Girl on the Brink: Surviving Desperate Times with Desperate Measures

So last night I was downstairs when I heard a knock on the door and then the rattle of the mail slot.  I thought oh, f—k, a process server. I can’t face it.  I ran upstairs to look out the window but couldn’t see anyone or a vehicle that might belong to them.  Filled with dread, I put the kids through their bedtime routine and then went downstairs and opened the door and…. nothing.  No person, no paper.  I somehow imagined the knock on the door and opening of the mail slot.  The mind plays tricks.

My ex is being hounded by a lawyer. He broke his lease and skipped out on his rent after he moved back into the house with me, and the rental agency wants him to pay up. We’re both unemployed and can’t afford separate living quarters. I’m in a fee dispute with my ex-divorce lawyer, whom I had fired after he ran up a bill for $10,000 in less than two months.  But the lawyer is being a jerk and filed a lawsuit against me while I’m seeking to mediate. [I completed my divorce pro se, which means by myself. Family law is such a racket.]

Sometimes I can get debt collectors off my back.  The last time was when I terminated my contract with Helio, one of the newer cell phone carriers. After about four months, I discovered that Helio was still charging me a monthly membership fee, even though I was now receiving cell phone service from T-Mobile.

The membership fees amounted to the early termination fee, which Helio hadn’t charged me. When I called to complain, Helio refused to refund the membership fee, giving some lame excuse about how I was still a member. I refused to pay the early termination fee. “Let’s call it a wash,” I said.

Helio sicked a girl with an English accent after me, leaving twice daily messages on my phone: “Hi, this is Lindsay McGee with a very important message for you….” One day I called back and got a shady guy on the phone. Then I Googled the phone number and discovered it was a debt collection service.

I found this advice on the Internet, and it worked. If a bill collector calls, you can dispute the debt by telling the collector—in writing—that you want them stop contacting you. Cite the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, in your letter.

Under the act, the collectors, who often employ sleazy and harassing tactics to get you to pay up, must stop contacting you once they receive your letter. If they don’t, you can file a complaint with the FTC on its website.