Advanta Credit Card Scam

I sit at my desk completely frustrated with Advanta. I opened up a business credit card with them 3 years ago and made a purchase of $6500 to help build my business credit for Rapid Recovery Solution, my Collection Agency. I have paid more then the minimum every month, on time. November 2008 I noticed that my interest rate seemed a little high. No where on my statement did it say the actual interest rate so I called the company. After 10 min or so I get a live rep on the line and they tell me it is 36.1%. Are they kidding, this must be a mistake. I have over a 750 score and never missed a payment. They said they sent me a notice in Aug that they are doing this due to a change in there lending methods. It turns out this is the second time this year they did this. I went from 8.99% in Jan 08 to 18.99 in Feb 08 to 36.1% in Aug 08.

Now, being in the industry for over 10 years I know that I need to watch my credit. I look for charges I didn’t make and it is tough to scam me. I have seen it all but this takes the cake. They told me I am now at a high risk for default so that is why they raised my interest rate? That doesn’t make any sense. They should lower my rate if they think I will default on my credit card. How will an increase in what you are charging me keep me from defaulting. Luckily, I have the ability to pay off this card today but I want everyone to realize that these companies have you by the short-n-curly’s. Watch your statements and lookout for this scam.

FYI, In NY, the maximum interest rate is 30%. They are charging me more then the maximum allowed in my state. I will send a letter to the BBB, the NY Attorney General, the UT Attorney General and the Department of Consumer Affairs.

As a nation we are in deep trouble. If a credit card company can just raise my rate because they feel like it I am positive that 99% of their customers are also paying 36.1%. How many other credit card companies are doing this to innocent people? We need to fight back. I am going to tell as many people as I can.

Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do except payoff the card. I was told I am a high credit risk. I paid the bill in full after I realized the rate was so high and the next month I received another bill for more finance charges for about $255. I paid that bill in full. I just received another bill in the mail for $5.65 and my rate was changed to 37.99%. Another point higher.

Just for cookies and giggles I called again to see why the rate went up again and they said “Sir, you have been classified as a very high credit risk and as a company we can’t risk you not paying your bill with us.” I said “I just paid my bill in full with your company, I have never had a late payment with your company in three years, I have one mortgage on my house for $290K, 25 years left at a fixed rate of 5.375% and it is worth over $500k and almost zero credit card debt personally. I am in the fastest growing industry right now, CNBC expects the debt collection industry to grow at 25% a year for the next decade. What else would I have to do to receive a better rate?” The extremely rude lady said “Sir, you would need to send a letter to Santa Clause and maybe he can help you out.”

The Government should put a maximum rate in place for the next year or so on all credit card debt. If the credit card companies are truly worried about consumers defaulting on their obligations, wouldn’t it make more sense to lower the rate so we can continue to make the payments? By raising the rate, it only makes it harder to pay and more likely that a consumer will default. The credit card companies are preying on the weak right now hoping you don’t pay so they can pound you with the highest interest rate. When you do default, they now have a higher balance to sell to a collection agency. In my eyes, this is a crime.

The Government doesn’t care either. Instead of giving the banks 350 billion dollars, They could have sent $1151.98 to each US citizen to pay towards credit card debt. The banks still get the money but we the people get a little break on our bill. The average family of four would receive $4607.92 to pay off a credit card. They reason that the banks need the money so they can lend money again to us? Are they crazy? All the banks did was raise the interest rates on our cards and pocket the money without ever having to say what the money went towards. No accountability!

Now the geniuses in Washington are considering giving billions to the auto industry so they can produce more shit cars that we can’t afford. How about giving the money to everybody with a current auto loan so we can pay for the car we already have. The money would still flow to the banks and auto makers via we the people.

Good luck America, your gonna need a miracle.

I feel better now. I was very upset prior to writing this blog. I hope everybody reading this realizes that if it can happen to me it can happen to anybody.

John Monderine Rapid Recovery Solution, Inc.

John Monderine is the President of Rapid Recovery Solution, Inc. a Debt Collection Agency. If you need help getting your Accounts Receivable collected go to his Collection Agency website for a no obligation free quote. This article, Advanta Credit Card Scam is available for free reprint.

