Complaint Review: NCO Financial - Horsham Pennsylvania

Don, I know I normally bust on you here, but you made a valid point, and I would like to answer your question. I did honestly try for several months to get all creditors to go back and fix the outrageous changes made to my interest rates and terms. I did also notify them after these several months of trying to fix this that I would make no more payments until such time they did fix the problem. All but one creditor failed to respond to my final request, and all but that one CHOSE to not get paid. That is business. They lost. I had every good intention and ability to pay, just not when I am being robbed. FYI. Since they willingly extended me the credit on an unsecured basis, and I had no intention of not repaying them when I took the credit, LEGALLY it is NOT theft/stealing. Theft, the act of stealing is taking something that does not belong to you without the knowledge and/or consent of the owner. I stole nothing. They did not get paid simply because they tried ripping me off for no valid reason and it blew up in their faces! They are so arrogant, they never felt it was required of them to deal with the little guy. Greed and arrogance are a bad combination.

Runing doesnt fix the problem, no matter how sneaky you are..... Most Companys will file eletronicly for lein or garnishment, ask 80-90% award..... Once served go to court or they can get what ever they are asking.... Collections companys may be not so plesent to deal with a cease and desist letter will get them off you back calling ect but does not get you out alivate your abligation how ever once you send them that letter your worstening the matter by limiting the options for the company to collect leaving them only a few options. Its not a matter of winning or loseing espacally if its a legitmate bill, address the problem if you dont like you collector dont thret, its totally normal get work with them get it taken care of Kimberly once they tell you they are going to garnish ect they have to act on that or that warning is constrewed thret which lands the collection compny in trouble, work with it its a legit bill collectors suck, but trust me speaking from experiance its not worth harming your credit, i know i cant get a sears card at this point.. Mark

Runing doesnt fix the problem, no matter how sneaky you are..... Most Companys will file eletronicly for lein or garnishment, ask 80-90% award..... Once served go to court or they can get what ever they are asking.... Collections companys may be not so plesent to deal with a cease and desist letter will get them off you back calling ect but does not get you out alivate your abligation how ever once you send them that letter your worstening the matter by limiting the options for the company to collect leaving them only a few options. Its not a matter of winning or loseing espacally if its a legitmate bill, address the problem if you dont like you collector dont thret, its totally normal get work with them get it taken care of Kimberly once they tell you they are going to garnish ect they have to act on that or that warning is constrewed thret which lands the collection compny in trouble, work with it its a legit bill collectors suck, but trust me speaking from experiance its not worth harming your credit, i know i cant get a sears card at this point.. Mark

Runing doesnt fix the problem, no matter how sneaky you are..... Most Companys will file eletronicly for lein or garnishment, ask 80-90% award..... Once served go to court or they can get what ever they are asking.... Collections companys may be not so plesent to deal with a cease and desist letter will get them off you back calling ect but does not get you out alivate your abligation how ever once you send them that letter your worstening the matter by limiting the options for the company to collect leaving them only a few options. Its not a matter of winning or loseing espacally if its a legitmate bill, address the problem if you dont like you collector dont thret, its totally normal get work with them get it taken care of Kimberly once they tell you they are going to garnish ect they have to act on that or that warning is constrewed thret which lands the collection compny in trouble, work with it its a legit bill collectors suck, but trust me speaking from experiance its not worth harming your credit, i know i cant get a sears card at this point.. Mark

Runing doesnt fix the problem, no matter how sneaky you are..... Most Companys will file eletronicly for lein or garnishment, ask 80-90% award..... Once served go to court or they can get what ever they are asking.... Collections companys may be not so plesent to deal with a cease and desist letter will get them off you back calling ect but does not get you out alivate your abligation how ever once you send them that letter your worstening the matter by limiting the options for the company to collect leaving them only a few options. Its not a matter of winning or loseing espacally if its a legitmate bill, address the problem if you dont like you collector dont thret, its totally normal get work with them get it taken care of Kimberly once they tell you they are going to garnish ect they have to act on that or that warning is constrewed thret which lands the collection compny in trouble, work with it its a legit bill collectors suck, but trust me speaking from experiance its not worth harming your credit, i know i cant get a sears card at this point.. Mark

