I've seen some shenanigans from CA's, but turning a $2875 CO into $6891? They must be huffing propane. If it were me, I'd probably offer 'em $1800 and work up if needed. When I negotiated settlements I never left it open-ended and never offered payments. I always made it absolute and threw in something to make it time sensitive like "I borrowed this money and it's every penny I was able to scrape together. If not acceptable, I understand but I'm not going to be in a position to make this offer again." They'll try everything, asking you for postdated checks and all kinds of garbage. I tried to politely convey "it's now or never" and usually it worked, although a few times I had to ante up maybe a few hundred dollars additional. Try to appear sincere and humble in your tone, like this is all you have, and you really want to settle it. Maintain control though, don't come off meek. Don't let them railroad you. I have found that when you come at a CA nasty and on the defensive right from the start, you will get nothing but grief back. It's like kicking an angry dog. On the other side of that, if you come at them groveling, they will eat you alive. You have to land somewhere in the middle to create a level playing field. It's not easy! Just one guy's opinion. It worked for me at least. Good luck!
Message Edited by devhip on 05-18-2007 04:24 PM
