Hello everybody!
I've been checking out this website for some time now and it's got a
lot of useful information. Currently, I have 2 student
loans. One from RBC and one through government. This is
what happened with the RBC Loan.
I had a collection agency contact me in January stating that my RBC
loan (around $4500) is in default and I needed to pay about $300 in
order to bring it to good status. At the time I lost my job and
couldn't make the payment. She said that if I didn't make the
payment by end of january of 2005 that RBC will close it. I
didn't care at the time cuz I couldn't afford it anyways. In
March I get a phone call from Federal Credit from Saskatchewan.
The collector was alright, reasonable, and I had told her that I will
try to see if I can borrow the money from my parents. I called
her back and advised that I couldn't, and set up payment arrangements
w/ her. One week later, I get a legal letter demanding payment in
full. They also sent this legal letter to my old address, even
though I had updated my address with them a month earlier.
On my legal letter, signed by some lawyer from Saskatchewan, it tells
me to call Ms. Sosa if I wish to stop this process. I called that
day to talk to Ms. Sosa (I had to call a long distance # and not a toll
free #, which collection agency has to provide you with)., and I was
transferred to a girl named Cindy I think. She said I had 3 days
to come up w/ the funds ($3800 for settlement) or they will procede w/
employment verification and such. I called her 3 days later and
told her I couldn't come up w/ the funds but this is what I was
proposing for monthly payments.. She then said that was fine.. I
thought this was odd..
I called the company and asked to speak to Ms. Sosa again.. Turns out
Ms. Sosa is a secretary. Ms. Sosa also doesn't have BC
Collector's License and somehow her name is on this LEGAL letter.
So Ms. Sosa has access to my information without having a
licence. I thought that was interesting. I then asked to
speak to the president of the company and I made an official complaint
about that..
This is really a long story, but also, turns out that the letter that
the lawyer had signed, I called, and the lawyer doesn't have a licence
to practice law in BC. Never had one and currently doesn't have
one. I've been hung up on by 2 different managers at that
company, and finally ended up calling RBC and telling them that I have
$2300 and they can take it or leave it. RBC accepted my 50%
settlement (even tho their guidelines where 80% and I have just
received a release letter from the Royal bank and from the collection
agency).
My point is, I do know the BC Debt Collection act through a friend and
these guys broke 3 laws just by talking to me. I faxed them a
statement stating that all communication to be done by email, no phone
calls and no mail and in return I responded in every email by 24
hours. The MANAGER calls me and leaves a message for me on my VM
at which point I called him back and said to check the fax on my file..
He started abusing me and calling me a liar, needless to say, I hung up
on him and contacted the president again.. Hey I know he's a busy man,
but I called that collection agency about 10 times that day and annoyed
the heck out of them.. Needless to say, I got my 50% settlement, it's
been paid and now I have to tackle my Government Student Loan at
$21000. As far as I'm aware they don't offer settlements, but I
will post more on that once I get a chance.
sldrama *sigh*, i wish I had never taken out a student loan!!!
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