It was the last week of July. I was at the airport trying to get on a flight out of town. Will Byrd called me from the collections department from Bank of America (Newark, DE office). He's the senior account manager. He pressures me to pay for the outstanding credit card balance.
Approximately a week ago, Megan Armstrong, from the same department said she was going to fax me the terms for settling this account. She's also the senior account manager at the Newark, DE office. I explained to Will that I have not received this, and hence, cannot agree to a payment. He puts Megan Armstrong on the phone. She's extremely aggressive as usual. She tells me that I have to pay that day. I told her that I'm about to board the plane and that I expressly do not authorize her to deduct from the account that I had provided for her in our prior telephone conversation.
Approximately a week thereafter, I found out that Megan Armstrong did in fact put a debit of $900 through my business account. I tried to have my bank return this item, but it already cleared so I wasn't able to do so. I contacted the fraud department of my bank and filed a claim.
Meanwhile, I contacted a local Bank of America who informed me that the amount will be credited to my account. It was never credited. I contacted Megan Armstrong's supervisor, Chris Taraska at 302-458-0697 and make the same request. He denies it based on some bogus claim that Megan Armstrong made about how she received my authorization, but because I seemed to be in a rush, she confirmed the debit with my ex-husband.
Her statement is absolute nonsense. She knew that my ex husband and I are separated and I specifically told her that he is not a signer on the account in question. If she believed that she received the authorization from me, why would she then need to contact my ex husband.
These collectors use every tactic to harass and embarrass you so that they can get their compensation. Megan Armstrong also contacted my ex husband and discussed other credit card accounts that were unrelated to him. I complained about this to one of her supervisors, who simply glazed over it and began trying to strong arm me.
I launched a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, Department of Consumer Affairs, Federal Trade Commissions, Attorney General (Delaware) and (California), as well as a federal agency that governs national banks. My case was resolved. Bank of America did credit my account, but that was only after I launched a massive complaint campaign against it.
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