Clydesmom Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 I never started my own thread on this but have mentioned it in several of my replies and just had to share. PRA (one of the worst out there in the collections industry) was robo-calling me.Sent cease and desist calls, all contact in writing, plus DV.4 more calls within 6 weeks of the letter being signed for and no validation ever sent.Beyond SOL so I disputed with CRAs: verified.Tried CFPB: absolutely useless. They simply verified as quickly as a CRA would.PRA updated as going into collections then updated as 120 days past due as well as a monthly payment being made for each month over two or more years.Got a lawyer.Disputed again: updated again as a NEW collection and continues to report current payments.Kept copies of each months' new credit report showing inaccuracies.Filed sworn affidavit of never having made payment to them EVER and sent to CRAs with new dispute.Came back verified AGAIN.Filed with BBB prior to filing suit. PRA verified with them AGAIN.Filed a response to BBB disagreeing and attached copies of all disputes, affidavit, credit reports, and the math showing if I had made the payments they allege the debt would have been paid over two years ago. Checked CR over the weekend and PRA gone. Received letter today stating they deleted from all 3 agencies!!!! Success and no lawsuit needed. If I can win so can you do not give up. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BV80 Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Good job, Clydesmom! Persistence and patience pay off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kutuzov Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Great Job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Credator Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Nice! It was unclear to me what role the lawyer played and whether they worked for fee or contingency. Playing every angle is often the way to go. At some point opposing reaches their pain/risk threshold and opts out of the game. "We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough." -Helen Keller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clydesmom Posted September 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Good job, Clydesmom! Persistence and patience pay off. You are not kidding on the persistence part. It was depressing and daunting at times but it did pay off. I know there are those who think I should have gone ahead and sued them but the attorney forewarned me that PRA digs in for the long haul on those in my state and this really is the result I wanted and it was MUCH faster and easier than a federal court case. Good luck to everyone else fighting the good fight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clydesmom Posted September 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Nice! It was unclear to me what role the lawyer played and whether they worked for fee or contingency. Playing every angle is often the way to go. At some point opposing reaches their pain/risk threshold and opts out of the game. "We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough." -Helen Keller The attorney was working on contingency but had warned me that PRA drags this stuff out to the bitter end. They advised if deletion and a cease of all collection activities was the goal to try the BBB before we resorted to filing suit. If the BBB had not panned out we had more than enough evidence and file so I took the chance and it worked. Does that help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrg24 Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Congrats!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyerfan Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Great job Clydesmom!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Credator Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 ...Does that help?It helps clarify. PRA - "preying on consumers since 1996". Turning the tables on them puts a smile on my face. “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” - Albert Einstein Some "rules" have not been written yet and we have an occasional opportunity to write them. This is known as case law. Making case law is not a walk in the park and that is why the value of persistence is hard to overstate. “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race” - Calvin Coolidge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Determined1 Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Congrats Clydesmom! I have PRA pestering me over an account they claim was closed in 1999. They are simply the worst. Good for you for holding their feet to the fire! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Credator Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 You are not kidding on the persistence part. It was depressing and daunting at times but it did pay off. I know there are those who think I should have gone ahead and sued them but the attorney forewarned me that PRA digs in for the long haul on those in my state and this really is the result I wanted and it was MUCH faster and easier than a federal court case. Good luck to everyone else fighting the good fight!Cognitive Dissonance, I suppose:From http://www.portfoliorecovery.com/about/index.htmlRespecting CustomersPRA was founded on the premise that consumers who have fallen behind on their bills deserve to be treated fairly and with respect. We realize that people face financial challenges from time to time. Account representatives of our collection subsidiary, Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC (PRA LLC), listen to customers to understand their individual needs and circumstances. PRA LLC works with customers to develop realistic, affordable repayment plans in compliance with consumer protection laws. Apparently making people feel depressed and daunted is their intentional goal. Meanwhile they publish the above fiction of "respecting customers" on their website. Each person that prevails against them, whether in or out of court, and gets some satisfaction for their situation has not only helped themselves but made an abusive business model slightly less profitable. All those that take on this monstrosity deserve credit, especially when they create a win for themselves Congrats for winning and to those still being harassed keep up the good fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shellieh98 Posted September 23, 2013 Report Share Posted September 23, 2013 Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin Posted September 24, 2013 Report Share Posted September 24, 2013 Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racecar Posted September 24, 2013 Report Share Posted September 24, 2013 Clydesmom glad to hear you dispatched PRA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clydesmom Posted September 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2013 Thanks everyone. It was hard but worth it. 700 FICO here I come!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debtzapper Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 Filling a BBB complaint in the debt collector's home state has often resulted in consumers getting their desired result. You can do Google searches of "BBB complaint and XYZ company" and see where the complaint was resolved. I am not entirely sure why that sometimes works, since the BBB is often rather ineffectual in resolving other consumer complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debtzapper Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 PRA is among the worst. Lemberg Law got a $350K settlement from them this year. http://www.lemberglaw.com/blog/?category_name=debt-collection 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 Filling a BBB complaint in the debt collector's home state has often resulted in consumers getting their desired result. You can do Google searches of "BBB complaint and XYZ company" and see where the complaint was resolved. I am not entirely sure why that sometimes works, since the BBB is often rather ineffectual in resolving other consumer complaints.@debtzapper - I totally agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clydesmom Posted September 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 Filling a BBB complaint in the debt collector's home state has often resulted in consumers getting their desired result. You can do Google searches of "BBB complaint and XYZ company" and see where the complaint was resolved. I am not entirely sure why that sometimes works, since the BBB is often rather ineffectual in resolving other consumer complaints. Apparently whether the BBB works depends entirely upon WHICH BBB you are dealing with. Some are zealous defenders of consumers rights and advocate for them 100% and other branches are little more than the fox guarding the hen house and do nothing but pay lip service while claiming they are a consumer advocate. I can say at least that this one in VA does work very hard and one in Minnesota does as well. Beyond that: I know California is a waste of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clydesmom Posted September 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 PRA is among the worst. Lemberg Law got a $350K settlement from them this year. http://www.lemberglaw.com/blog/?category_name=debt-collection NICE. That case was this year too. I know when Budd Hibbs was alive he had them listed as one of the top five worst EVER debt collectors. It is a shame that when he passed away there was no one at his firm/organization willing to continue the fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blinkybambam Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 CONGRATS!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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