When You Owe Too Much Money And Just Can’t Pay

Debt can be an exhausting problem that weighs you down and affects your personal life greatly. But what if you have exhausted all of your resources and still can’t free up enough money to start repaying your debts in a big way? You still have choices. Perhaps it is time to think about the big things in your life- private schools, your house, and your cars. Are these things truly a necessity? Another option you have is to go through your house and your things and see if there is anything of value to sell. You can go after more money at your current job, or by taking on a second one. And there are still other alternatives yet. Credit counseling and bankruptcy are always available, but you are not there yet, so for now, take a deep breath and determine what you can accomplish on your own.

If you are a parent with children attending private school, consider moving them from private to public. For parents, the thought of moving their children from one school to another can be overwhelming. If this is not something that you as a parent are willing to do, you can always see about applying for financial assistance from your current school.

It is also a possibility that your living environment is sabotaging your capacity to make ends meet. Just last decade, we were fearful that if we didn’t buy at the very moment that we would be priced out of the only neighborhood we desired to live in. It’s a hard decision, but it very well may be that selling your home is a solution that you have to consider. While it is a conventional pearl of wisdom that your house is the asset you’ll retire on, and the most valuable asset in your portfolio, unless you can afford to make the payments, it’s also going to be the one that can be your downfall. Trading down – switching a larger house for something more manageable and less expensive can be an option, but you also may need to consider renting for a while. Bear in mind that if you can keep the cost of moving low, renting will save you the cost of homeowner’s insurance. (Renter’s insurance is much cheaper.) Other things you will save on include yard care, and commuting costs if you can find the right location to rent from.

If you can wrap your head around it, there is probably another, less expensive way for you to get back and forth to work each day. Think about it. Could you get by without a car for a while? Not only would it save you the expenses of paying for the car itself, and it’s upkeep (oil changes, repairs etc) but think about all of the money that goes to parking, insurance and gasoline. And if you feel as though you cannot go without a car, what about trading in your expensive car for one that runs just fine but is used?

Many times, simply thinking outside of the box is all that it takes to get yourself out of a situation that you find is difficult. If you take a calm approach to your situation with an open mind, you may find that the solution comes easier to you than you ever thought possible.

Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles about nationwide collection agencies Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory

Cali Collection Company Attempts to Get Fit And Healthy

A collection agency based in California produced a plot to motivate and educate employees to live healthier lifestyles in early January. There are twenty eight employees at the agency; more than half are currently participating in the initiative.

All of the parties involved have made a goal to lose ten percent of their total body weight by the end of June. Every Monday morning weigh-ins are scheduled and employees have an opportunity to win two cash prizes for losing five percent of their body weight by the end of March, and then another five percent by the end of June.

The Agency’s executive alleged that he had been considering the initiative for quite a while. He says it’s perfect for the stereotypical office setting that is fraught with unhealthy eating, and employees taking breaks to get fast food. He made note of the fact that trying to make employees lose weight was more cost efficient than actually obtaining health insurance for his workers.

In a ploy to get employees to live healthier, the agency has sporadic lunches and “education track meetings” once a week. The meetings are supposed to assist employees target and plan for their weight loss goal. So far the program has been a success. The collection company has collectively lost 72 pounds to date. That’s the size of a small child.

The program works to produce a better all around worker. It follows that a worker that is less stressed will be more efficient and motivated. While a really relaxed debt collector does not seem like they would be the most efficient worker, it all seems like a good idea. As the government tries to sort out the health care system, perhaps it is time that more companies like this take this route. If employees cannot get health insurance, health initiatives and goals at work could be the next best solution.

Rapid Recovery Solution is a third party debt collection company. lawyer based and equipped with skiptracing tools. You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.

Collections Industry To Undergo Transformation

The collections industry has grown insanely in the last couple of years. The reason for this is that collections and recoveries are for the most part outsourced business functions. It would not be possible for a creditor to handle retrieving debt from all of their accounts, so the creditors call the collections agencies.

But there seems to be a beginning of an enormous change taking place with the collections industry. The industry has grown and grown through the recession and seems huge. Rather than hire out more service providers, creditors are starting to lower their number of agencies that they will work with, which requires the companies they originally hired to take on more accounts.The effects of this could change the way that the collections industry operates in a large way.

As the worst employees are removed from these collection networks, certain collection agencies are going to lose their most vital clients. Creditors will also have less reason to work with companies that have a reputation for not following regulations. The financial effects of this will cause these companies to suffer, and company value will also fall with some owners forced to sell their companies as a last resort.