Listen, all this talk of going into a hole, hiding, and burning up a fax machine is a bunch of Crap. I became an expert at fixing my own credit. Not in any other manner but trial and error, and here's what worked for me as far as NCO goes. I ran into a bad patch a few years ago. Got divcorced, lost a great job, had some medical problems and was unable to keep up on a lot of bills. My credit went to hell. NCO is one of the biggest collection agencies around. They also have been levied the heftiest fines and penelties by the FTC in history for their collection practices. So give them enough rope for them to hang themselves. Let them call you. Let them call you all the time. Get a few of their collectors mad at you. Tell them you need the debt validated. Then when they send you a statement, tell them you don't recall ever having a contract with the original creditor, and that you want to see the original contract. But let them call, and let them beat on you a while. But don't pay them. Argue with them, fine, but never pay them. It won't get off your credit report if you pay them. In fact, if you pay them, it will stay on your credit reports for 7 years of so from the date of LAST PAYMENT. So, while you are doing this, take notes. Get names, and write down every single time they were harsh, demanding, or in anyway degrading to you. Then, send a letter to them saying you need them to not contact you in any other way than by US mail. Send that letter certified. They will without question mail you a letter back saying that they need more info from you to process your request, like your social security, phone, address and s**t like that. Don't give them that. They have your address, you just got a letter from them didn't you? They have your phone number somewhere, they call you every other day right? That's all crap and a way of delaying your request. Then as soon as you drop that in the mailbox, go to the computer and go too www.bbb.org. and file a complaint with the BBB. State to them that they have used degrading, demanding, and harsh collection tactics, faliure to validate debts, and violations of the FDCPA and Fair Credit Reporting Act. Offer a resolution of them giving back your debt to the original creditors, and them to remove all mentions of NCO from all three of your credit files. I got a letter from them in 2 weeks, listing all the debts they were trying to collect from me, and that if i wanted to pay them, i'd have to contact the original creditor. All the listings for NCO were off my credit reports immediatly as well. It worked for me, but the key is to put up with some sh** for a few weeks or months, then throw all that sh** back at them. They break the LAW all the time with thier collection practices. Remind them of that. Another thing you may try is just disputing the info on your credit reports to the credit beauras. Simple as that. If the collection agencies don't respond back, it will come off by default. And a lot of times the collecters don't resond to ANYONE that isn't writing them a check. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, or you, or anyone at all, but it worked for me. NCO was trying to collect on some very old debts that were not valid, and some that have already been paid. They did use some foul language with me, ecspecially when I asked the person there if they worked on commision, and that I wasn't interested on paying their salary, I was interested in paying my debts. The complaint I filed with the BBB was totally true. Give them enough time, and they'll hand you enough ammo to fire back. Good luck. Maybe this will work for you. I make no claims of being a credit repair expert, or an athourity on the subject, this is merely my unique experience.

