Most of us want to do the right thing in every situation. We want to take care of our responsibilities, make the right decisions. Be good, honest human beings.
And sometimes, things don’t go exactly as planned. You may fall behind in your bills one month. You have to skip putting money in the savings this month, not pay one bill to pay another next month.
And sometimes things just aren’t going right, from loss of a job, illness, divorce, or a death in the family. You’re faced with having to deal with things which are just out of your control.
Sometimes all you can do, is the best you can with what you’ve got. You try and explain to your creditors about your situation, try to work something out, but the bottom line is they want their money. And sometimes, what you’ve got just isn’t enough.
When your creditors don’t get their money, they call in a collection agency that takes your debt from them to collect in exchange for a comfortable commission, sometimes even buying it off the creditor for only pennies on the dollar. And that’s when those phone calls begin. Sometimes several a day, possibly threatening, even verbally abusive. This can go on for months, even years!
If they get nowhere, agencies will at times hire lawyers to aid them in prying your last dollar out of your grip.
All collection agencies in Canada have to adhere to provincial laws covering behavior and ethics.
The lawyers hired by collection agencies in some provinces are not subject to the same laws.
These lawyers will at times send out letters they refer to as a draft statement of claim. It is NOT an official document, even though it bears a “stamp” on it which reads “Superior Court”. Receiving such a document is unsettling in the least.
Bottom line… this draft statement of claim is just one more scare tactic in the tool box of collection agencies. It’s more tangible than the classic verbal threat of “I’m going to have the sheriff at your house by 3 PM!”
How or why should anyone of us trust , respect or take seriously anyone who lies, deceives, threatens, manipulates or misleads people to collect money, or anything really?
People who can’t afford to pay their debts don’t need the added stress of what is actually a fraudulent document, with a Superior Court stamp on it.
If you’ve been faced with this type of situation, please call us. Reply to this blog. Tell us your story. We CAN help you!.
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