As this happens, the best workers will see more and more potential job growth, less competition, greater leverage on contract terms, better revenues, and improved profitability.

Within the debt buying market, the same type of shift is also taking place. Instead of calling on more debt buyers, some credit issuers are lowering the number of companies they approach for sales.

Smaller, less capable debt buyers will see less opportunities to buyfrom these issuers. Here again, concentration within the primary debt sales market will increase. Recovery executives within credit businesses will be making the same kind of choice more and more, selecting concentration within their vendor networks over diversification.

Mallory Megan is employed by a debt collection company. She also writes articles on business, finance, the credit industry and collection agencies.

All About Bankruptcy Court

In a nutshell, bankruptcy cases are voluntary or involuntary. The vast majority of cases will be voluntary. In these, debtors (the people who owe money) petition the bankruptcy court. With involuntary bankruptcy creditors (the people who you money to) file the petition in bankruptcy. Involuntary petitions are typically rare and are sometimes used in business situations in order to force a company into bankruptcy so the creditors can enforce their rights.

The beginning of a bankruptcy case starts with an estate. An estate is what the creditors scope out to see if there is anything they want. The estate is made up of all of the debtor\’s property interests at the time that the fillings are commenced. Not all property will be up for grabs. Some of it is subject to certain exclusions and exemptions.

If you are married, the estate may include certain community property interests of your husband or wife, even if the spouse has not filed bankruptcy themselves. The estate may have extra items including property acquired by will or inheritance within one hundred and eighty days after the case begins.

For the purpose of federal income taxes, the bankruptcy estate of someone in a Chapter 7 or 11 case is an entity that can be separately taxed from the debtor. The bankruptcy estate of a corporation, partnership or other collective entity or estates of individuals filing for Chapters 12 or 13 is not a separate taxable entity.

In each judicial district, bankruptcy judges comprise a unit of the United States District Court. The judge will be appointed for a term of fourteen years by the United States Court Of Appeals. The District Courts have subject matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy matters. But each district may refer bankruptcy matters to the Bankruptcy Court. Most district courts have an order so that all bankruptcy cases are handles by the Bankruptcy Court.

Mallory McGuinness works for a debt collection company. She also composes articlesabout finance and business, consumer spending and collection agencies. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

Spanish Collection Agency Humiliates Debtors Into Paying Up

Would you be mortified if a man in a tuxedo and a top hat followed you into a restaurant and silently joined your lunch date? How about a trio of men with more to love dressed like superheroes asking your neighbors for donations to assist you in your financial situation?

In Madrid, make sure that your bills are paid or you might be visited by one of these crazy characters. The recession has slammed Spain. Official figures show that the unemployment rate has sky rocketed, reaching 19.3 percent. That\’s one of the highest rates in Europe. About four million people aren\’t working. That\’s the same number of jobless people as France and Italy combined. One business is flourishing however, that business is debt collection.

Spanish law is pretty lax when it comes to debt payment. They allow 95 days to settle bills unlike the 30 in other parts of Europe. This, coupled with the fact that Spanish courts give the matter low priority put collection agencies in high demand.

One agency, El Cobrador del Frac – which translates as \”The Debt Collector in Top Hat and Tails\” – has more than 250 collectors, and an equal number of secretaries and investigators.Their goal is to work out some deal and retrieve money, not to go after people without the means to pay.

For them, new business is coming from constructive trade which is suffering from a huge slowdown. Homeowners owe money to contractors, contractors owe money to construction companies, construction companies owe equipment makers, and so on and so forth.

Last year, the agency was contacted by a wedding company who had a couple who did not pay the $83,000 bill for their extravagant wedding. The agency got their hands on a wedding guest list and began calling up guests one by one on the phone and asking them if they had the chicken or the lobster, and then asked them where to send the bill. Eventually the shamed couple paid up.

These ideas are interesting, (I guess that\’s one way to describe it) but they won\’t be this effective in due time. In this time of crisis, too many people have debts and they honestly can\’t pay. And to these people, it doesn\’t matter how much you humiliate them.

Mallory McGuinness is employed by a debt collection agency. She also composes stories about business, finance, consumer spending and debt collection. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service