Listen, all this talk of going into a hole, hiding, and burning up a fax machine is a bunch of Crap. I became an expert at fixing my own credit. Not in any other manner but trial and error, and here's what worked for me as far as NCO goes. I ran into a bad patch a few years ago. Got divcorced, lost a great job, had some medical problems and was unable to keep up on a lot of bills. My credit went to hell. NCO is one of the biggest collection agencies around. They also have been levied the heftiest fines and penelties by the FTC in history for their collection practices. So give them enough rope for them to hang themselves. Let them call you. Let them call you all the time. Get a few of their collectors mad at you. Tell them you need the debt validated. Then when they send you a statement, tell them you don't recall ever having a contract with the original creditor, and that you want to see the original contract. But let them call, and let them beat on you a while. But don't pay them. Argue with them, fine, but never pay them. It won't get off your credit report if you pay them. In fact, if you pay them, it will stay on your credit reports for 7 years of so from the date of LAST PAYMENT. So, while you are doing this, take notes. Get names, and write down every single time they were harsh, demanding, or in anyway degrading to you. Then, send a letter to them saying you need them to not contact you in any other way than by US mail. Send that letter certified. They will without question mail you a letter back saying that they need more info from you to process your request, like your social security, phone, address and s**t like that. Don't give them that. They have your address, you just got a letter from them didn't you? They have your phone number somewhere, they call you every other day right? That's all crap and a way of delaying your request. Then as soon as you drop that in the mailbox, go to the computer and go too www.bbb.org. and file a complaint with the BBB. State to them that they have used degrading, demanding, and harsh collection tactics, faliure to validate debts, and violations of the FDCPA and Fair Credit Reporting Act. Offer a resolution of them giving back your debt to the original creditors, and them to remove all mentions of NCO from all three of your credit files. I got a letter from them in 2 weeks, listing all the debts they were trying to collect from me, and that if i wanted to pay them, i'd have to contact the original creditor. All the listings for NCO were off my credit reports immediatly as well. It worked for me, but the key is to put up with some sh** for a few weeks or months, then throw all that sh** back at them. They break the LAW all the time with thier collection practices. Remind them of that. Another thing you may try is just disputing the info on your credit reports to the credit beauras. Simple as that. If the collection agencies don't respond back, it will come off by default. And a lot of times the collecters don't resond to ANYONE that isn't writing them a check. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, or you, or anyone at all, but it worked for me. NCO was trying to collect on some very old debts that were not valid, and some that have already been paid. They did use some foul language with me, ecspecially when I asked the person there if they worked on commision, and that I wasn't interested on paying their salary, I was interested in paying my debts. The complaint I filed with the BBB was totally true. Give them enough time, and they'll hand you enough ammo to fire back. Good luck. Maybe this will work for you. I make no claims of being a credit repair expert, or an athourity on the subject, this is merely my unique experience.

Listen, all this talk of going into a hole, hiding, and burning up a fax machine is a bunch of Crap. I became an expert at fixing my own credit. Not in any other manner but trial and error, and here's what worked for me as far as NCO goes. I ran into a bad patch a few years ago. Got divcorced, lost a great job, had some medical problems and was unable to keep up on a lot of bills. My credit went to hell. NCO is one of the biggest collection agencies around. They also have been levied the heftiest fines and penelties by the FTC in history for their collection practices. So give them enough rope for them to hang themselves. Let them call you. Let them call you all the time. Get a few of their collectors mad at you. Tell them you need the debt validated. Then when they send you a statement, tell them you don't recall ever having a contract with the original creditor, and that you want to see the original contract. But let them call, and let them beat on you a while. But don't pay them. Argue with them, fine, but never pay them. It won't get off your credit report if you pay them. In fact, if you pay them, it will stay on your credit reports for 7 years of so from the date of LAST PAYMENT. So, while you are doing this, take notes. Get names, and write down every single time they were harsh, demanding, or in anyway degrading to you. Then, send a letter to them saying you need them to not contact you in any other way than by US mail. Send that letter certified. They will without question mail you a letter back saying that they need more info from you to process your request, like your social security, phone, address and s**t like that. Don't give them that. They have your address, you just got a letter from them didn't you? They have your phone number somewhere, they call you every other day right? That's all crap and a way of delaying your request. Then as soon as you drop that in the mailbox, go to the computer and go too www.bbb.org. and file a complaint with the BBB. State to them that they have used degrading, demanding, and harsh collection tactics, faliure to validate debts, and violations of the FDCPA and Fair Credit Reporting Act. Offer a resolution of them giving back your debt to the original creditors, and them to remove all mentions of NCO from all three of your credit files. I got a letter from them in 2 weeks, listing all the debts they were trying to collect from me, and that if i wanted to pay them, i'd have to contact the original creditor. All the listings for NCO were off my credit reports immediatly as well. It worked for me, but the key is to put up with some sh** for a few weeks or months, then throw all that sh** back at them. They break the LAW all the time with thier collection practices. Remind them of that. Another thing you may try is just disputing the info on your credit reports to the credit beauras. Simple as that. If the collection agencies don't respond back, it will come off by default. And a lot of times the collecters don't resond to ANYONE that isn't writing them a check. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, or you, or anyone at all, but it worked for me. NCO was trying to collect on some very old debts that were not valid, and some that have already been paid. They did use some foul language with me, ecspecially when I asked the person there if they worked on commision, and that I wasn't interested on paying their salary, I was interested in paying my debts. The complaint I filed with the BBB was totally true. Give them enough time, and they'll hand you enough ammo to fire back. Good luck. Maybe this will work for you. I make no claims of being a credit repair expert, or an athourity on the subject, this is merely my unique experience.

