Collectcorp and Ms. Edwards...HELP!!!

Hi,  I've read through some of the posts here and I am so glad to see I am not alone.  I am really very desperate and scared right now.  I am currently a full time student at law school, this is my final year and I am desperate to finish so I can get a good job and finally be financially independent.  However this dream is being threatened by my stupid prior student loans.  I have an outstanding loan of just over $5000 CSL and $1200 OSL.  They are from my previous degree.  I did not get any student loans for law school because I live common law and for whatever reason the government seems to think my partner should be able to pay my fees and support me and himself on his $35,000 a year job.  Anyway, I secured a line of credit to finance my degree and during my first year everything was fine.  I provided the confirmation of enrollment to CIBC and my two loans remained in interest free status.  But then in my second year the problems began.  The CIBC contacted me and said they didn't recieve my confirmation of enrollment so I sent it again.  I did not hear from them again until the summer after my second year then I got a phone call from Collectcorp saying my loans were seriously in arrears.  I said I was a full time student.  They said I was not.  I said I provided proof.  They said I did not.  THen they told me I had to come up with over $400 in interest payments to have the loans sent back to CIBC.  I said I did not have that kind of money since my summer job barely covered my rent and bills.  THen the next thing I know the OSL has gone to collection.  Then now I am receiving calls from a different part of Collectcorp from a Ms. Edwards and a very aggressive MR. Besuchi about my CSL.  They are telling me that I am basically the scum of the earth and that I am ripping of the tax payers of Canada.  THey tell me I have until MOnday to come up with $6227.28 and that I should get it from my Father.  They said that if I dont' the Royal Bank will start coming after me for my credit line becuase they will see I don't pay my bills.  They asked me why I make payments on my credit line interest but dont' feel I need to pay the CIBC.  They asked me why I think I'm entitled to go to school to further my education when I owe money!!! I have tried to explain to these people that I fully intend to pay my debts.  I just need to finish school.  I don't understand why it is my fault that the CIBC screwed up and didn't process my confirmation of enrollment forms. I have offered to resend them but they say it is too late.  Is there any way to get these loans returned to the CIBC I cannot deal with these Collectcorp people.  They are so aggressive.  There is no way I can come up with $6000 in four days.  God if I could do that I would have just paid the damn loans.  I really don't know what to do.  I just want the stupid loans to go back to the CIBC....I am afraid now that they have sent this to collection I will not get anymore credit from the Royal Bank and I will be unable to pay off my fees in order to graduate.  Then no one will get any of the money I owe!  Please any advice anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, thanks so much for responding! Yes Ms. Edwards is a piece of work.  I read the post by the other person who dealt with her.  I think I read a post from someone who dealt with Mr. Bersuchi too.  I can't believe these people can even look themselves in the mirror!  They should be ashamed of themselves.  I think I'd rather live on the street than be employed in a job like that! 

Anyway, I've tried to talk to the CIBC before but get nowhere.  They insist they never recieved the forms.  They even told me they would launch an investigation but I never heard back from them about that.  I suppose I'd better try again though.  I can't believe that banks can put people through this.  They are ruining people's lives and don't give a damn.   I will try calling them again tomorrow and see what happens.  Perhaps if I resend forms to them they might do something.   I HATE banks.  I think if and when I ever do have money and have paid off my debts (its gotta happen eventually) I will keep my money under my mattress. Hahaha   Oh I'll also use some  to take out contracts for Ms. Edwards and Mr. Bersuchi!  Kidding...although its tempting.

Hi!  Its so nice that people respond here.  Thanks, it really makes me feel better that there are understanding people out there that don't just want to mock me or make me feel i am some sort of social pariah because of my student loans.  I'm so glad I found this site.  I really am terribly distraught about all this especially because this is all unnecessary since my loans were supposed to be in interest relief while i'm in school.

I am sure you are right about the Royal Bank as long as I pay my bills to Royal Bank I'm sure they could care less what the CIBC wants from me.  Something should really be done about those people at Collectcorp though I was so disgusted, angry and upset after speaking with them.  The man even told me that all of my finances were his business because I owe money to the Crown.  He also demanded information about my Father and how I got my credit line and if he co signed the credit line etc.  Then he started saying if your Father can go and get you thousands of dollars to go to school he can pay off this debt to the Crown.  He also said I should have used my credit line to pay off my student loans while I was in school!  I told him my Father had nothing to do with my student loans so this was his business.  He said it was his business and that my Father must have a perfect credit rating and could get the money!  Can these people get away with this!?!? These people are really awful...

