8006204284

Mr.Steven Wilson called my phone and left a message stating that I needed to get in touch with him as soon as possible.I called the phone number back with the extension he answered and he asked me what number did he call me at .Steven is trying to conduct business in a professional matter ,but he did not know who he was talking to so I asked him what was my number he hung up in my face.

How much do you think my ashes are worth, julie edwards?
I have a bullet ready for me when all hope is lost and you can get after my estate.
hahahah, what estate? do you think I'm one of those death taxes guys, your 2 percent of Americans who are rich and are against the tax hike bill?

Reference # 703438 called my neighbor and left 800.6204284.
This is B.S.

I don't know these people

I received a phone call from this number. I missed the call initially but called them right back. Once they answered, I was asked for my telephone number so they could look me up. He couldn't find my number or figure out why they called but he then stated my name and asked me to verify if that was me. I did, then he stated a date of birth they had for me but it did not match. He told me he wasn't sure why they were calling me. I was told that they worked on behalf of the Department of Education. I ask if he was a debt collector. He gave me some off the wall answer. He stated they only try to help people get out of debt. He told me it was complicated to explain. I then told him I wasn't sure why they would be contacting me as I am a retired veteran and the government pays for my education. He immediately told me they had the wrong number and to have a good day. He was actually really nice the whole time.

I received 2 calls from this number, asking that I call back with a case number.  When I did so (after the 2nd call), the person asked if he could call me back as he was "on another call".  I said no, and asked what the call was regarding.  He said an attempt to garnish my wages for federal student loan.  I have paid my loan in full. I called the Dept of Ed to verify I had no outstanding loans, and I do not.  But yet I still get the calls, and they insist that I provide my date of birth and last four of my social.    I have read other posts and am afraid that wage garnishment will come out of nowhere without my knowledge because they are convinced that I am the person in question.  No one will send me anything in writing.   I am at a loss as to what to do now?

They called me several times today on both my home number and my cell number and NEVER left a message. Then they called my NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR looking for me! What a bunch of [***]. I took your advice and immediately filed a complaint with the FTC upon reading what you guys had to say.

Hi, thanks for the info. Have a question. I was just contacted by CTI and they said I owed around 1500. That's fine, but why do they want a voluntary monthly payment of 150 dollars instead of the 250 dollar garnishment. They say the 15 percent will just go towards the interest. 250 dollars will go towards the interest and the 150 will pay the actual loan. Why is that. You would figure they would want the 250 in garnishment instead of the 150 in voluntary payments. Why will the 150 go on the actual payment and the 250 garnish go only to the interst. More convenient for me to go the garnish road than to get a money order and send it off on a timely manner. I'm a busy individual.  I'm confused. I assumed 250 is more than 150. Must of stepped into alternate universe. I need an answer cuz it's driving me nuts. I can live with 15 percent garnishment. Why won't it go towards the loan instead of interest. The other option is voluntary 150 that will actually pay on the loan sans interest. Don't get me wrong the guy I was talking to was real polite and understanding, nothing bad to say about him. Just need answer to this. Thank you

If a collection agency discloses any debt you have to any other person, besides yourself, you CAN and should sue them. It is an easy grand and could get your debt erased.

Do NOT give collection agencies any of your personal information. You should contact a lawyer right away to deal with this. These people will suck every penny out of you if you let them. It is NOT ok for them to be calling your neighbors and family members to inform them about your debt. And it is NOT ok for them to call you before and after certain hours. They cannot threaten you in ANY way shape or form. You can sue for this.

Here is the FTC website dealing with debt collectors. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre18.shtm

It is also important to look up state laws too, as they may be even more in your favor. Keep any and all threatening voicemails or messages they send to you. Also keep a log of any times and dates they called you along with names and phone numbers, and what was discussed (do this in detail!!!). My advice is to only speak to them in writing. And send all mail certified.

NEVER ADMIT YOU OWE DEBT TO THEM. Even on the phone, as old debt that is no longer eligible to be collected, can then be collected again as the time allowed for them to be collected starts over.