Listen, all this talk of going into a hole, hiding, and burning up a fax machine is a bunch of Crap. I became an expert at fixing my own credit. Not in any other manner but trial and error, and here's what worked for me as far as NCO goes. I ran into a bad patch a few years ago. Got divcorced, lost a great job, had some medical problems and was unable to keep up on a lot of bills. My credit went to hell. NCO is one of the biggest collection agencies around. They also have been levied the heftiest fines and penelties by the FTC in history for their collection practices. So give them enough rope for them to hang themselves. Let them call you. Let them call you all the time. Get a few of their collectors mad at you. Tell them you need the debt validated. Then when they send you a statement, tell them you don't recall ever having a contract with the original creditor, and that you want to see the original contract. But let them call, and let them beat on you a while. But don't pay them. Argue with them, fine, but never pay them. It won't get off your credit report if you pay them. In fact, if you pay them, it will stay on your credit reports for 7 years of so from the date of LAST PAYMENT. So, while you are doing this, take notes. Get names, and write down every single time they were harsh, demanding, or in anyway degrading to you. Then, send a letter to them saying you need them to not contact you in any other way than by US mail. Send that letter certified. They will without question mail you a letter back saying that they need more info from you to process your request, like your social security, phone, address and s**t like that. Don't give them that. They have your address, you just got a letter from them didn't you? They have your phone number somewhere, they call you every other day right? That's all crap and a way of delaying your request. Then as soon as you drop that in the mailbox, go to the computer and go too www.bbb.org. and file a complaint with the BBB. State to them that they have used degrading, demanding, and harsh collection tactics, faliure to validate debts, and violations of the FDCPA and Fair Credit Reporting Act. Offer a resolution of them giving back your debt to the original creditors, and them to remove all mentions of NCO from all three of your credit files. I got a letter from them in 2 weeks, listing all the debts they were trying to collect from me, and that if i wanted to pay them, i'd have to contact the original creditor. All the listings for NCO were off my credit reports immediatly as well. It worked for me, but the key is to put up with some sh** for a few weeks or months, then throw all that sh** back at them. They break the LAW all the time with thier collection practices. Remind them of that. Another thing you may try is just disputing the info on your credit reports to the credit beauras. Simple as that. If the collection agencies don't respond back, it will come off by default. And a lot of times the collecters don't resond to ANYONE that isn't writing them a check. I'm not saying this will work for everyone, or you, or anyone at all, but it worked for me. NCO was trying to collect on some very old debts that were not valid, and some that have already been paid. They did use some foul language with me, ecspecially when I asked the person there if they worked on commision, and that I wasn't interested on paying their salary, I was interested in paying my debts. The complaint I filed with the BBB was totally true. Give them enough time, and they'll hand you enough ammo to fire back. Good luck. Maybe this will work for you. I make no claims of being a credit repair expert, or an athourity on the subject, this is merely my unique experience.

