My student loan defaulted back in October. The only income I had for 10 months was workers compensation. On December 2nd, Performant Recovery Inc. (Diversified Collection Services) called me and stated that my loan was in default and I had until December 26th to make an initial payment of $52 for nine consecutive months for the loan rehabilitation program. She stated that if I can't make the payment by then, wage and tax garnishments would commence. I told her that I was unemployed, and recently moved to a new state, and start my new job the first week in January. She kept pushing (to the point of almost yelling) until I said "I'll see what I can do." She asked for ALL of my information (where I'll be working, what my salary would be, THREE different contact numbers, my SS#, and which bank I go through.) Not thinking at the time, I gave it to her. Big mistake. It was a scare tactic, and it worked.
I did have a payment set up, but when I called (about 20 different times between the 5th and 26th) I was sent directly to voicemail. I left five or six messages which I marked as urgent, and no call back. She said she called multiple times but I didn't answer. You'd think in this very important situation where they want your money NOW, they'd leave a message. No voice messages whatsoever.
I JUST started my job this week, and on my first day of work, she had the nerve to call my workplace! I called back the next day and told her to put my work number on the Do Not Call list, since I got in trouble for that. She became pretty irate when we started talking about that payment again. I told her I'd make the payment on January 25th (the date of my first paycheck). She told me the same thing as she did in December saying that if I don't make the initial payment by January 21st, wage and tax garnishments would commence.
After doing research on this company, like me, many others have been abused by this collection agency. They have broken section 805 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which in many cases have been taken to court because of it. I will be writing a certified letter for a cease of communication.
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