All of these reports sound so familiar.
My son borrowed $5000 from Cash Call about 14 months ago. I know that on their website, they show the interest rates, and on the TV commercial, they show them in tiny print for about three seconds. But there is no full disclosure prior, and my son made the mistake of borrowing to pay off some other credit. Holy cow, the word "mistake" is an understatement. In reality, it's like selling your soul to the devil.
The first thing they did was withdraw two payments from his checking account, rather than one. When he called to complain, they refused to put it back, simply telling him that they would just count it for the next month. Well, that overdrew him, making other payments bounce. So he wisely wrote to the bank, removing their access. Oh, but it doesn't end.
My son has been paying for 14 months now, and owes more than he borrowed. He's paid over $3600 back on the loan, and he owes over $5200! This company calls us, over and over, and my son doesn't even live with us anymore. They call him on his cell, sometimes up to 40 times in one day. This isn't harrassment? And though we have told them no fewer than 50 times that he doesn't live here, and to please stop calling us, they still persist. They even managed to get my husband's cell phone number, and they called my next door neighbor! I'm sick of them. Today, they left an envelope printed in big red letters, PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL. They left it all right. On the sidewalk outside our front door, where anyone could pick it up. Stupidity.
So, my son called over last weekend, and he spoke to someone named Eric. Eric stopped just short of threatening physical injury (mentioning that HE'S not a loan shark, or he'd be having my son's kneecaps broken). Eric told Ryan that in order to pay off the loan, he would have to pay them $30,000! WHAT??? How does a $5000 loan turn into $30,000? It can't. (Now, I did notice that a lady before me said that she was told that she couldn't pay her loan off early, but that's not true. Look at the FAQ's on their website, and it specifically says that there's no penalty for early payoff.) Eric told my son that he has to pay it, that he should get it from his parents (as if), that they would garnish his wages, yada yada. Well, after Eric started saying these ridiculous things (he was on speaker), my husband called him a few choice names, and Eric hung up.
Monday, my son spoke to someone else, who told him that his payoff was $5200 or so. Still ridiculous, but not $30,000. Well, come to find out, the idiot Eric is this guy's boss. Great.
Now, my son is getting a consolidation loan, and plans to pay off Cash Call. But can they make it easy? No, of course not. They are telling him that he has to give them cash in order for them to give him anything that says paid in full. No money order, no cashier's check, but CASH! Oh sure, we are just going to run right down there with over $5000 in our hot little hands and hand it to these wonderful people. NOT! Chances are, we will send them a money gram, and I'll just bet they'll take it. But that doesn't mean they'll stop annoying us.
Today, my son's assistant mentioned that he was late on some credit card payments, and planned to get a loan from Cash Call. Rest assured that after my son talked to him, he changed his mind, and is thanking my son profusely.
Now all we have to do is get the word out to the general public, and see if we can make these crooks go bankrupt. I just don't believe that they are operating legally. If there is an enterprising lawyer out there, interested in filing a class action suit, I'll bet you'd make a bundle. My son would sure join!
Deborah
San Fernando Valley, California
U.S.A.