Just becuase I know that Steve will come on here and tell me how dumb I am, I figured I would weigh in on this. Here is the quote from Steve's earlier post; "Not at all. I kept my end of the deal. They engaged in unfair business practices for no valid reason. Had they not gotten greedy and stupid, they would have been paid. I had every intention of paying them, thus , keeping my promise." I will admit that what happened to Steve and them raising his interest rates is not right. However, unless you paid all the principal plus the original interest rates, tell me how you did not steal from these companies Steve.

Tom, That was some good advice on the student loans. Now to your question on how I beat NCO. That's easy, heres what you need: 1). Fax Machine, preferably with a 150 sheet paper tray 2). Unlimited/[free] long distance. 3). Dedication and Patience. Did you ever hear the saying that "turnabout is fair play"? I locked down every fax machine at every office of NCO for 3 days. They wanted nothing at all to do with me again after getting about 10,000 CEASE COMMUNICATION requests in bold print and graphics. Really eats up the toner and memory. I would hit each office about 1 hr after closing, as I would call from the payphone on the corner to see if they were all gone. You have to temporarily lower yourself to thier level to beat them at thier own harassment tactics. Can you imagine the look on their face when they come in first thing AM see a fax machine with 100+ copies of a cease comm letter, replace the toner, refill the paper, and now it prints another 50 pages or so from memory. Priceless.

HI steve, Hi all. My name is Tom. I was a debt collector for 16 years. Now i own my own mortgage company. Steve has some good advise regarding loopholes. I have some advise for the author -who is in default of their student loan. Student loans are no small collection . Thus the loopholes you hear for normal debt that is at agency will not be of solid use here. I have no idea how steve beat NCO, but student loans are another ballgame altogether. Student loans are not a secured item such as a house or vehicle. There is no 'repossession' and generally they are tens of thousands of dollars of debt. The gov/lenders cant go around passing out free cash to students that they normally could never qualify for as a regular loan -and have no recourse against them. Nobody would repay their student loans. So , like tax debt and child support, student loans cannot attain 'stat barred' status. No, you cant go chapter 7 either. Not anymore anyway. If you dont make enough, like Steve says, you can send them a worksheet stating how much you make and strike up a deal with them. If you try to hide, you will lose this battle. Student loans CAN AND WILL be prosecuted and judgement awarded. It will be stuck on your back for eternity. NCO knows this. The loan is totally worth sueing to the client, and they WILL do so. I know, proponents will say.......so? You cant get blood from a stone..... Its not that. Its the JUDGMENT that lays total waste to your credit rating for 10 or more years (there is no stat barred standing for student loans) . For a young kid 22 years old, starting out life with a TRASHED credit rating is no way to live. so, DEAL with the agency so that they DONT go to court. If you can keep it out of court, ALL THE BETTER. Dont let them get a judgement against you. You will pay for it for years. I myself know all the loopholes regarding beating debt collector scams, 're-aging' fraud, stat -debt collection, reselling after cease and desist scams..... on and on it goes. there are several ways to beat these monkeys......even settle small debts if they agree it was 'an error' and remove it from the bureau. However, again, STUDENT LOANS ARE NOT IN THIS CATEGORY. If you try to run or play games, you will make it worse.

Aafes, You wrote: "Well, I keep my promises." - Making this statement, and then proudly declaiming that you walked away from 170K in debt is hypocritical. Aafes - Viernheim, Europe U.S.A. Not at all. I kept my end of the deal. They engaged in unfair business practices for no valid reason. Had they not gotten greedy and stupid, they would have been paid. I had every intention of paying them, thus , keeping my promise. Am I supposed to just let them rip me off for no reason and say thank you? I was a good customer for 14 years. And would have still been. No problem on my end. I have plenty of money. I think not.

Yes, I understand disposable income. I only pointed out that simply quitting a job does not make the garnishment disappear, especially if they find you, which can be done easily for government debts. While they may never get a penny from the wages of a low income individual, that individual may also never see a tax refund, which many count on each year. Additionally, I can't fathom anyone, who has spent many years getting an education, wanting to continue to work in a job with pay so low that they have no disposable income. "Well, I keep my promises." - Making this statement, and then proudly declaiming that you walked away from 170K in debt is hypocritical.

