Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Amazing what a little lawsuit can do

Collectcorp has been the bane of my existence for the last couple of weeks. Now, I read up on FDCPA quite a while back when I was without a job for three years. I knew what they were doing was illegal. I kept trying and trying to talk to the woman harrassing me AT WORK...you know, AT MY NEW JOB...she wouldn't shut up. She wouldn't pay attention. All she would do was degrade me, mock me and otherwise abuse me.

I asked time and time again that they not call me at work or they would make me lose my job and that they were violating federal law in doing so. At least...I said it - but I doubt she heard over all the abuse she continued to heap on me in an ever ending tirade. I told her she needed to stop calling me or she would be hearing from my lawyer.

I have had more than enough of that in my life from people I care about a hell of a lot more than I care about her.

Still...

I was willing to try and find a way to get my point across in a civil manner.

Until she called my landlord.

Eff that.

I lost my ever lovin' mind. Then she has the cajones to call AGAIN. Not once, not twice but FIVE TIMES in 20 min. Finally, the last time, I told her: "Look, you can speak with my lawyer because you obviously aren't getting it." And, of course, I had to say this over her tirade at me.

She finally pauses and says, "What, that imaginary lawyer of yours, just like that imaginary modeling you've done or that imaginary...." I hung up at that point.

I then called Dana and said, "Let's do it."

So...

Indeed...

I am setting the lawyers loose on Collectcorp in a suit against them for violation of FDCPA. It will actually cost them quite a bit more than the bill they were calling me about (which, as an aside has been being paid on every month religiously as my credit report shows). I'm sure they will counter sue for the debt they claim I owe, but at that point I really don't care. I will negotiate the payments I was already making, wave a few papers in front of the judge who - if they are as brilliant as most are - will realize what's going on and smack Collectcorp for being so stupid.

And, if I can find a way to do it, "Ms" Ranotta of Collectcorp will be receiving a lawsuit against her personally. I'm checking a few things out, but she pushed too hard and too far without pausing long enough to realize she was on the phone with someone who originally wanted to get things straightened out.

I'm generally not one for lawsuits. As a matter of fact, out of all the nastiness I've dealt with in my life, this is the first time I've been pushed this far. But, I'm done. I'm fed up. I love my job too much to lose it to this stupidity and I love myself too much to tolerate being degraded daily.

I am please by the amazing silence of my phones today and all I can think is that she's sitting at her desk today thinking, "Oh, shit...that lawyer wasn't so imaginary after all."

Damn skippy she wasn't.