So there really isn't a reason for me to put this out here except I'm absolutely frustrated and seriously feel like I just start to get my head above water and breath and then I swear I start sinking again. And this is a very specific circumstance, not life in general. I'm still absolutely happy, just in this moment, I want to scream at life/karma or whoever.
So I screen my phone calls. Deal with it. Now you know when I don't answer your phone call. Unless I saved your number and know who you are, and even then, I still might not answer. So Chris yells at me all the time when I don't answer calls, especially since my cell phone is my only contact and who knows who's calling me and how important it might be, etc etc. Ok, leaving work, on my way to piano lessons I get a phone call from some random NY number... Chris says yay, go answer it. Bad move... Asking for a Haley Lewis... Oh goodness. What the heck, maiden name throw back. Apparently this random foreign guy is calling from a collection agency, and I have an outstanding gym membership that's been accumulating and past due and blah blah blah. So a gym membership, to a gym I haven't been to since 2007. The contact address is one I moved out of Aug 2007. Not even my last NJ address. I forward my mail, never got a bill, ever. I'm 99.9% sure I cancelled this membership especially since I moved to Florence and never wanted to drive to Hamilton to go to a gym. But apparently they have an outdated $590ish past due accumulated blah blah bill... COOL. I shouldn't have to pay, but "I" didn't follow policy and cancel my membership.
Trying to track down this gym so I can yell at them or see if that was even the gym I had. Guess what ! It's closed ! No WAY! No way to get any information from them. All their online reviews are shady and horrible and terrible. Great...
So I'm stuck on the phone with this guy, driving to piano lessons, tired, cranky from life, just wanting to talk to Chris and my financial genius father in law and figure out my options. Dude will not get off the phone with me. [ps. I know nothing about financial things, what my options are, what laws are, etc etc] So he says if we don't have some agreement when we hang up he has to file a refusal of payment and it goes on my credit report. Oh joy. I'm fine to talk to everyone and figure this out and pay what I'm responsible for [which I think is nothing, am I wrong?] I'm not trying to disappear and shirk this. I'll address it once I discuss with Chris and Mark. That's all I wanted. Give me 12 hours. You obviously have my phone number [OH you have my phone number, but can't get an updated address in the past 6 years? Or wait this long to call me? I've had the same number forrrrrrever].
Guy is giving me every option. You owe $590 or something, I can offer you $375 if you pay now. Nope. Gotta talk to my husband. Well, what about a monthly plan, or bi weekly, or weekly payments over the next few months to pay the $590... NO. I WILL NOT AGREE TO ANYTHING UNTIL I TALK TO MY HUSBAND. You understand English ! LISTEN TO ME. By this time I'm almost to my in laws for lessons. Ticked I answered, cranky cause I hate this, I hate money, I hate all this crap. So he's like I'll let you off the phone, not turn this in as a negative to your credit, IF you agree to give me some amount of $$ as an "intent to pay" so they'll be satisfied I'm "trying." Ok. Now.. how do I trust to give you ANY bank/credit card/address information. I don't know who you are, if you're company is even real, if any of this is true. You could have found my name, address and phone number anywhere and say you're collecting a debt. Collection agency's shady. He gives me this whole run down and how he'll protect my information, gives me all his information, company name, website, extension, my case number, all this stuff. In retrospect I should have "accidentally" lost service, or hung up or told him thats nice that he'll protect my information but I've gotta go. Nope. Smart pregnant silly brained Haley gives her visa card information to him and authorizes a $50 "intent to pay" charge. WHHHHHHY. Gives me a confirmation number. Swears I'll get an email since they're "legit." So continuing to try to get off the phone, by this time I'm at my in-laws, lessons were supposed to have started 10 minutes ago. I've already dealt with this guy for 30 mins, trying to drive, write down all this crap information he's given me, just get off the phone so I can talk to Chris and Mark and get through lessons, find out what the options are, google this gym to see if it's even the gym I went to... And he's offering me ANOTHER payment option. What if I offer the 375 in month payments, etc etc. And I'm like look man, I just need to get off the phone with you. I gave you my visa number, I've authorized the $50 payment, I'll be in touch with you, please leave me alone. I have piano lessons. WHHHHHY.
I don't even remember how I got off the phone, but I did. As soon as I hung up, immediately I'm like Haley, you're an idiot. Why did you give your credit card information (at least it wasn't bank info). Get home tell Chris, he's upset obviously. We go to the bank, cancel my card just like 1hr too late, the charge is pending. Still cancel the card just in case this company isn't legit and tries to get all $500 and whatever. So at least they only get this $50.
And I find out, the best option would have been to say screw you, I don't know you, send me some proof of bill, invoice, statement, charges ANYTHING and then address this once we got the information. They're threat of reporting it to the credit agency was empty because they have to wait 30 days from first contact to report (and this is the first I've heard ever) and then I have time to dispute things on my credit report. So in retrospect... hang up. Tell these people where to go. They have no power over me. Why did I let them bully me. LAME.
So now we're in limbo to track down some paper that says something about me, the gym, membership charges, etc.
AND, when Chris called to request statement/invoice or whatever since we don't have anything, this lady tried to tell him they sent a request or something bill whatever, to his parents address (cause that's the address I gave the man earlier today to update my contact info so they could be in touch with me). So they sent a bill to "Haley Lewis" in 2009 to my in laws house. I didn't marry Chris until 2010. He was on a mission in 2009. I was in NJ/Utah... I didn't even KNOW their address... HOW COULD YOU SEND ANYTHING THERE !
AH. LIES. Frustrated. I want to drive to piscataway and punch them in the face. If anyone wants to drive by where my gym USED to be, it's on the left going up 206 North in Bordentown right before you get to the crazy cloverleaf round-a-bout thing that heads you into Trenton or Hamilton. If you know Bordentown, you know where I'm talking. Right by the 195 on ramp. So go by. See the shadiest former gym that's "moved/closed" convenient for them.
The end. Well not really. This is just like the first chapter. I wish it was the end. I wish they'd just take the $50 be shady and run away.
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