Yes, I understand disposable income. I only pointed out that simply quitting a job does not make the garnishment disappear, especially if they find you, which can be done easily for government debts. While they may never get a penny from the wages of a low income individual, that individual may also never see a tax refund, which many count on each year. Additionally, I can't fathom anyone, who has spent many years getting an education, wanting to continue to work in a job with pay so low that they have no disposable income. "Well, I keep my promises." - Making this statement, and then proudly declaiming that you walked away from 170K in debt is hypocritical.

Yes, I understand disposable income. I only pointed out that simply quitting a job does not make the garnishment disappear, especially if they find you, which can be done easily for government debts. While they may never get a penny from the wages of a low income individual, that individual may also never see a tax refund, which many count on each year. Additionally, I can't fathom anyone, who has spent many years getting an education, wanting to continue to work in a job with pay so low that they have no disposable income. "Well, I keep my promises." - Making this statement, and then proudly declaiming that you walked away from 170K in debt is hypocritical.

Yes, I understand disposable income. I only pointed out that simply quitting a job does not make the garnishment disappear, especially if they find you, which can be done easily for government debts. While they may never get a penny from the wages of a low income individual, that individual may also never see a tax refund, which many count on each year. Additionally, I can't fathom anyone, who has spent many years getting an education, wanting to continue to work in a job with pay so low that they have no disposable income. "Well, I keep my promises." - Making this statement, and then proudly declaiming that you walked away from 170K in debt is hypocritical.

First, you do not know the whole story behind why I walked away. I will summarize it. I had perfect credit for 14 years. Absolutely no lates, and always paid double/triple minimum, sometimes more. I had a 735 credit score. Withina period of just a couple of months all but one company [who got paid] doubled and tripled my low rates for no justifiable reason. Not any reason in my contracts. They told me that due to the amount of credit I carried, and had available, I was no longer a tier 1 borrower. Well, I'm not just going to bend over a barrel and let these monsters screw me! I told them it was unacceptable and if they didn't change back the rates, I was done paying. Well, I keep my promises. They were to big and too arrogant to think they had to deal with the little guy. They thought wrong. As far as Dept. of Ed garnishment, they are a joke. Any 3rd grade mind can figure this game out. These garnishments are a % of DISPOSABLE INCOME. Do you understand the disposable income theory? Take a job in the service industry for a few years. Sub minimum wage and tips. Do your mandatory tip allocation. Still NO DISPOSABLE INCOME to garnish. This was my point. It works. Been there. Done that. I was a Vegas cab driver for 7 years a long time ago. My pay has NEVER been SUCCESSFULLY garnished. And yes, I do have a hatred for NCO, and I have beaten them twice.

First on one of your posts: "Unless your job is a really good one, just quit! There goes the garnishment. Garnishments have to be refiled with a new employer, and you are under no legal obligation to tell anyone where you work." Dept of Education guarantees some student loans. If this were a guaranteed loan it will not go away. It is common practice for the government to contract with private collection agencies to colled defaulted debts owed to the U.S. Government. Collection on a contract basis is not selling the debt and the Government maintains the right to collect. Every state is required by Federal law to maintain a database in which employers report new hires. In the case of student loans and other government debts it is a simple task for them to access this database and discover your new employer. Unless you are willing to work under the table or change jobs very frequently you will not beat a wage garnishment for long. I realize you have an acquired hatred for NCO. Collectors are generally scum, that is a well known fact. The fact you continue to take pride in walking away from 170K in debt amazes me. In good faith, creditors provided you money or merchandise because you gave your word to repay. In response, eventually you gave them the finger. While this may work for you and they may never collect, it is bad advice to give others.

