Update. Rant/old post update.

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Two years ago I posted the topic Rant.... Getting sick sucks...

Well today that post took a turn. The original post was about my credit card company not working with me while I was sick back in 2018 and setting my dept. as defaulted. Well today I was served papers saying that they are suing me.

They have not tried to contact me since January 2019. The only thing I have gotten was from a lawyer that represented their collection company.

So now I have more stress to deal with this month but I have no money to give them. What things I have don't even add up to what I ow them so.

I have reached out to the aid office that the cop that served my pointed out on my paperwork so I hope to hear back. Most they can do is sheriff sale me. But I own nothing, A few computers and camera gear (The camera gear would not be here if they did sheriff sale me) and the computers all have a system key lock as well as a bios lock on them so not even Bill Gates could unlock them. So.

This is so not what I needed today.
 
It may help to contact your senators or house of representatives to let them know what is happening. They are there to represent you. Now is the time to see if they will.
 
Try Consumer Reports for this situation - false credit card bills or records enforcement. You might have to go to a friend who has a subscription, or the library. Report them to better Business Bureau. Report them to Feds. Report them to Consumer Reports (via a short email to CR)
Second, do you have any proof of payment? I had a receipt from a Sears payment. Really minor, about $34.00. Sears got several copies by mail. I went into a Sears store with the original receipt. That didn't work, even though the Sears employee assured me it would. It took about 30 years before they recognized that I'd paid and took me off their "no Sears Card list". I had stopped going to them, anyway. My wife had gotten the card nearly 15 years later, and she got a letter (ad), much later, for for a Sear-only store card, (not a "credit Card"), that offered one for a spouse. We tried it and it worked. To make a long long story short, i didn't need them, then, and gave up after at least 5-8 tries and several years. They kept adding "non-payment fees. I did NOT pay them double. I have seen an article in Consumer Reports, I'm pretty sure.
I'd used it only a few times, and Sears closed the one here, then went bankrupt. The one in the nearest big city is closed, too. Frankly, since they became a non-everything store, I used it even less.
Oh yeah. Your idea to get the main "valuables and sentimental items" out of your home is great idea. Not sure if you get warning from Sherrif, in advance of the date. Your tactic worked during Great Depression. Back up your computer! Get that backup out of your home. If necessary, just backup important data to a cheaper dangle. Make sure your credit cards are not accessible. Your computer's code can be broken, but it can be expensive to do that unless you Sherrif's department has a computer expert. If the amount of money is "minor", they probably won't bother, but it can also be "wiped" and sold.
Damn. I hate this sort of things. My house loan got sold 4 times in the space of 3 years. Every time they claimed I wasn't making payment and added late-payment-fees. I had to proved to each bank that i was on auto-payment and they'd received it. Reported them to State and Feds, and sent copies to the banks. My bank records fixed that. It lowers your Credit Rating, and I didn't bother to research it, but you can fill out a dispute with them, too. They had to acknowledge the payments and the late fees vanished, but I stopped doing business with one of them, and had never even had accounts with the others. They each found a new fee to add to our payments - that's why they sell your mortgage. Some banks now have a clause saying they won't sell your mortgage. When we refinanced when interest rate fell so low, that's one of the things we looked for.
Make an unholy nuisance of yourself! Keep writing, calling, and sending emails! Report them! Make comments on line! Give them the worst ratings! You might try that with the county sherrifs. If he's a political appointee, do the same to the political party. Do the same to the local councils like City Councils and County Boards. Talk/write/email to all your representatives, at every level. Every week, if you have time, do it again to your elected officials, tell whomever that your problem hasn't been fixed.
An injury to one is an injury to all. When you finally beat them, you help the next victim. Pass on what worked.
All my best, and keep up your spirits!
 
P.S. Lots of people have had similar trouble with hospital bills during this pandemic. The judge often looked at their income and circumstances, set payments at a ridiculously low monthly rate. Some even acknowleged the "debtor" had no money due to no job, not really enough money for food for family. Tell the Credit Card Company that's all they are going to get if they do sue. These are heartless power/money hungry people (well, "alleged" people)! Screw them all back. Send them a bill (get an official looking form on line). Each month, add interest and late payment fees.
 
thatFLGuy -I had a similar experience and I ignored the whole thing. Collection agencies do what they can to collect old debts, including sending threatening letters from so-called lawyers. They're doing a cleanup to get rid of old debts. If you have no money or nothing valuable, you have nothing to worry about. Credit card companies sell their old debts to collection agencies who then try their best to collect. I negotiated with one of those companies many years ago and got a settlement amount that I COULD handle. They agreed and I paid them about 1/4 of what the original bill was. I also asked them to take the non-payment off of my credit record and they did. Don't be intimidated by their tactics, just think of it like a salesman trying to make a buck!
 
