should be in this together and it should require a joint effort to get you out of it?
I have been living in a state of panic so long that I do not know how to function *normal*. Even now that I am taking steps to get out, I have these moments where I feel like I have a pillow over my face.
Talk to a friend, get some counseling...but most importantly...hang in there.

Could Arrow be Arrowhead Financial? I think they are in Utah?

I, too, know how you feel. I was lying to my husband and that's the worse thing to do. I apologized to him today and PROMISED him (again) that I would work on getting myself back on track. The sad thing is he took out a loan for me and I did it all over again, plus some. If we stick on the right path and take the advice given, we will be okay. Even if it takes 6 months to a year. I told my husband to be patient with me, it will take some time. My credit is so bad that I feel that I am a looser. Eventually, we want to buy another house, I would like to get another vehicle and I can't because of my credit. I can't count on my husband to do this for me. He was once irresponsible and worked his way out of it. But him owning a house that was paid off helped him by taking out a home equity loan. Now we are maxed with home equity loans. He is nothing but good to me when it comes to money. Me lying to him was the worst thing I could do. Once we get the help we need, we will be able to do it. I am going to have to go with an organization that specializes in helping with pdl's and paying them off.

Don't you worry. We are in good hands wiht all these folks that are going through the same thing.

One more thing, what exactly do the "point" mean?

Hi Dinab1-- I too live in PA, and I too took out 9 pdls and my Husband knew nothing. I was incharge of all the bills, and no good with having money in my pockets. My Husband and I too were headed straight for Divorce court over this, because I too had done this once before. With his parents help he managed to get up caught up on all our bills, we owe them a bunch of money. I found Town and Country on this site and called them regarding the pdls. I did not even try to fight them, because I did borrow the funds. Well it was the best thing I did the phone calls stop in time, I sent them all letters referring them to contact T&C. I just recieved a balance stmt from T&C the balances are going down, and now I can sleep at night. You should call them, I have nothing bad to say about T&C.

Dinab1 - hang in there...i am new to this situation also. Though I don't have a husband to worry about, I have a son that i have to support and it makes me sick to my stomach when there are things he wants to do (sports and such) that I can't pay for because i got myself into such a mess. I have come to the point that good,bad and ugly i will get myself back on track. So stay with it and you will get through all of this mess.

No, Arrow is Arrow Investment, Inc. I don't know if I did it correctly, but I attached the PDF file that Arrow had sent me. Conveniently, there is no address on my agreement. I should have thoroughly looked at it!

What exactly is T&C doing for you? I am so leery of these places because I got ripped off once before. They were taking my money, but not paying. Are they like a consolidation place that will consolidate and you make a payment to them?

They are a debt mgt company. My 1st call I gave them the whole story and a list of all my pdls and a couple of credit cards. they do charge an up front fee for their services. I signed the contract & sent them all the info names, address, acct #, phone # of the credtiors, they figured what I could afford to pay and then fiqured out what my pmt would be. You can pay monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly, I pay weekly. They got the pdl companies to stop the weekly fees, so i am just paying on the $$ I borrowed. They have really worked out for me, this is the 2nd mgt company I have used. The 1st one only deals with credit cards otherwise I would have used them, because I knew how they were to do business with. Town and Country is doing a fine job too, and there are not too many mgt companies that do deal with the pdl companies.

You're getting some great advice here! :D Why don't you give Town & Country a call. It never hurts to call and find out what someone has to say. Just make sure you have your information in front of you (who you owe, what you borrowed, what you paid). I know you have credit card debit also, correct? Include that with it and tell them all of it. I can't say it enough, it never hurts to call. The most you can do is say "no" and hang up. Please let us know if you do and what the outcome is.

Does T&C have a website? Thank you so much for the information. Fortunately, I can still look up my information on these pdl websites, however, Arrow Investments does not have a website, just a phone number. Regarding the one called Geneva Roth, I don't know how to get a hold of them. If anyone has their number, it would be greatly appreciated. Are you payments affordable? If you don't mind me asking. Also, yes, I do have three credit cards. Household Bank is about $800, Orchard Bank is about $500, and Credit One is probably over $1000 now. And I have a checking account that I owe $952.

Geneva Roth Ventures II
PO Box 2643
Kansas City, MO 64196
Telephone: (800) 351-8820

Geneva Roth Cap Loans
6950 W. 56th St
Mission, KS 66202
Telephone: (913) 825-1200

Geneva Roth Cap AKA Express Loans
P.O. Box 148
Shawnee Mission, KS 66201
Fax: (866) 403-1256

As you can see, they have more than one address. This is not unusual.

What is the telephone number for Arrow? Maybe I can try a search that way.

Also, I don't believe that T&C has a website. I think you have to call them.

Hi guys.....I am at work and don't have my password to log in. I am going to call T&C today when I get home. I am praying that they can help me. I am at my wits end. Thanks to you all, I am going to get through this, right?

I have a question for Stargzr...You mentioned that you can help me if I wanted to sign up with T&C and you do not charge a penny. Also, I made a list in a previous post. If you want me to do it again, I can. Thank you!!