Let's take a look at what you've just said: "I never advised the OP to IGNORE NCO or hide her head in the sand." Well, what about the time you said: "Unless your job is a good one, just quit. ...you are under no obligation to tell anyone where you work." (Sounds like you're advising her to move so her wages can't be garnished.) "Change your phone # to an unlisted one." (Obviously, so collectors can't call her.) "Get a private mailbox. Do not ever use your actual home address and use a phony address when you sign up for the PMB. And don't allow them to sign for anything." (Sounds like you've advised her to make herself impossible to contact via certified mail and to hide her property address so she can't be served with a summons in person.) Next, why don't we take a look at your next declaration: "I did say put everything in writing." (Where? Where in this entire thread did you even advise communicating with them via mail?) For all intents and purposes Steve, your advice is a "sneak attack" waiting to happen. I'm sure, however,that you'll be here waiting to comfort poor Kimberly the second she finds out that she is the victim of a DEFAULT JUDGEMENT because the state of Georgia allows SERVICE BY PUBLICATION when the debtor can not be contacted by other means. And per your advice, you have left the collector with NO OTHER OPTIONS to inform her of a pending lawsuit, and no way for Kimberly to find out she needs to defend herself (unless she wants to scan the paper every day). What will you tell her then, Steve? I'm sure you'll say something about how you're living testimony to the solidness of your advice. But Steve, NOT ALL DEBTS ARE EQUAL AND NOT ALL STATE LAW ARE EQUAL. Do a little research before posting something that could get someone into serious trouble.

That was supposed to be $170,000 not $170. I have had lawsuits filed on me, but none of them made it to court. These people are so stupid and so arrogant, they ALWAYS make a mistake that lets me get it tossed! Think about it, If a lawyer actually knew anything, they would not be doing debt collection!

Heather, I NEVER advised the OP to IGNORE NCO or hide head in sand. I said NEVER SPEAK TO, and NEVER Pay.. I did say put everything in writing. Wages cannot be garnished without a judgement, and they cannot get a judgement without filing a lawsuit, AND winning. I never said to ignore a summons. I have beaten NCO twice. I know exactly how to beat NCO. And, I walked away from $170 almost 5 years ago. I have avoided every collector, and beaten every lawyer and lawsuit attempt. To date, I have no judgements against me and no wage garnishments. Therefore, I am fairly confident that my advice is solid.

Nice of you to chime in with an actual FACT after I posted. You initally told this person to just hide her head in the sand and ignore NCO. Well...that's BAD ADVICE Steve. Advice that could land her in huge financial trouble. THIS IS NOT A SIMPLE CONSUMER DEBT AND NEEDS TO BE TREATED SERIOUSLY. Point out whatever trivialities you want to pick apart in my post, but in the end, she's much safer tackling this thing head on and being INFORMED rather than getting hit in the back while she's running away. NCO is a pack of liars and cheats, and for that EXACT reason she needs to nip this problem in the bud right now. Don't let them get away with dirty tricks like sewer service armed with such a poison dart of a debt. Next time don't advise a consumer to ignore a problem if it's not in his/her best interest and I won't chime in. However, they have nowhere to turn when their wages are garnished "out of the blue" because you advised them to ignore them or operate under the radar...or a judgement that can ruin her credit report for the next 20 years. I agree that NCO employees are thugs, but in this case ignoring the problem will only make it get bigger. SOMEONE needed to tell her that.

Heather, You stated that the Dept of Ed can garnish 25% of take home pay. This is NOT correct. They can garnish UP TO 25% of DISPOSABLE INCOME. Disposable income is NOT the same as Take home pay. And it is only 25% if done DIRECTLY by the Dept of ED. State laws vary on 3rd party collectors for the Dept of Ed, but it is between 10%-15% of DISPOSABLE Income. Not take home pay. Big difference. ALL garnishments allow for a hardship hearing where you prove your expendable income to the hearing officer. Most Dept of ED garnishments get drastically reduced or squashed altogether. The OP DOES NOT have to deal with NCO, and she should not as they are liars, thieves, drug addicts and felons. Those are the facts.

