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First Financial Asset Management, First Financial broke many fair credit laws!! Atlanta Georgia
Ms. Riddle contacted my parents looking for either me or my husband. At first, she was very sweet - my mother got her number for us and we called her back to see what it was about. She explained that we still owed on a vehicle, we admitted to this were willing to comply with payment arrangements made with her. We were trying to take out a loan from our 401k (I know some may think that was dumb, but we don't have hundreds of extra dollars lying around and payday loans just get you in more debt) but it was taking longer to work that out than we had told her it would.
So she called our phone, but we were not home. She left a message. She then called my parents again, acting like she didn't have our number (but she really did). She leaves messages on our answering machine stating specifics about the debt owed, and to have our lawyer call her back, which I thought was illegal for her to do. We try to call her, but no answer. We leave her a message to call us back and she again calls my mother. My mother yells at her to stop calling her, and my dad calls yelling at me to make Ms. Riddle stop calling them. They don't believe me that I didn't give out their number to her.
I call her, telling her not to call them anymore, and she apologizes saying that she forgot and is making a note of it. She "forgets" again and calls two or three more times to my parent's home after this. This morning, I woke up to my husband yelling and cursing over the phone. He said that my mother called and screamed at him to "fix this" and hung up.
Then, I call Ms. Riddle back and catch her in a slew of lies. She claims that she has my parents' info because of my maiden name and that she has ALL of my personal info including my SSN, so that's how she got their home phone number. Later in the conversation, she states that she doesn't know if anyone on the contact list is related to me; it's merely what she's given at the start of the day. She also asks if [my husband's full name] is my father!! I said that she knows my maiden name and that this is how she said that she knows who my parents are, etc.!! She then comes up with yet another excuse.
When I tell her what my consumer right are and that she has broken several fair credit laws, she speaks in a robot voice and states that the law requires that she inform me that this is an attempt to collect a debt... yada... yada. She threatens to have the vehicle "picked up"... but it has been charged off. If the original bank wanted it back they would have repo'd it 2 years ago (at least I would think so). We offered her $25 per month, or even pay day, and she ignores it or refuses it (until today when both my mom and I talked lawsuits).
We are trying to make good on this, but she is holding us back. She also says that they don't send invoices, and that we have to send money to her p.o. box address. There is so much more to say about this regarding illegal bullying tactics, but I don't want to be annoying. What to DO????? I'm afraid to pay this down or off, just to have them not report it as paid to the credit bureaus.
Rebecca
Yakima, Washington
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Steve
Bradenton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Rebecca, you should give us some more info here
#3Consumer Suggestion
Thu, October 21, 2010
Rebecca,
First, let me say that you should NEVER speak to any third party debt collector on the phone! This will NEVER bring positive results for you. In almost every case it makes things worse. STAY OFF THE PHONE!!
You may not realize it, but these collectors are trained in how to "bait" you with misleading info and you jump up and correct them, and now they have the info they need, which is something they did not have before you talked to them. Trivial info, all adds up. For example, you tell them not to call you at work. Well, now they know you have a job. Just an example.
Second, you never said how old the charge off was. This is VERY important as the "statute of limitations" may have run out already, which would make the "debt" legally UNCOLLECTABLE.
You should IMMEDIATELY get copies of your credit report from all 3 major credit bureaus and see if there are any collections, or worse yet...public records such as judgements that may be fraudulent.
Also, send a CEASE COMMUNICATIONS request to them IN WRITING and via CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RECIEPT REQUESTED. Be sure to put the certified# on the top of the letter itself and keep a copy for your records. Now, when she "forgets", you can pick up an easy $1000, plus costs for the FDCPA violation.
STAY OFF THE PHONE!!!!
TERRY
PHOENIX,Arizona,
United States of America
the debt is still owed
#3General Comment
Wed, October 20, 2010
well #1 you admitted you owed the debt . #2 you never paid the balance off . #3 just because they never repoed the unit doesn't mean the bill is not owed . #4 when they charge off a debt ,it does not mean the debt is forgiven ,the main lender usually sends to a collection agency for collection of just debt .