Dear Diary,

Today is payday! One would I think I would be excited…. Right?!?! NOT!! I won’t be excited until my automatic debits come out of my account. Automation is very sexy if you are trying to pay certain bills on time. I have my car insurance, LA fitness, and cell phone bill on auto debit on my account. Those are my absolute necessities in my life…. Transportation, Communication, and Fitness. I also have a bank debt that is on auto debit as well. UGH!! Bummer… I know… I know…

I got hit with a lawsuit from a bank debt that I owe from an old bank account. I used to work for a company that gave their employees paychecks that would bounce… YES ! MY PAYCHECK BOUNCED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS!! NO, I AM NOT TELLING A LIE!!! I was fresh out of college. That was my first “real job”. I never knew that people or companies were capable of doing such a thing…. I was sooo naïve!!! Anywho, I began to incur fees because of these bounced checks. It got soooo bad that I had open another account at another bank in order to actually see a paycheck without being absorbed by fees. I incurred about $1000 worth of bank fees.

Did the company give me money in order to help with the fees that they caused? NO!!

Should I have sued them? Sure!!! But then I would have to take a number because a lot of people were suing them… Thank goodness I work at a real company now…. (Blessings!)

I received a summons in the mail to attend court from a lawyer about a bank debt. Once I got to court, I was able to negotiate a payment plan in order to pay it off in 6 months. Currently, I am on Month 4!! I am two months from knocking this debt out! Go me!!! I will have one less debt in November.

Moral of the story: Research the company that you work for. If you paycheck bounces for ANY REASON, GET OUT OF THERE!!!! It only gets worse from there…

It shouldn’t have gotten to this point but that’s what happens when you don’t stay on top of all your debt. First, I called the bank where I previously had the account with to handle this debt. They told me that it was sold to a debt collector. I left it alone after that. I should’ve done more research with it to see what debt collector bought the debt. A lot of times your debt can be sold over and over again. It can be a confusing process but it is a necessary burden that you must bear in order to pay the right company and get it off your credit report.

Diva Dollars Tip: Research your debt. Even though it may have one company on your credit report, it may be in the hands of another debt collection or law firm. Be thorough. Google is your friend. Sometimes your info maybe on search page 15 but it is soooo worth the hassle. Also, read consumer forums if you come across any. They will have stories or examples about dealing with the same debt collection agency that you may have to deal with.

Until next time…. Keep Eliminating those Debts Divas!!

Best Regards,
Miss Diva Dollars