Heather, You stated that the Dept of Ed can garnish 25% of take home pay. This is NOT correct. They can garnish UP TO 25% of DISPOSABLE INCOME. Disposable income is NOT the same as Take home pay. And it is only 25% if done DIRECTLY by the Dept of ED. State laws vary on 3rd party collectors for the Dept of Ed, but it is between 10%-15% of DISPOSABLE Income. Not take home pay. Big difference. ALL garnishments allow for a hardship hearing where you prove your expendable income to the hearing officer. Most Dept of ED garnishments get drastically reduced or squashed altogether. The OP DOES NOT have to deal with NCO, and she should not as they are liars, thieves, drug addicts and felons. Those are the facts.

Heather, You stated that the Dept of Ed can garnish 25% of take home pay. This is NOT correct. They can garnish UP TO 25% of DISPOSABLE INCOME. Disposable income is NOT the same as Take home pay. And it is only 25% if done DIRECTLY by the Dept of ED. State laws vary on 3rd party collectors for the Dept of Ed, but it is between 10%-15% of DISPOSABLE Income. Not take home pay. Big difference. ALL garnishments allow for a hardship hearing where you prove your expendable income to the hearing officer. Most Dept of ED garnishments get drastically reduced or squashed altogether. The OP DOES NOT have to deal with NCO, and she should not as they are liars, thieves, drug addicts and felons. Those are the facts.

Heather, You stated that the Dept of Ed can garnish 25% of take home pay. This is NOT correct. They can garnish UP TO 25% of DISPOSABLE INCOME. Disposable income is NOT the same as Take home pay. And it is only 25% if done DIRECTLY by the Dept of ED. State laws vary on 3rd party collectors for the Dept of Ed, but it is between 10%-15% of DISPOSABLE Income. Not take home pay. Big difference. ALL garnishments allow for a hardship hearing where you prove your expendable income to the hearing officer. Most Dept of ED garnishments get drastically reduced or squashed altogether. The OP DOES NOT have to deal with NCO, and she should not as they are liars, thieves, drug addicts and felons. Those are the facts.

Kimberly: Although Georgia does allow garnishment of up to 25% of your take-home pay, your wages can NOT be garnished unless someone has gone to court and obtained a judgement against you. Did the garnishment warning letter come from NCO, from the government, or from the local courthouse? If it's either of the latter 2, your situation is a bit more serious than with a run-of-the-mill debt collector. You can do a simple search on the PACER website to find out if you were the victim of any default judgements. If there is a judgement on file, find a consumer law attorney pronto in order to have it vacated. If there is no judgement on file, then NCO is lying to you and they can be held financially liable for all of their false and misleading statements. From this point on, all of your communications should be in writing via certified mail. At some point, you might need the attorney just to get them off of your back. All that being said, defaulted student loans DO NOT EVER GO AWAY. They're about the only debt that is not extinguished by a statute of limitations, so you need to work out a repayment plan with someone (preferably the lender) - make sure you get it in writing this time, however, and don't send anybody a dime until you do. Hiding out from this could only cause MAJOR problems down the road. Default judgements can be obtained (if you don't answer your door or mail) that could follow you around for the next 20 years. And switching jobs is not the best way to avoid garnishment, unless you want to be changing jobs every 4-6 months (federal 941 wage/tax reports are filed by employers every 3 months and guess who gets notified about new employment-yep judgement holders). Don't let them sneak something by you without defending yourself!

NEVER pay any 3rd party collector! NEVER even speak to any 3rd party collector! Go to FTC.gov and read and print the FDCPA, and go to BudHibbs.com to learn all about NCO and illegal and unethical collections practices. Unless your job is a really good one, just quit! There goes the garnishment. Garnishments have to be refiled with a new employer, and you are under no legal obligation to tell anyone where you work. Change your phone # to an unlisted one. Get a private mailbox for all mail. Do not ever use you actual home address, and use a phony address when you sign up for the PMB. Check the option to NOT allow them to sign for anything.