Uggghhh I hate Repugs--glimpse of things to come

[Horse with no Name]

I purchased some furniture 2 years ago. I paid around $8500 from a local merchant.
I had a balance of approximately $525 on it.
For some reason, I overlooked the payment on it this month. It is now 20 days past due.
Nobody called me. Nobody sent me a letter to remind me.
Instead, someone comes and beats on my door DEMANDING that I pay off the entire amount or they are filing charges on me?
Is this what the bankruptcy bill is going to turn into? Secured creditors terrorizing people now that the average person has no recourse? Is this just pent up frustration from all of the people that stiffed them and there wasn't anything they can do?
I paid this off...I also informed them that I would tell EVERYONE about this and their business practices.
Unreal. Although I feel most of it may do with my political affiliation than anything else.:shrug:

[acmejack]

1. Welcome to the new, improved America!

Great reason to never use credit again, isn't it?

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. Better check your credit report in a couple of months too

It might need correcting

[CarefullyLiberal]

3. I don't get it??

Why is it the furniture company's fault that you didn't pay your bill? I realize that you forgot to pay it, heck, I've done the same thing before and most likely I'll do it again but accept your fault in this situation.

I'll bet this isn't the first time you forgot your payment, there is more to this story than you are letting on.

By the way, the so-called "Bankruptcy Bill" has not been signed into law yet and the furniture company isn't "terrorizing" you, they just want the money that you forgot to pay to them.

I don't see how repugs have anything to do with this.

[Horse with no Name]

5. Oh God give me a break--did you lose your way somewhere?

Yes it is the first time as a matter of fact. I bought $8500 worth of furniture from them 2 years ago and only owed $525? How do you suppose the payments went down? There were only 2 payments left on it and the next to last one was 20 days late from an oversight. Why would I risk my furniture when I had paid that much on it already?
Does that mean that they couldn't just give me a call or send me a late notice and remind me after I spent that much money in their place of business? These same people owed the local radio station $800 for advertising for 14 months before they paid it. Typical Repug assholes...do as I say, not as I do. (sorry if that offends you,lol)
They are REPUGS. They have a sign in front of their store.
I am a vocal Democrat. Do you think this has nothing to do with it?

[CarefullyLiberal]

9. Reply

I think it was a dumb mistake on the furniture company not to notify you before they sent collection goons for a couple of reasons.

1.) It's the polite thing to do
2.) It's a lot cheaper to make a phone call on the assumption that your customer just forgot to make the payment.

No, I don't think that because you are a Democrat and they are Republicans has anything to do with it.

Since you have been paying your bill on time every month I'll bet that some gum chewing accounts receivables clerk put your name on a bad debt list without checking your credit history.

If I could respectfully give you some advice, go down there in person and ask to speak with the manager and give him/her your complaint...don't do it over the phone. You might be surprised what you come up with.

Lastly, I'm sorry I came down on you like that. I have a hair on my ass this morning...maybe I need to eat something.

Take care and good luck!!

-Fergus

[Horse with no Name]

12. It's okay

I apologize because I have had a hair up my butt since November,lol.
Personally, my relationship is over with this company and even after I paid my account off, I wouldn't have shopped there again because of their poor customer service and the lack of quality of their merchandise so at this point, there is nothing I would hope to gain from speaking to the owners.
That besides the fact that they are a Republican owned business which I won't shop at any longer.
I guess one thing that I was trying to convey is that they just didn't politely knock" on my door or ring the doorbell--they beat on it and rang the doorbell about 15 times like it was a raid.
The whole thing was very offensive and left a bad taste in my mouth.

[wicket]

15. Beating on someone's door for a 20 day overdue bill is OVER THE TOP

n/t

[Warpy]

4. It has nothing to do with your party affiliation

and everything to do with lender arrogance.

Anybody who goes into debt now will face the same treatment over even a payment sent in a couple of days late. Look for ever increasing interest rates on all sorts of loans, even when you've been assured that the loan rate was set into stone. Nobody in this administration is going to stand up to any abuses by these folks. If you're borrowing money for ANYTHING (except an FHA loan, a different catagory so far), you're putting a big target on yourself. Borrowers are now identified as scum, since if you were a worthwhile person, you'd have paid cash.

The days of reasonable credit are over. Oh, it'll still be easy enough to get, but be aware that it may be hell to pay off. Also be aware that the laws protecting borrowers from creditor harassment will not be enforced.

Adopt the attitude that if you need to borrow money to get it, you don't need it that bad. Thrift shops are your friend. Hell, so is the town dump. Dented used cars will still get you where you're going. And you don't have that awful feeling when you spill something on an item that isn't paid off yet. New stuff is overrated.

