Diversified Collection Services -DCS IS TRYING TO SCREW UP MY LIFE AND CREDIT!!!!! Livermore California

Because of being in college, and not returning back to my parents home DCS said they spent years trying to find me but I was unlisted in every national search that they claimed they did on me. I am a licensed driver and believing in filling out change of address forms. So when registering for law school I received a sudden email saying that I have a financial hold on any financial aid the is based on the FAFSA, in July 2010, right before school was scheduled to start. I had been unemployed since graduating in May 2009 with no income. Called and cooperated but Kelly Black said that I needed to pay $200 and $95 per month for 9 months in order to remove the block. See you later law school, no money no classes. Still wit being unemployed and sleeping on family member's couch I could not afford the payments. Finally 2 months later I land a $8 per hour part time position, saving up for the deposit so that I can follow my dreams of being an intellectual property attorney. Meanwhile at work, working diligently, a co-worker tells me that I have a call and transfers it to me. Since all calls are recorded for quality assurance and the voice on the other line was Lisa from DCS, I told her I am trying to earn money to pay the loan that I never knew about and please don't call back. Being 4 weeks in to a high turnover position, my manager calls me into his office. Lisa had called and spoke with a manager to ask him for my payroll information to start garnishment, and now my manager was order to terminate my employment. Maybe it was the most legit place of employment, but it was a paycheck for my attempt to pay back my mysterious loan to DCS. I never, ever attempted to SKATE THE SYSTEM, all of my other student loans I knew about were either paid off or in deferment.

When I originally spoke with Kelly Black I asked for a copy of my promissory note and still haven't received it. But I wanted to make payment arrangements just so I could go back to school. Even today I called to make my second payment, after I used my last check from my previous position to still pay the deposit, they are closed for the holiday so as of Monday I will be back into default despite being told to pay on the 23rd since my installment date is the 25th. These people are plain ole jerks, jerking with dreams and credit ratings. (BTW this default loan is the only negative thing on my credit since I always try to either pay or not have).

I've been losing sleep over this statement because, if it's true, my whole pereption of logic is way off: "they are allowed to contact you three times a day and once per week (I believe)"

However, I also fail to see anything illegal in the report. Aggressive and annoying? Maybe. Illegal? Probably not.

That being said, since the OP has filed disputes with DCS, his credit reports should contain notations reflecting that the debt is disputed by the consumer.

But letting the collector know that you are disputing the validity of the debt doesn't put a stop to the collections, it just requires them to send you information showing that a debt was originated. Until they send such documentation, they are forbidden to contact you or take any further action.

So if they continued collection activities following the filing of a dispute, without sending validation information, they may be violating the FDCPA. If they haven't let the CRAs know that the debt is disputed, they may be violating the FDCPA and the FCRA.

Best regards!

DCS is contracted by the Department of Higher Education among other GOVERNMENT BACKED student lending institutions to procure payment on past due debtors who think they can skate the system.  So far in your letter DCS has done nothing "illegal" they are allowed to contact you three times a day and once per week (I believe)  So in only contacting you every 3-6 months they are well within guidelines.  I also agree with the above poster stating that it would be VERY simple to provide payment information to verify that they are wrong.  This to me sounds like everything else I hear today, people think they can get everything for free and skate the system.  That's why we have people like DCS and debt collectors/repo associates.

www.ftc.gov - Fair Debt Collection Practices Act - they are in violation and you can sue them

www.budhibbs.com for more useful information and links to NACA attorney's who can assist.

www.ftc.gov - Fair Debt Collection Practices Act - they are in violation and you can sue them

www.budhibbs.com for more useful information and links to NACA attorney's who can assist.

www.ftc.gov - Fair Debt Collection Practices Act - they are in violation and you can sue them

www.budhibbs.com for more useful information and links to NACA attorney's who can assist.

www.ftc.gov - Fair Debt Collection Practices Act - they are in violation and you can sue them

www.budhibbs.com for more useful information and links to NACA attorney's who can assist.

Peeved,
I would feel it safe to assume that you have your records of payments and your Paid in Full letter from when you paid back all of your student loans. If I had paid back thousands in a loan I'm sure I would want something to prove that it was paid. I also feel pretty safe in assuming that when you first received that letter last November that you sent them a copy of those papers. I also feel very safe assuming that when you sent either of the two letters disputing this debt that you did so by certified mail, so as to have a record of them getting your letter. In that case, after assuming all of that I am left to only assume that the debt is completely made up and DCS is going out of its way to ignore you so that the debt can continue to accrue interest and collection costs. As for the social security issue, I'm sure whomever you were talking to had all of your information right there in front of her. The crazy thing is, to protect your information there has to be a way to know exactly who is on the other end of the line. When you took the loan out you did so under your SS#. This is how all student loans are tracked with the Department of Education. Until they get a better ID system set up its the best we have to work with so maybe try working with them. I mean, they would have to be trying really hard to steal your identity if theyve been sending you letters for almost a year just hoping you would slip up and give them your social. I'll bet on one of those letters there was an account # or something, you could have provided that information. As for unanswered complaints with the BBB, looking at your complaint, I dont know that I would have wasted my time either. All of the paperwork thats required just to prove what we all already know, its ridiculous. I'm pretty sure anyone reading your complaint would be safe to assume that DCS' rating with the BBB is the least of their concerns with you.