I was contacted by Joe Bacca on 9-23 while I was at work about a check that bounced on 2-27. I didn't even know that I had bounced a check in 2006. (Almost 5 years ago). The check was for $8.69.
Joe Bacca stated that I owed him $350.00 for the bad check, and asked if I could pay the full amount now. I explained to him that I wasn't even aware of any of this, and asked why I hadn't recieved any letters in regards to this, or phone communication until now.
Joe Bacca stated that he had in fact sent 2 letters, and 1 court summons already. I found out later that those communications had been sent to an address I hadn't lived at in 2 years. From the time that the bad check was supposedly written I had lived at the same place for 3 years. I even had proof, because I still had my addendum from when I moved. The addendum had the move in, and out dates on it. Why not send post certified mail? Then there is no question as to if a person gets it, or not.
Then he sent me a current summons for the asking amount of $498.69. I received the summons on 10-7-10. The amount had gone up from $350.00 to $498.69 in 2 weeks. When I went to the court to file a response, the county clerk told me they hadn't even filed the paperwork yet. The summons I received had no case number on it.
A friend of mine offered to help me out, since he knew I was in a bad financial situation making only $11.00 an hour, and raising 3 children. He offered Joe Bacca $400.00 in my favor to settle the matter out of court. Joe Bacca refused. When I told Joe Bacca that the best thing I could offer him was $50.00 payments if he didn't want to settle for the lump sum payment, he told me he thought he would just have my wages garnished instead. This was after he told me he wouldn't turn down money, implying that he wanted to work with me.
The bottom line is this was all over an $8.69 check. They didn't care that I didn't have a fair chance to settle the debt when it was originally owed. They wouldn't work with me on payments. They used tactics that were rude, and unreasonable. They seem like scavenger debt collectors to me. Chad, Longmont Colorado
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