Collection agencies suck :P

bleh.

Published on May 9, 2005 By Spc Nobody Special In Business

Hello, may I speak to --------(my wife). Ummm. Okay. Hang on.

Another bill left over from my last renter. Crap, crap, crap. Sorry dear........

I bought a house in San Angelo, Tx. when I thought I was going to be getting out soon after getting back from Korea. Short trip to Ft. Hood, then home, right? Nope, stoploss, better rent it out if ya wanna see your wife for a couple of years. Long story short (too late) they trashed the place, did some things I won't go into, and skipped out on the rent. (and of course all of their utilities)

Part of the joy of all this, is that apparantly, some of the utilities were a little too slow (like a couple of months) to switch over billing, and didn't bother to pass on the bills in our name to our forwarding address. So, we ended up pestered on and off for months from utilities type people's collection agencies. Some that our renters had racked up in our name, some that they'd racked up in their own name, but that the utilities people wanted to hold us responsible for since it was our house. Yay.

Thought we'd got them all sorted out, but nope. Surprise again!!! Usually no explanations or rational discussion possible, just pay up the money you owe. (and the tacked on we sent it to a collection agency fees) Didn't you get all the notices we just lied about sending you? Well, maybe someone else in your house threw them all out......(who the damn cats?) Sigh..........time to call the phone company again tomorrow.....

Comments

Dynosoar

on May 10, 2005

Welcome to the wonderful world of Housing!!!

I go thru the same crap about once a month, trash the place, skip out on the bills...and people get upset when I ask for 2 months rent and a security deposit!!!

When you get back to where the house is start filing motions against the turds who bilked you. I'm sure in Texas there is a whole lot of laws to help you recoup your losses.
Bonus if they were in the military, a quick call to their CO and proof of the lease, and they get payroll deduct or an Article 15 !!!

Collectors are an unfortunate nessesity of life, granted they just see your name pop up on a screen, as the auto-dialer calls your home, you can request they no longer call, and mail all contact, or even ask to speak to their supervisor ( who is probably the only person in the room with half a brain ) hey, someone's gotta do it.....

Judgements against the renters should be easy to attain, exersising a judgement is a little more difficult, but not impossible. In NC, once you get a judgement it's on record for ten years, and renewable for ten more, and if the party ever sells a piece of real property, or has an inheritance go thru probate, you are at the head of the line, and get paid ( plus interest ) before any funds can be legally distributed......( for every judgement I've had issued I"ve collected on 5 out of maybe 50 ) it's like found money!!!!

Good luck with the phone company, the calls are more than likely routed thru India........

jtories

on Dec 08, 2006

“I can’t believe that bill collector had the nerve to say that to me. I’m going to sue that collection agency.” Yea right! Do you think you’re the only person who has felt that way? Do you believe you are better at the game of collections than a certified collector? You’re already enrolled in the school of hard knocks so why don’t you do something right for a change and stick it to the man. Check out www.beatthecollector.com.

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