Cannr....I found this information on QuickBenjamin. He sent me their website and their mailing address.

Quickbenjamins.com
Po Box 593
American Fork UT 84003

or western union money to:

Eric Maddux
11895 N Atlas Dr
Highland UT 84003

Denina, first off, YES you are going to get through this. I promise. And I don't promise easily! Hell, if I can do it, you can do it! As far as stargzr, I think stargzr was just telling you how T&C works. As far as your info on quick benjamins, I'm glad you got it. I checked Utah and they do not show as being licensed. So, another illegal one I'm going to assume. Of course they gave you Western Union information. Good grief. These pdls crack me up. They always want people to Western Union them money or Money Gram them money. I tell them to bite me. That costs money! Plus the fact that this joint doesn't even seem to be licensed! I just checked the Utah licensee database since that's where their address is.

Thanks for the info on Quick Benjamin. You know what really sucks, is they told me they were going to turn me into a collecton agency so I gave him my NEW banking information. He also told me that if I agree to pay $46 every two weeks, that he will waive all the fees and keep my balance it at $200. What should I do? I was stupid for giving him my information, but the threat of turning me into a collection agency scared me. Another scare tactic, I guess. What do we do if they are illegal?

One more thing to you all, I called Langehorn and left them a message. I hope to talk to them tomorrow and see what they can do for me. T&C doesn't have a toll-free number and I can't call them from home. We don't have long distance. I feel so much better knowing that I am not alone and you all have been so encouraging and supportive. I just hope it works out for me. :lol:

Hi Dinab. I am so glad that you are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I am sorry you misunderstood me. What I meant to say was if you wanted to handle the PDL's yourself with the help of the people on this forum it would not cost you anything. T and C does have a fee but from what I have read from others on this thread it sounds like they are very helpful and can work with the PDL;s for you. I really hope that things get better for you and your family.

Oh, crap! :shock: I sure do wish quickbenjamin didn't have your bank account information. The problem with this is that 1) they can debit your account until the cows come home which pdls have a habit of doing and 2) a lot of pdls "share" information or have "sister companies" that they could give your bank account information to. I'll be super honest, if it were me, I would close that account. Sounds crazy, but like I stated, your information just may be given out to other pdls and I don't trust quickbenjamin as far as I can throw them. I know they scared you with their threats. They all use that tactic to get their money because they know otherwise they have no LEGAL recourse for collecting it if they are illegal. So they scare people into paying. I know it sucks and you probably don't want to do it, but I would close the account and open a new one (again). In the meantime, you can try (and it might not work) to block them from debiting. Even if this DOES work, you still have that risk of a pdl sharing your bank account information.

hi i'm new to this forum and have noticed that everyone here have or have had the nightmares that my wife and i are having with these PDL's. i was about to sign up with langhorne but after reading about them online for about 2 hrs i saw that they are not available in south carolina. does anyone know if T&C can help SC residents if so can someone give me some contact info for T&C or anyone else that may be help us here in south carolina

Lemon, many of us here have done this on our own. If you list who your lenders are, how much borrowed from each, how much repaid to each, and if they are store front or internet, we can help you here.I will in the meantime post the laws for your state.

You will find the Payday loan laws South Carolina here (just select your state),
http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/paydayloan/explain-pdls-laws.html

lemont37-Welcome!

Since you are in a different state than the original poster, Denina, it would be helpful if you started your own thread so we can help you specifically. :D

Cannr - I called my bank and she said that if it's three days prior to the debit, they can stop it. (She processed the request.) She said I may have just made it because Friday would be the third day. Also, she told me to contact the Quick Benjamin and tell them not to deduct the money and if they do, I can file a claim. This is going to get messy. I would have cancelled my account, but my direct deposit paycheck goes in this Friday. I told her that I will call them Monday to change it. I just got a whole box of checks too! Arg! :x Thank you for the information. I did email QUick Benjamin to stop the payment after this Friday that I will be getting a new account...(lie :twisted:)Now if they don't, can I complain to someone in that state because they are not licensed?

Hey dinab/Denina got your PM. I aplogize but my post was to lemont37 not you. Just recommending that lemont start his/her own thread so not to get mixed up with your case. :D

dina, great job getting with the bank ASAP! I think you'll be fine. However, as soon as you hear back from Quick Benjamin, let me know. I'm anxious to hear what they have to say. I'm soooo sorry that you have to go through the whole bank issue again. And, I know all about just getting new checks, etc. UGH!! I'm sorry they scared you into giving them you're new information. That just ticks me off when these pdls do this stuff. But, just remember, don't give your new account info to anyone. I don't care if they are a "safe" place! LOL! That's how paranoid I am!

We will see about Quick Benjamin. He may be giving me an excuse because they are illegal or he's being truthful. I guess I will find out. Who do I contact about them not being licensed?

dina, file complaints with the BBB, the FTC, and your state AG. You can file on line with the BBB and the FTC, so it's pretty simple. Some states you can file on line with the AG; however, other states (like mine), you have to download the forms and fill them out and mail them in. I just did a google search for my state attorney general and the site came up. Look for something regarding filing a complaint if you can find your state AG website. If you can't, I can look for you.