Violation of Personal Information, PFD provided they....Please help.

[Anonymous]

I have a Security Finance loan balance of $400.00. I would have paid this already, but they upset me a year ago after knowing that my spouse had passed away, and then I got laid off with 2 kids.  I told them if they hang on, I would get them paid just as soon as I could.

Here's the deal.  They kept calling my work right before I got laid off, the office got frustrated saying they didn't have time to be my bill collector (at a school), very embarrassing, they kept calling my cell at least twice daily and tell me they aren't going away...One day I was at home and they came up to my door, a woman and a man and stood there forever knocking and talking the whole time I was in my daughters Bedroom. They actually tried to see if my front door was open....Then to make matters worse, before I could go to my mom's house (2 1/2 hrs away) and tell her I am getting laid off as of such and such date, they called my brother and told him to have me call them.  They told him how much I owed and that they know I got laid off.  Really upset my mother.  Then pulled 2 hard inquiries in 11-09.

I told mom I was going to PFD provided they also take off the 2 inquiries due to the privacy information that was given out.  My mother says no, they should forgive this amount because they told private information, harrassed, and tried to open my front door.  The main company is in another state, and I know from a while ago I had went into their office to get them to delete some old accounts that were supposed to have fallen off already. They said they would have to contact their main office.

Question is, do I contact the main office with a nice letter about privacy acts, giving out private information, is there such a letter.. How would you go about this. It is still within SOL and I am not scared if they do try to sue, cause I'll get my brother in court with me, what's your opinion?? Thanks so much in advance. I will pay this, however, my mother wanted to to seek other opinions on what to do first as well.

[soliloquy]

I'd try the PFD letter approach but I'd send it certified mail return receipt. I'd explain your circumstances in the letter and see what they say. If they were not responsive to that, I'd report them to the FTC. In fact, after I resolved this issues, I'd probably report them to FTC anyway. I'm mad for you...

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty mad that day they came to my house.  I wished I would have gotten the license plate number or videod  it with my cell.  One time I was in the shower, right after I got out I heard this honking and honking.  My cell phone then rang. I answered it and it was a lady collecting for security finance.  I asked her if that was her outside my house honking and she said yeah,  are you not going to come outside.  I told her I was just getting out of the shower and I had to deliver my (Other child) to her dad's house and I was in a hurry.  I told her you'll just have to wait till I get dressed and asked her did she not have the strength to come up to my door and knock instead of honking outside.  Needless to say, I called my other childs dad and told him I was gonna be a little late, and made that lady sit outside my door for like 30 minutes in her car. It was funny!!! That's how bad they can be over here.

[newstart2010]

ugh, i am so sorry you had to deal with a company like this.  we dealt with something similar with Consumer Portfolio Services.  They followed me one day to pick up my kids, confronted me at their school in front of everyone, called my mother in law and said that our kids were being removed from the house and that we were going to jail unless she paid, told us they had police on their way over to arrest us and take the kids away and split them up, and one guy even said unmentionable things about my daughter after she answered the phone one day.  Collectors are scum.  But some are a low type of scum that is not even phatomable until you have to deal with them.

Send them a letter offering to PFD, but put in it that you are willing to work with them even though they violated several credit reporting and collecting laws (and list out their violations) and that they are very clearly in the wrong and should be forgiving this debt.  Send a copy to the FTG, AG, and BBB.  and show in the letter that a copy is being sent to all of those places.  Also send a copy to the president and vice pres of the CA, and send it to the pres of the original creditor company.  Show everyone involved how they have acted, and make sure you include as many details as possible.  

Most likely they will comply out of shame and needing to sweep this under the rug before you complain more.  Ask for full deletion ,and removal of the inquiries from you reports.

When you are done and have received what you need, file a complaint with the AG and FTC.  This way they have a record for future use when others have to complain.  Yeah, its going agains thte agreement you made, but they need to be tattled on.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies.  This helps so much. I will work on it tonight and send it tomorrow...I also need to put in their to quit calling my cell, i don't answer it anyway, and only communicate through the mail... Sorry about that in front of the school bit.  Collectors and harrassment is unethical.

[newstart2010]

you need to make it clear that its your cell phone that they are calling.  its illegal for them to cause you to incur charges, and calling your cell phone does such.  its also illegal for them to contact you at work.  they have had lots of minor violations before you even get to the issue of them coming to your house.  that is absolutely not allowed.  its harassment.  and next time i would suggest you call the police to file a report.  when was the last time they came by?

[Anonymous]

I moved out of my house in Aug. so they haven't been there since I guess last of July 2009.  I don't have my home phone, lol, cause I combined my high speed internet with my cable bill and have a huge discount, so i'm saving money there, and the only phone they have is my cell. I didn't think about calling during the day. Only if they have cingular will I not be charged, hmmm... They may have pulled my CR in Nov. 2009 (Twice on the same day) to see if there is a current address or something. I'm going to send the letter to their main office in the other state. It's not in TX though.  I think while i'm at it i'll send a letter to them to only make contact through the mail from now on to the office in TX. See if they violate that, Thanks so much for your help.  I have nothing against paying something I owe, but not when they do those things.

[soliloquy]

I think it would be helpful for you to review the rest of the ACT so that you can know your rights.

The ACT as provided by the FTC is here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf

It covers topics such as:

Table of Contents

§ 801   Short title

§ 802   Congressional findings and declaration of purpose

§ 803   Definitions

§ 804   Acquisition of location information

§ 805   Communication in connection with debt collection

§ 806   Harassment or abuse

§ 807   False or misleading representations

§ 808   Unfair practices

§ 809   Validation of debts

§ 810   Multiple debts

§ 811   Legal actions by debt collectors

§ 812   Furnishing certain deceptive forms

§ 813   Civil liability

§ 814   Administrative enforcement

§ 815   Reports to Congress by the Commission

§ 816   Relation to State laws

§ 817   Exemption for State regulation

§ 818   Exception for certain bad check enforcement programs operated by private entities

§ 819   Effective date

[Anonymous]

Thanks soliloquy, I will definitely check that out. Can't get to the P.O. today cause of the snow, so that gives me an extra day. I am going to try to get this out on Monday, start of a new week.