I'm not saying people should just kick back and not pay their debts, but if a company is doing something illegal (like CTI has done MANY times) they should pay the price and get shut down!

Dear Whatever:
What good business person would not check to see what is being said about their company? So many people are uneducated about their options, and when they read these blogs they get more scared and uncertain of what direction to go from people just like you.
Collectors are not monsters, just working people. As a matter of fact, our biggest job is to educate people on the pros and cons of voluntary payment vs. non voluntary payment. Would you prefer that the account just get submitted for garnishment review with no attempt to contact you? Or would you prefer to have an active role in the resolution of your account  .... that YOU chose to take out, and YOU received the benefit of the education for. And please don't say how much the school sucked; YOU chose to go there.
The Dept of Education can not handle the volume of delinquent loans in their inventory, that is why they contract over 20 large and small business vendors to work these accounts on their behalf. Each contracted agency has specific guidelines to go by. Dept of Ed does not have in-house FOR PROFIT debt collectors, so again I say, educate yourself before you spew incorrect information on these blogs. If you want facts, go to the Dept of Educations website, not this one, where people are mad that their phone rang and the person didn't leave a message. Maybe you were left as a reference for someone else. Don't be mad at us that your friend or relative listed you, get mad at them.
Here is their site that shows all the agencies contracted by Dept of ED:
http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/collection.agencies.html
Here is their site that gives info about the loan rehab program:
http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/rehabilitation.html
Better yet ... why don't you call 800-620-4284 back and just talk to your borrower counselor. I am sure that he or she will be more than happy wo walk you through this process, and you may be pleasantly surprises that it wasn't as bad as you thought it might be.
Yes, I agree, there are some mean, rude, law breaking bill collectors out there in the collection industry, who actually have no leverage whatsoever, but never stop with the threats. If you call CTI and are being illegally threatened, ask to speak with a manager. But remember, there is a difference between threat and fact. You CAN be garnished if you don't pay ... but we try to reach you before that happens.
Have a nice day!

Dear The Real Truth:
How uninformed you are as well.
We can not talk to a borrower unless they confirm that we are speaking with the right person... would you prefer I talk to any John Smith about your student loan? This typically means at least the last 4 of the social, date of birth and address. So why would you tell people to not give any of their personal information?
If people can afford an attorney, why do they not pay back their student loans? An attorney can read your contract and see that you legally owe the balance in full. Is that worth the retainer fee?
There is no law that collectors can not call neighbors and references, but it is against the law for collectors to tell 3rd parties about your debt owed. Don't get the 2 confused. You may be mad/embarrassed that a neighbor was called and asked to take a message to you, but reflect on why this had to be done .... obviously you didn't keep your contact information updated, as your contract states.
I ask again, would you prefer that a decision be made on your behalf about your account, or would you prefer to have an active role in the resolution of your account?
And, by the way, there is no statute of limitations on student loans, so these do not go away like some of your credit card and personal debt. Just becuase it may have fallen off your credit report becuase it has been so many years does not mean it is not still owed.
Call CTI back and speak with someone who actually knows what they are talking about, this blog board is not the place to educate yourself... 800-620-4284.
Have a nice day!

Dear Therion:
Our intention of contacting you is to assist you in resolving your account voluntarily and avoid the wage garnishment from taking place. This option lets you participate in the loan rehabilitation program after 9-10 consectuive payments with all the benefits as well. Of course $250 via garnishment is more than $150 via voluntary payment, but we try to avoid garnishment if at all possible. Most borrowers would prefer that as well.
Whether garnishment or voluntary, the payments are applied to the account the same:
1st- 20% to collection fees
2nd - applied to current and back interest
3rd - if any remainder left of the payment after interest is paid, the remainder goes to the principal
The only time this is different is if the money comes from a treasury (or tax) offset.
Hope this answers your questions.
Have a nice day!

can you offer any suggestions to how low you can counter? like 50% of amount or what you were able to work out with them? I'm unemployed so i can't do much. any help would be appreciated.

