Great idea. I have a sneeking suspicion there will more pictures of collection agencies on this site than in the Mohave Desert.

Uh hum, what about a picture of Fedor when he wins tonight? It's not really unrelated to money since he's going to get a lot more of it before tomorrow.

Ray

BTW... Jen dropped by?

OFF TOPIC:

Hey folks I just made up a quick tool to help people build more elegant looking links and graphics into their posts here... by Raymond's request.

It seems it's way more fun to post over at DiscoverVancouver.com because they give you color and graphics and links etc.

http://www.canadian-money-advisor.ca/member-tools.php

Can some of you try this tool out and let me know what you think.

Being that I do this all day long, I assume that everybody knows how to build links and graphics.. NOT!!!

If you have any suggestions please post them over in the general discussion area.

Thanks,

Monty Loree

Nah, don't worry. I like women who ride in cars, not on brooms.

Ray

Raymond beware of Jen getting all sweet with you maybe you have been chosen by her to be next in line. As for Jen slamming people on this site what about the fact that no debt was owed and we have checked farrrrrr back Jen. What does this then become when you receive the letter . I will complain to whoever will listen as often and as loud as I can because I do not care if an agency in having problems they should be professional enough to keep their problems in house.

THE TIDE IS COMING BACK IN: TIFFAMY MEETS WITH INFAMY - ANOTHER FAVORITE COLLECTOR TRICK

Another favorite collection ruse is exemplified by blogger "Tiffamy's" question (from the discovervancouver.com site) about another of the Diva of Debt's tricks. I've transcribed it because it's representative of a shenanigan that keeps coming up on the Canadian Financial Wellness Group's forum and sometimes on this one.

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Tiffamy Posted - 4/14/2007 8:27:45 AM

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated...Back in January I had a Visa bill in collections, I contacted the collection agency and requested a settlement offer. They offered and I complied. I have the offer, the paid bank receipt and the release paper from the collection agency. In Feb. I received a demand letter from the Natale Law Office demanding payment of the balance that was waived in the settlement offer. I contact Jennifer at Natale and she said to fax her the release paper and it would be over with. I did!! Last week Jennifer left a message on my home phone demanding I call her back. I did. She says the release letter is not good enough and requested I send her copies of the settlement offer and the receipt from the bank...I did. I called Jennifer yesturday for an update and she said that Visa would not accept my prove and since they were retained by the company, they will be moving forward. I have requested a copy of my credit history from Equifax, which I received yesturday, that shows that the balance of the Visa is 0.00 and the account is paid. I did tell Jennifer this and she says there is nothing she can do. I am not sure where to turn now and in doing a google search, I found this forum. Please Help and advise.

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Your first mistake was speaking with anyone that either is Deanna Natale or anyone associated with her. You should never, never try to talk with someone who might well be Canada's worst collector - a situation aggravated by the fact that's she's a lawyer. Thus she doesn't have to follow the rules that collection agents are obliged to follow - not that they really follow them either. Trying to talk with Deanna Natale or anyone in her offfice would be like spitting into the wind of hurricane Katrina, or if you're a guy (Monty, forgive me), pissing into it.

First the good news: It's probably all just a hoax. Natale is known for suing anyone and anything she can get her hands on, including her ex-employer, Total Credit Recovery. Lately, along with newly acquired partner, Mark Silverthorn, she seems to have found it more expedient to mail out a lot of bluff letters and play the numbers. More money for less work, I guess.

Having said that, it's impossible for anyone to give you a definite answer without seeing the particulars of the agreement you signed. Who was the agency that you signed it with and was Visa still the account owner [They would be if it was a regular bank Visa]?

Some people have signed what they thought was final settlement agreement with a collection agency only to find they had been tricked into allowing the debt's limitation period to be renewed and that they are on the hook for the balance plus interest.

However, if your agreement contained unambiguous terms like, "final settlement" or '"settlement in full" along with the Visa account number and date, you're probably OK. You gave no details on where the Visa account originated, when it went into default or when you made your last payment on it.

I ask, because iQor, Inc formerly CBCL - Canadian Bonded Credit Limited - Now Iqor Collection Agency recently sent out a whole pile of settlement offers to Visa customers for 65 cents on the dollar. A lot of these Visa accounts were stats barred because of the recent 2 year limitation on action rule in provinces like Ontario and Alberta. If this was the case, then some people may have made an unnecessary payment on an SOL debt. Irrespective, that still won't revive the remaining balance of a stats barred debt (unless it's a student loan).

In any event, without knowing the particulars of your situation, it's impossible to be more definite.

Ray

Raymond my husband says beware of any one calling you things like sweetie on this site it usually means they have motive for something you will find out in the future. Jen please do not talk about things you know nothing about like debtors trying to collect money for theings that never were no matter how far back you try to remember. Just remember people if no one speaks out we all get taken advantage of.

Watch out for this favorite trick of collectors and and lawyers: This one is from Bud Hibbs' blog but it's just as applicable in Canada:

I just recently found out how I got scammed big time by a collection law office. They filed a judgment against me and put in a phony address as my last known address on the ?Notice?. So I didn?t (couldn?t) even know about it until 5 or 6 years later when they started collection actions, because I never got the service and didn?t even know I had a judgment.

The name of the law office is: Law Offices of Hemar, Rousso & Heald, LLP. Located in Encino, California.

They were representing a big bank and don?t seem to mind doing ?dirty tricks? to get their way. If you unfortunately get involved with them. WATCH your paper work (or lack of it) carefully.

Comment by John ? March 8, 2007 @ 8:47 pm

MORE LOVE LETTERS FROM MY ADMIRER [Jen]

Notice how she calls me "dearest."

One thing "Jen" is 10000000000% dead on about is her statement: "Go ahead and complain to the ministry. See how far it gets you." Jen is well aware that all those fancy letters to Brian Pitkin and his counterparts all end up in their waste baskets.

She may be right on that one, but the "dunce" tin foil pointed cap stays. [See the discovervancouver.com site]

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Dearest raymond:

Since you clearly have an issue with comprehension, no, I do not know Deanna Natale.

And since when is it impossible for a collection agent to have personal problems? I know you think that they're gods and above the laws of nature, but they're people just like you and can experience personal termoil just like debtors can, as well.

Everything I said about my mother and boyfriend was true. [Editor's note: if you can't believe a collector, who can you believe?]

Is it so inconceivable that someone with an illness would continue to work rather than to give up on life and turn to the government for assistance? And no sorry, wrong again. I don't have children. I choose to wait until I am ready, emotionally as well as financially.

And as for everyone else in this thread who feels they were personally 'targeted', are you aware that Wells Fargo is a finance company? The debt could be for anything from a car, to a couch to a leather jacket. So think back, waaay back, I'm sure it will come back to you. Do you really think that collection agencies just pull names out of phone books? You are aware that there are laws that govern these sorts of things, right? It's not a conspiracy, people. So you can put away your tin foil hats.

But go ahead, complain to the ministry. See how far it gets you. Notice how this is all just a bunch of whiners crying over sour grapes on a messege board?

And as for you, Angella, calling and harrassing a collection agency? Sounds like the actions of a disgruntled debtor.

Ray

PS. Sorry to ask once again? Are you absolutely sure you don't know Lady Deanna?

As soon as Jen can find a surrogate mom.

PS: Natale is not a he, but a she(wolf).

Raymona