[Horse with no Name]

6. Lender arrogance

Great term.
It's paid off now and that is the last of the debts that aren't tied to business.
You are correct about new stuff being overrated. I wish I felt that way 2 years ago,lol.
I get kicks now at my thrift store finds...I bought my daughter a pair of Old Navy jeans at the Salvation Army yesterday and was just as tickled about that as I remember being about my new dining room table and they only cost $2,lol.

[TornadoTN]

7. Look at the fine print

Get ready, the bankruptcy bill has opened the door for all sorts of nasty little digs at the consumer.

If you can, pay off your credit cards now or at least start making large payments (I know its hard with the lack of disposable income brought on by todays economy). EVEN if you are supposedly "locked in" at a certain rate, dont expect it to stay there. For example:

Lately, I have been recieving a lot of updated cardholder/loan agreements. On their face, they look the same. I figured, it must be some small little addition or subtraction. Not even close. Look closely, you will find that most of the credit card companies are now locking you into binding arbitration clauses, which limit your ability to take them to court if they (or you) break any part of the agreement. If you do not write them a letter stating that you dont accept it and request cancellation of your account, you are legally bound to that part of the contract. So instead of taking them to court for illegally raising your interest rate or payment options on a fixed plan, you get to go to a meeting with an arbitrator of their choosing. Talk about stacking the deck, you can expect to lose 99.9% of the time. This is a precursor to the new Bankruptcy bill. The credit card companies have all the cards in their corner as soon as that bill becomes law.

If you get these new ammended agreements, I URGE YOU TO EXAMINE THEM CLOSELY AND TAKE ACTION IF SOMETHING DOESNT ADD UP. If you dont, you will be bound to those terms for the duration of your balance.

[Horse with no Name]

13. Just wow.

So now the cardholder bears the brunt of having to respond to fine print or be bound to terms they never agreed to.
Unreal. Thanks for the heads up.

[gemutlichkait]

8. If you can't pay it all by cash, you can't afford it --

Resist spending money you don't have and giving to the greedy credit card companies just because you can. Credit and/or finance was meant to be used as a tool to acquire wealth by smart investments like a house. Saying $8500 is too much to hand over all at once just proves how hard it is to part with by weighing what you want more the furniture now = pay the price now. You never know what the future holds

[Tux]

10. Interesting

That most people need to use credit cards, stores have their own credit cards, and bankruptcy may be tightened plus employers are now checking for people's credit reports for hiring purposes.

[ArkDem]

11. Karl Rove has moles in the retail furniture business. They are

out to get you. Good luck, you'll need it!

[Horse with no Name]

14. I'm not far from Arkansas

better watch out..they're coming for you next!

[ArkDem]

16. There ain't no one here for to give me no pain....

[Horse with no Name]

17. Veee Have our Vays.....

}(

[elehhhhna]

18. So WHO is the lovely company, anyway?

[Horse with no Name]

19. Local ma and pa outfit

They only have one store here in this Godforsaken section of Texas.

[elehhhhna]

20. Is it LEGAL to beat your door for a collection call?

Gotta doubt it.

[Horse with no Name]

21. I live in Texas

we don't have any rights that normal states have.:shrug:

[elehhhhna]

24. Uh huh--I'm in TX too, and we have the most generous

bankruptcy laws ('til reform is in effect) plus IIRC, your wages can't be garnished in TX,(except I think by the IRS, unlike most states.

I'll grant you that regulatory compliance is another matter.

[Horse with no Name]

25. That made me laugh

I've never been bankrupt so I didn't realize that we had the most generous laws,lol.
Let me guess...they are more generous for corporations?

[elehhhhna]

26. Nah, personal. Corps get a better deal in NY or Delaware, and

since they can shop & select the court, they file there. (See Enron)

For personal BK, at this time, TX is way more generous than Fed regs, and you get to pick which of the two sets of regs & exepmtions you want to claim under (currently true in evry state). TX has no limits on home equity-- (5 Million dollar mansion, fine! Keep it!), plus one motor vehicle per family member, including BABIES! (Lexus + Hummer + Mercedes + Jeep for a family of 4--no problem!) etc.

These rules will change dramatically whe the new-- yet draconian-- law takes effect.

Don't ask me how I know. ouch.

[Paranoid_Portlander]

22. It still is very expensive...

... for a business to hire a collection goon. I used to work for a bank which would hire a collection agency which was paid 50% of the amount due. The bank usually ended up taking the 50% loss, so this route was taken only if the person was 6 months past due. So it's in the best interests of the business to mail notices out, being polite at first.

[Horse with no Name]

23. I live in a town where you can drive from one end to the other

in 5 minutes.
The furniture store is about 1/2 block from my house.
Their "goon" is their son, who has nothing better to do but live at home at the age of 25 and do nothing else all day.