Dear Julie,
When we filled out fasfa for our daughter to attend college I was required to fill out information on myself. I ended up having to take out a student loan for her. If my credit had been bad she would have been able to get a additional student loan for herself giving her time after graduation to pay it off. Because my credit was barely passable I had to do it. I explained to the rep that I was unemployed and broke and could not afford to take out that loan but felt I had a gun to my head or my child would not be able to get a college education. I was told to just do it. She said by the time I had to pay it back my situation would probably be much better. And I would be able to make really small payments to get back on my feet. Well that was 4 yrs ago. I did get a job for a year then they laid me off too.  Now my credit is absolutely in the toilet because I'm in default and i'm unemployed again due to the economy and no fault of my own. A collector keeps leaving horrible messages several times a day. I struggle to keep a roof over my head. You say try to talk to them. They are nice and will work with me. I call BS.

I received a telephone call from this number and the gentleman on the line was extremely rude. He demanded that I verify my residential address and the last four digits of my social BEFORE he would tell me what the call was regarding. He then proceeded to tell me that I had confirmed both, I reiterated over and over again that I had done no such thing. Nonetheless he continued to speak, shakily, over me and state that I had confirmed both and that he could not tell me what the call was regarding BEFORE I confirmed anything. He stated his name was "Alex Prada". The only reason I believe the call was from CTI is because I googled it. Mr. Prada would not even provide me with the name of his company unless I confirmed information. I will do no such thing. He said that the conversation was being recorded and I replied good, then you can listen back and learn that I confirmed no such information and that I wanted to know what the call was regarding. This behavior was outrageous and entirely out-of-bounds.

Got a called from them last night regarding a very old student loan. I explained I have been unemployed for 3+ years, with no income and living off family members. Didn't seem to care. At least once they speak to you, they can't start to call your family, friends, neighbors, etc, on the premise they can't find you. So I think it's better to speak to them, just never acknowledge it is a legit debt..better to have them mail you all the paperwork. PS...student loans in this country are about to become the next housing meltdown..we have millions of people owing billions of dollars in student loans, many of these people out of work or underemployed..the government is going to have to do something. When people can't buy food, clothes, cars, etc, they ain't worried about student loans. In almost the entire rest of the world, higher education is free.

Dear Plzhelp,
Settlements may be offered once a financial statement is taken with your borrower counselor to determine your inability to pay the account in full, as your contract demands. In most cases, the collection fees that the Dept of Education added when you went in default (up to 24%) can be waived, and sometimes we can also lower some of the back interest and or/ principal... if you are in a position to do a 1 time lump sum pay off.
Call your borrower counselor and inquire about a compromise settlement.
Have a great day!

Dear BrokeandHurting,
Have you requested to speak with a manager. You must understand that we have to approach the information with a matter of fact tone. If people are unable or, in some cases, unwilling to pay, it is our job to advise borrowers of the ramifactions of non payment.
For many unemployed people we have to ask ... how is it that all the other bills can get paid, such as cell phone, cable, car, etc ... but this one is always put on the back burner? Cable and cell are luxuries, not necessities.
The bottom line is, the loan is not going to go away, so whether you resolve it with CTI or the next company, the calls won't stop. I can tell you the next company may not be as professional as us.
Good luck!

In the early 90's I got a student loan from "Southern Technical".  It had a little over 700 students. We attended classed there for about 5 months and one day came in for class and the building was empty and the doors were locked. A few days later, I get a letter in the mail from them informing me that the school had closed in my State. (no kidding) Their letter stated that they would be happy to transfer me to another school in another state. The nearest school was 7 hours away.  I was a student, unemployed and could not move to another state, I asked for the loans to be refunded and never heard from them again. Now, all these years later, I'm expected to pay back a loan that the school itself did not fulfill it's obligation to the students.  If CTI wants the money, they can go after "Southern Tech"

If CTI is trying to get me laid off they are doing a good job of it.  Calling my employer demanding they make me call them by 5 is a little out of the norm if you ask me.