Goody_Ouchless

I took personal responsibility for my circumstance and didn't blame my creditors. We've had this debate - I never said I'm a nice guy, but I own the consequences of my actions. If I hadn't beaten them it would be worse, but I'd still own it.

Is there evidence of this? I never sought Arb, but in courts where there was "mediation," it was early in the process and treated like a formality.

Not sure where you got that from, as I lost my home AND stopped paying credit cards. It was during the meltdown, but our fall from grace was our own doing. If I had asked more questions instead of trusting my wife that we could afford a mansion and luxury vehicles, we'd be in a much better place now. We even got a check because our lender was naughty, but it wasn't their fault that we chose to live like kings. EDIT: I think our disconnect is our approach to villains. You see lenders as evil and debtors as their righteous victims. I don't see any "clean shirts" (to quote a former boss) in any of this. Some of us help out because it's a fun intellectual exercise, not because we see these folks as victims.

I would suspect there are thousands of employees at places like Encore that find their careers and paychecks to be "good." As for the rest, I must be the only hard core Progressive on this site who wonders where "personal responsibility" went. I see a lot of whining on this site and my self-inflicted encounter with the industry is well documented.

In one case it led to a back-and-forth. It was the end of the era when purchased debts came with no documentation and, this particular account may have been paid off at one time via a mortgage re-fi. Problem was that the place that handled paying off all of those debts was out of business. Plaintiff's lawyer repeatedly said that the last thing they wanted to do was pursue the wrong party or a debt that was paid off. Eventually we hired a lawyer who found that they had gotten an MSJ granted. Our lawyer got them to rescind the judgement and dismiss with prejudice. I never asked how, but the documentation that was provided was clearly in error (bill-of-sale dated before the account was even charged off, etc.) and what scant documentation we had about the potential re-fi payoff must have sown enough seeds of doubt. It happened again with another account at a mediation conference. Plaintiff had the goods that time, yet was very open to any explanation we might offer and was more than willing to go back to her client for whatever additional documentation we required. It was a card with no arbitration clause and the OC was local, so even if we beat MSJ and fought adoptive business records, it would have cost essentially nothing for an OC witness to appear. We settled that account, and when I went to the law office of the debt buyer with my check everyone was polite and professional. So my experiences have been the opposite of what Mr Rocker describes. I'm not in the PR game. Nothing zealous about the truth. It does a grave disservice to mislead people into thinking that debt buyers and their representatives are something they aren't. The OP's conundrum could be solved with a phone call that you,. zealously, warn her against making.

At war with companies that attempt to collect valid debts? Again, maybe I had rare experiences, but most of the debt buyers I dealt with were like "if it's not your debt, tell me - I'm begging you."

I know exactly what you said and I reject it as incorrect and unhelpful to the OP. And what's the violent imagery? Unfortunately that, too, is not just a Texas thing.

Talk about Monty Python... It actually is just a business agreement. If the debt belongs to someone other than the OP's son or husband, it will be resolved in a phone call. The ONLY reason I can see to not call is because the debt is legit and the plaintiff messed up on the name or birth date. What can I say, Harry is a wonderful human being and a mighty fine dancer.

What a great idea!!!! ^^^^^^^^

Why not just call the plaintiff? If you don't want to talk to the law firm, you could try PRA. They will have the evidence in front of them and be able to clear it all up.

Probably great advice. If this debt is not your husbands or your sons, and you explain that, they aren't going to waste their time. Be wary of old-timers that tell you debt buyers and their law firms are like dealing with the Sopranos. They are all just normal people working normal jobs.

That not withstanding, do you have knowledge of any Capital One card issued to your son? Was it a case of a co-signer? While obfuscation can work when the plaintiff is confused about similar names, addresses, etc., they are also capable of correcting such errors.

Try out for the UFC.

You're in luck. Synchrony cards have consumer-friendly arbitration clauses.

Let it go. You won - they won't be back.