PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES / KRAMER & FRANK, PC Bottom feeders... elistists... judgmental... rude... scary... bullies NORFOLK Virginia

This company has about as much professionalism as a group of wild dogs. I first heard from Portfolio Recovery in 2006. They said I owed Washington Mutual (Providian) 6,000.00. I said ok. They offered a settlement of 2300.00 to which I asked for a letter in writing.

The guy I spoke with (Keith) said that was not their policy to issue settlement
offers in writing but would send me something this time if I went ahead and set up autopayments for every 2 weeks to get this settlement paid off. Like a do-do, I agreed.

I never got the settlement letter & when I called I asked for Keith & was told he was off & spoke to Carlos instead. Carlos stated 3 things after I explained what Keith had told me. 1. I would not get a letter stating that they offered me a settlement payment plan. 2. It was against their policy to offer a settlement payment plan...only a 1-time settlement payment. 3. I am a deadbeat-loser & they would get their money without offering a settlement because they had a team of lawyers ready to cost me everything for their 6, 450.00.

When I said it was supposed to be a 2300 dollar settlement on 6000; so where did the 6,450 come from and why weren't the payments they had been taking being applied.

He responded that I had a repayment interest of 29.9% & I had late fees accruing every month. I told him that wasn't fair & he responded life wasn't fair but with them having my checking account information they would get the agreed payments & if the money wasn't there they would take me to court.

They took payments out of my checking account until 7.2006. After that I started receiving statements from them saying I owed 5610.00. I didn't call them back. I started receiving different letters/phone calls for a Washington Mutual account that had been charged off in 2005 & hadn't been used since 2004.

I answered one of their calls to explain to the company that I had tried to work out payment plans before & they would not be reasonable. I also explained that I had been recently laid off but the minute I was gainfully employed again I would call them to get some sort of payments worked out.

Huge mistake...I was totally unemployed from 3.07 to 11.07 & I received on average of 4 phone calls from them every single day but Sunday. Starting as early as 8a.m. to as late as 8:30 pm. I was threatened with court, garnishments, losing my house. I explained again that I was unemployed & their response (many different individuals) was that wasn't their problem.

One guy told me if I had been good at my job I wouldn't have gotten laid off. He asked me if I had cable, he asked me if I had a washer & dryer, he even asked me if I had central air...to which I didn't reply. He said my silence tells him that I am just being greedy & decided that they didn't deserve to get their money because I wanted to have luxuries.

I told him that I was experiencing what I hoped to be temporary financial struggles but was trying. He responded that I hadn't begun to struggle yet but he'd be sure to see that I did & he hung up on me.

I heard nothing from them for about 2 months then started receiving letters from Kramer and Frank lawfirm out of St. Louis, MO. I talked to this lawfirm once & no matter what I said they were pretty consistent with their solution:

"No one cares that you aren't working, the client wants the money you owe them, hadn't you ever heard of credit card insurance, your money problems are your problem." I think the most uncompassionate thing I heard that day was: "If you lose your house in foreclosure because you owe us money, then you will have the money to pay & it won't be a financial burden anymre. No amount of money was good enough for them. I didn't answer any more of their letters.

In June-08, I recieved a summons that I was being sued for 13,000 dollars for the Washington Mutual credit card. I called both Portfolio & Kramer and Frank-both stated that I never told anyone I was laid off, Portfolio refused to work with my debt settlement counselor. Kramer and Frank refused to even talk to the counselor.

My intent was to set up payment plans to get both cards paid off along with my husband's cards; which is why we were working with the counselor. One of Kramer and Frank's employees really read me the riot act; he said things to me that I never expected from a customer service individual-he called me a bold-faced liar. He said that I was an opportunist and I would get my opportunity to try to sell that fairy tale to a judge & hung up on me.

They sent me a consent judgment form told me to get it notarized and sent back to them to keep from going to court or send them 12,901 by June 26,2008 to avoid the judgment.

I looked up the judge's docket (Gillis) for the day I was supposed to go to court & there were 317 people on his docket to answer to lawsuits filed by Portfolio Recovery Associates. I could not afford an attorney to represent me in court so I signed the judgment.

Because of that I am forced to pay them 600.00 a month for both cards (12,000 & 5600) plus 9% interest per annum plus penalties and late fees starting in July-2008.

With the debt settlement couselor, I was going to pay 500.00 a month for 37 months for both me & my husband's credit cards. I was just trying to avoid having the judgment on my credit report forever.

I was bullied, demeaned, & judged harshly by Kramer and Frank. I was lied to, mislead, threatened, and ripped off by Portfolio Recovery Associates as I still have no idea where any of the money I sent them actually went.

They refused to sent me a itemized statement because (I was told) it costs too much for them to extend that service to me.

I have no recourse. I was bullied in middle school by relentless tormentors... I think they grew up to work for these two companies.

Not good
STL, Missouri
U.S.A.