I lost my job a few months ago and I couldn't keep up payments on my cell phone, so it got shut off. I contacted Verizon and they set up a payment plan with me.
The next day we received a call from Allied Interstate (an employee there named Demetri, to be exact) for a debt concerning Verizon Wireless. I told him that I had already spoke to Verizon and made payment arrangements. Demetri said that Verizon sent us to Allied Interstate and he was calling to collect that debt. Then he went on to explain that he could lower the debt we owe if I paid him an amount that day and an indentical amount 1 week later. I told him I have to discuss it with my husband, because with me losing my job and my husband paying child support from a previous marriage, we didn't have the amount he was requesting right now and I hung up.
The next day, Demetri called back asking if I spoke with my husband. I said yes and began asking if we could set up a payment plan. At that point he began to speak over me and would only offer the "pay this amount today and the identical amount 1 week later deal". He told me I had NO other options. Well, I made the worst mistake ever at this point. Because he wouldn't listen to me, I gave him my husband's work number... Learned a hard lesson there. NEVER give a debt collector a work number!!!
He contacted my husband and offered my husband the same deal to pay off the debt. My husband also tried to set up different arrangements and Demetri told my husband there were NO other options. My husband at this point got a little heated and asked him "What don't you people understand, we don't have that much at this time?" Demetri fired back with "Are you being racist?" My husband was confused for a minute, because as far as we knew calling someone a debt collector isn't racist. After a minute or two my husband realized that Demetri must have been a black man and thought my husband was calling him as such. So my husband clarified himself and said that he meant what don't you debt collectors understand? If I don't have that much available money in a weeks time total, then I can't pay the debt that way and I am asking for a payment plan to be set up. So, good ole Demetri snapped back with "Why do YOU PEOPLE buy things you can't afford?" Clearly meaning poor people. My husband told him we had that cell phone for many years and it wasn't until I lost my job that we couldn't pay for it, so at the time we could afford it...
My husband then asked to speak to Demetri's supervisor. Demetri told him NO!!! So my husband asked again to have Demetri connect him with an Allied Interstate supervisor. Again Demetri told him NO!!! So my husband made one more attempt and this time said, either Demetri connect him with an Allied Interstate supervisor or my husband will hang up the phone and call back using the main phone line and get a supervisor that way. Finally Demetri put him through to an Allied Interstate supervisor...
The supervisor told my husband that in order to receive the "discount" payment, the payment had to be made within 30 days, not 1 week as Demetri was insisting. And technically, Allied Interstate would hold our debt for six (6) months before sending it on to another collection agency where they will tack on their collection fee. So we technically had up to 6 months to pay the debt off, but if after the first 30 days it wasn't paid, then it would revert to the full amount and not the discount amount.
My husband said okay... Got the date in which it would be turned over to a second collection agency if not paid off and explained to the guy that he would be receiving his Christmas Bonus check shortly and planned on using that to pay the discount amount since it comes within the 30 days alloted to us. The supervisor said that was fine and that he would put that in the computer system. The Allied Interstate supervisor said that until the debt is paid, we would probably still receive a few calls now and then just to keep in touch. My husband said that was fine, a few calls now and then we can deal with and they hung up.
That evening Demetri called us again with the "discount deal" wanting us to pay it. My husband said to him "Remember when you put me through to a supervisor, well we made a payment plan so you need to discuss it all with him now." and my husband hung up.
The next morning, Demetri called again, my husband answered and again told him that we would pay the bill according to his supervisor's instructions and asked him to stop calling.
Two hours later, Demetri called again with the "discount deal". My husband said, I just spoke to you two hours ago... Demetri said "You did???"... My husband hung up on him..
Since then, we have not answered any more of their phone calls. We feel that Demetri is harassing us over the fact that he felt my husband was being racist over the debt collector name calling when Demetri thought my husband was calling him black. We feel that Demetri is playing games with us over that...
My thoughts were, if he don't like being called a debt collector then maybe he should find a different job with a different title...
We sent our "discount deal" payment within their allowed 30 days, but after reading the things on this reporet website, I have a feeling they will want the remaining amount. We even sent a letter stating that we were paying this debt in full using their "discount deal" as was discussed during our phone converstations and that the debt should now be satisfied and to stop with all the harrasing phone calls now...
So, we shall see if they accept that payment or not...
0 comments