Like all the others on here, I was contacted by a Credit Card Processing company to process cardit cards at my new business and she suggested that I lease the equipment, which I did not want or have to do. After her pointing out the tax benefits to leasing versus buying I agreed to lease the equipment from Northern Leasing. I signed a ONE PAGE lease in October agreeing to allow them to deduct $65/mo from by business checking account and I also agreed to have the processing company deduct their fees directly from my account. Before the equipment arrived both companies "double" deducted the fees from my account and never at the correct amount, always $70 or more thus overdrawing my brand new checking account.
After 8 months of this, calling getting credits and getting the overdraft fees refunded, I had enough. I called the Rep and had her come and pick up the equipment, closed out the bank account and purchased the same equipment that I already paid over $900 for, for $500 dollars. I used my own bank to process the fees and reduced the amount I had been paying by hundreds of dollars per month. Wheeeew! That was the end of that, so I thought.
Then in June, (over five years later) I received a demand letter from Northern Leasing for $3,900 with the typical demand letter language. I immediately responded and disputed the debt, asked them to cease and desist from telephoning me. Less than 10 days later, I received a second demand letter, this time the amount due was $4,895. And now informing me that if i do not pay they will report it to the credit bureaus and file a civil action in the state of New York. I immediately telephoned them again and disputed the debt and let them know if they do proceed with a civil suit that it would be in Florida, not New York and I would be filing a Counter-Claim for damaging my credit and any out of pocket expense it took to clear the matter up.
Did not hear another word from them until October where I received a summons to appear in New York and a claim had been filed against me in the amount of $3,315., attached to the claim was a copy of a FOUR PAGE LEASE, stating that I agreed to have any legal claims heard in New York.
I then drafted a Motion to Dismiss their claim, citing the Statute of Limitations had run out for them to bring action and citing they had no actionable claim as I paid them their money and they received the equipment back. I sent this to the Civil Court in New York, certified Return Receipt, along with a copy to the "attorney". I heard nothing from the Court or Attorney until January wherein I received a "postcard" from the Civil court setting a Court Date of February 26. I then went onto consumer complaints and found the complaint that has a list of things to do to remedy the situation. I followed it to the letter. I contacted the FTC and filed a complaint against them there. I called "Seven on Your Side" in New York and filed a complaint with them. Then I drafted another Motion to Dismiss their claim along with EVERY SINGLE RIP OFF REPORT filed on this site. Yes, I printed everyone of them and a copy of the Class Action Law Suit that is still pending in the New York Supreme Court, a copy of the action that the Misouri Attorney General Filed against them and won a settlement for the claims made in his state against this company. I also filed a Motion Requesting the Judge for a telephonic Hearing, to save me the trip to New York. I filed a complaint with the Attorney General in New York and in Florida. I copied all of that and sent it to both the Court and the attorney, certified return receipt requested. The package was about 5 inches thick, cost about $12 each to mail. I am happy to report that the hearing took place and the Judge granted my Motion To Dismiss and I received the paperwork today 3/15/08. I will be sending a copy of this to all three credit reporting agencies to clear up my credit report. I do have grounds to file a claim against them locally for their mis-reporting but I will not file it, I will only end up with a judgment that I can not collect on, since they are in New York... It would cost me more to collect the judgment then the judgment would be worth. So please, everyone reading this, do your due dilligence and prevail, do not let this scum bag company get away with thier mis-deeds for ill-gotten gains and THANK YOU consumer complaints for being here helping small business' and consumers in their battle to be honorable, in a corporate world of rip off artists!
Rebecca
Jacksonville, Florida
U.S.A.
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