Wow! Great advice, ritanofsinger! In some cases, the Judge sent the defendant & collection agency or hospital to separate room to work out an agreement so the court's time wasn't wasted, all he/she had to do was "ratify". Worked same as your suggestion.
 
If they threaten to sue, wait until they actually do before you worry. If they are actually suing you at this point, the only thing you need to do is show up. Failing to do so will give them an automatic win. By showing up in court and being honest, they won't win. They could, theoretically offer to settle at the last minute, but don't. Don't even admit that there is a debt- that will reset the statute of limitations, and regardless of what they say or promise, they will likely try to come after the whole amount. Just tell them you will see them in court. If you can consult with a lawyer (pro-bono), ask him/her if you can sue the collection company for the time you have to invest to go to court when they already know that they won't win. Don't talk to the collection agency AT ALL. Research, research, research !!!
 
Okay, a bit more information. First, the suit has been filed in my local county. Pennsylvania allows sheriff sales for dept. and this it $13,000 I am talking about. It was a credit card that I lived on while I was in college.

I tried to work with them back in 2018-2019 but they were not reasonable. Even went so far as to ask my sister if family could pay the whole dept. while I was under for surgery.

Here is the thing. If it get to a sheriff sale, I will not have anything here for them to sell. My parents have a huge barn just 100 yards from my apartment and I can store everything there. No one knows what I have as far as technology goes. I don't think it is going to get to that point but I don't know at this point.

I don't have any money. I own one old car (2002 dodge neon with 189k miles) and a few cameras, pc's that is it.

The cop that served me even said that this is a bad area for sheriff sales because no one in town will show up to bid on my stuff. (He is right about that everyone in my town is family so I can put word out to them if it gets to that point) Also most times they can only sheriff sale you one time so.

Again I am hopeful that it does not get to that place and I am going to go to the courthouse tomorrow to start the process so.
 
Jeffswet is right I just had one sue me I got worked up lawyer said just show up most likely they will not if they don’t you will win but they have another 30 days to move to next court or they have to remove from credit report and stop serving you in in pa and I won mine
 
FLGuy: jeffswet also sounds like good advice. Maybe you can play the Health Card, if you end up in court - making sure the court knows of your issues? Cane, wheelchair, showing disability, or anything else you can figure out? That business of asking your sister while you were under! These people are evil. Make sure that your family knows not to get in a position to pay & make sure they know there is no debt. They should refuge to talk to them at all. Follow jeffswet's advice! There is a world of good advice on this thread. ritanofsinger's advice might contradict jeffswet, though. I sure as **ll hope it doesn't get to that. Short circuit these guys!
 
Update, County legal aid cannot help me because I make "Get this" $150 more than the allowed. As for the dept. I actually own the dept. But I have no money to pay them.

My goal was to come to PA. get on my feet and start a life. I talked with my contact person for social security this morning and he was like, yea you have a lot wrong. "Like yea I know".

The big thing is that I have to just go to court and tell them I have nothing to give you. I tried calling the courthouse today but got no were. I am going to drive up Monday after I get my disability payment as I am broke right now and it is a bit of a drive for me.

Also if I have to go to court for this then I am going to let them know everything going on because I cannot sit around all day waiting to say "Yep I owe this much but I am on disability so I got nothing."

As for if It goes to a sheriff sale, I already have places to put my stuff to make it gone so the only thing that will be here is my tv and bed.
 
thatFLGuy It is really hard to advise anyone on this issue. Every state has their own regulations and laws. I worked in the small claims court in Albuquerque in the 1980s. I frequently discouraged people who were wanting to file a small claims court case. The time, energy and financial expense are usually not worth filing a claim, unless it's a very large amount and you have a way to collect it. When I had my own business in Colorado I had to file against a couple fellows in the trades who charged gasoline purchases and just wouldn't pay. They didn't show up for court and they didn't mind that their pay was garnished plus paying the extra fee of having the judgement served by the sheriff's deputy each week or month. They admitted that it was easier to pay their bill by having it taken out before they got their checks! However, we did stop the charge account!

Once I was sued by a former landlord for breech of contract which was not valid, a frivolous suit. She was hoping for a settlement like she had from some others because the courts are notorious for dragging out cases and increasing payment to the lawyers involved. Many times it's easier and less costly to just settle. But knowing what she was after, I held out and the day before we were to go to court, a year later, she dropped the case. Meanwhile my lawyer's bill had run on to $2K. But that was small coins compared to what she was after and I didn't have!