In the meantime I guess I'll take Kwelmm's advice and try speaking to the CIBC although I'm doubtful it will get me anywhere.  Should I send some money to these collection people...like $20 or someting or just ignore their calls?  God I don't know what to do...I can't have another conversation like the one today though I'll seriously lose my mind!

resend your confirmation of enrollment forms by fax and also by registered mail.  also send a copy by interbranch mail at your local CIBC branch.  send copies every two days until they confirm receipt.  or, if you have a fax machine at home loop it through your fax and send it all day long.  i bet they call to confirm receipt of that in a hurry .

email and write a letter of complaint to the CIBC ombudsman ( look on the homepage of this website for the  info).  be polite yet let them know you're not impressed.  something about how you've been dealing with CIBC for so long and have always been impressed with their level of service yet are discouraged to see that like the many customers who had their confidetial information mistakenly faxed to some poor autowrecker in the states, you are forced to deal with their incompetence and are disgusted at the lackadaisical attitude of their employees who seem to have no interest in helping you resolve this situation that they have created.

that ought to get their attention.  cc the letter to the local paper of your choice and whoever you can think of that might be able to light a fire under these people.

(sorry, mom is having a fed up with other people getting screwed over kind of day...i tend to get - what am i looking for - firey when others have to deal with the fallout of someone's incompetence)

Momof2, Thank you so much.  That all sounds like a brilliant idea.  I am going to get copies of the enrolment forms from school today and start sending them right away.  I will also write to the CIBC Ombudsman.  Do you think there is any possibility I might get this recalled to the CIBC.  That is all I really want.  I have always fully intended to pay my debts when I finish school I just don't think its fair I should be sent to collection and abused by these people when in reality I've done nothing wrong...I'm only going to school to improve my chances of being able to pay my debts for god sakes!!!  Anyway, thanks for your help.  I will give it a try.  Should I be telling those Collectcorp **** this is what I'm doing???

mesonic

anything is possible, depends how much noise you make and how badly they just want to get rid of you.  the key is to complain to the right people, and never lose your temper.  document everything and dont take no for an answer. 

off topic but a good example.  my mom bought a silver rattle for my daughter from birks.  she made it clear the rattle was to be used, not to be a keepsake.  it wasnt cheap.  at 3 months, my kid broke it.  sent it back, they repaired it after giving mom a hard time.  got it back, it broke again.  so i held onto it for over a year, getting mad every time i looked at it.  my mom tried returning it to the store, they wouldnt to anything.  i got ticked off a few weeks ago and emailed birks, told them how disappointed i was with the service and the quality of goods they were selling etc.  three days later my mom got a call to bring in the rattle, they replaced it  and the girls at the store were very nice to her.  two years after the initial purchase, no hard time, even an apology.  so persistence can pay off.

silence, i live in the middle of nowhere, my neighbours are deer and moose and a few farmers.  i wish i had some folks around who i could talk to, probably one of the reasons im here so often.  anytime you guys want to talk, i'm around.  i'll have to look into getting a yahoo email or something so we can yak and not take up space

persist persist persist

nothing worth having comes easy, as they say.

check under my profile, my yahoo addy is enabled

Hi guys, thanks so much to everyone for being so nice and helpful.  I have contacted the CIBC ombudsman...or at least a representative in his department...they are promising they are looking into it and will be contacting me soon.  If I don't hear from them by next week I will call back.  I am really hoping they see it my way and recall my loans.  In the meantime I've received two more messages from Ms. Edwards at Collectcorp to which I have not replied.  I will wait to hear from the CIBC first.  I mean really all I'm asking for is what I was entitled to...that my loans remain in good standing and interest free status while I'm in school.  Not too much to ask I don't think.  BUt we'll see...I'm not too hopeful but at least the ball is sort of rolling.  Do you think I should just ignore the Collectcorp calls until I've heard from CIBC or answer them and tell them what I'm doing.  I'm just reluctant to get back on the phone with them again and have to put up with further abuse.

I'm at the computer a lot...I'd love to chat anytime...

K.

guys

im on and off my puter all day so feel free.  my email is above, my yahoo messenger info is in my profile.  the more the merrier !!

thanks momof2

I just updated my profile to include the email address

...I will mostly be on in the evening.... if there are others too, please just look me up....