I am surprised that Florida still has Sheriff's sales. I thought that had gone by the wayside 50 years ago. I don't think the court will agree to take away everything you have. That seems malicious and arbitrary. But don't be hasty in any decisions and as I tell my grandson: usually it's best to just answer the questions and don't offer any unsolicited information that they might use against you.
 
Dispute the debt- don't own up to it any further. It's a fine line, but you don't wish to create further problems for yourself. Don't voluntarily deny owing the debt, simply say that you dispute it and the creditor wouldn't work with you to resolve it, (and) therefore, you are waiting for them to come to the table. They are trying to hold the upper hand here, but YOU actually have the final say here- you could declare bankruptcy (last resort, of course, but they have to know that you are in the driver's seat, NOT them.) That may be the shortest route out of this mess, but make it clear that you might be willing to take them to court for harassment when the dust settles. (Research this of course- it may not be an option open to you where you live.)
 
Jeffswet - It costs anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 to file for bankruptcy in most states.

ThatFLGuy - Sometimes you can write to your state representative for help. I've gotten very good help over the years from my U.S. senator and state representative. They have staff that will help figure out what can or can't be done.
 
ritanofsinger: Every year, in Alaska, my Borough publishes a list of deliquent property taxes. It can be a many-page insert in the paper. Sometimes there is a story of a bidding at the courthouse steps at such-and-such a time and date. I don't read the Court Report very often, but I've seen them only rarely.
I guess that's a "sherrif's sale". We don't have a Sherrif or equivilent.
No idea how they handle personal property, say a couch you bought. There must be a repo service. Never heard of everything beingtaken for sherrif's sale. Years ago, like 55, Illinois had them.
 
Okay, so people don't get the wrong idea. I am not talking about hiding things like my big pc or even camera gear that means noting. I am talking about taking things like my fathers 35mm camera gear, and stuff that has big sentimental value to me but nothing in terms of value for resell out of my apartment.


My aunt said I should not even get to that point because they have to do an assessment and decide if it is worth the effort the sheriff sale me. PA has strict laws about it. I don't own enough stuff to pay them back. Truly about $2,500 even with my car (2002 dodge neon with 189k miles on it)

So they don't have a point to spend the money to have the sheriff sale me.
 
AlasSouth - NM also publishes a list of delinquent property taxes. A person can pay somebody's back taxes and after about 1 1/2 years if the owner doesn't respond or pay the back taxes, the "investor" can take possession of the property. My husband was the only Auction bidder at the courthouse steps after he read the notice and we took possession of our house. This was not like a Sheriff's sale. The mortgage company had foreclosed on the previous owner and the house had been vacant and somewhat vandalized for almost 2 years. The taxes had not been paid the previous years. The mortgage company was set to put the house on the market. We dismissed the painter who had been pre-hired by the mortgage company. We made a sizable payment at the courthouse and assumed the remainder of the mortgage. We soon refinanced and began remodeling. We actually intended it as a house to flip but circumstances changed and this has been a wonderful house to raise several grandkids and entertain lost of friends.

What was sad to me about this was that the previous owners with two young boys were military and had divorced. One day, about a year after we had begun landscaping the front yard, the youngest boy came past my house on his bike. He stopped and told me, "I used to live here. My dad said that he is going to buy it again." I've lived in this house now for 31 years and it's nothing like it was when I bought it. Who knows? Maybe one day after my demise and my house goes on the market, that boy may buy it himself!
 
AlasSouth - Yes NM publishes those lists also. Interested people can pay the taxes on a delinquent property but they then have to wait a year or more to see if the owner will pay. This used to be pretty common for an investor to get a piece of property at a low price! The house I own was purchased by my husband at an auction on the courthouse steps. That was not the same thing as a sheriff's sale. The mortgage holder had foreclosed on the previous owner and the property had been vacant for 1 1/2 years and had been vandalized. We made a sizable
 
ritanofsinger: There was a majar scandal in Seattle about homes being sold just for back taxes of a few hundred dollars. I think in the 1980s. Not sure about rest of state. The Borough I used to live in did not have that, but one official in the Boro tax department had "prior knowledge" and took advantage. I think where I live now doesn't just include the taxes, it may include the rest of the mortgage.
That may release the person losing the house of making payments on a house they no longer own, but the bidder gets a house partially paid off.
 
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