Hi.  If anyone has some advice to give, I would love to hear it.  I had a line of credit while I was in school and had to use it quite a bit to support myself.  When I began working, I would deposit all of my cheques into this account and then live out of it again.  The principle was not going down, but the payments were being made and the principle was not increasing.  Suddenly they seized my account and froze it.  I could no longer make the payments because I was only working part time and needed the money to live.  I was also pregnant and would not be working for too much longer.  Now I have had my baby and the debt has been refered to Nordon Collections.  I was told that of course, I had to pay in full, and then he offered for me to pay half with monthly payments following.  I said I have no money, no job and no assets.  He said that he would take me to court, seize my bank accounts, prevent me from owning anything for the next 19 years and then fine me the court costs.  I was terrified. 

I got a copy of my credit report and it says that the loan has been paid and closed by credit grantor.  What does that mean?  It no longer exists to the bank?  Have they written it off?  Any info would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks

Thanks for the info.  I thought about sending some post dated cheques, but was told that those would not be good enough unless I came up with a lump sum payment to begin with.  I am not working right now and cannot come up with anything remotely close to what this collector wants me to.  It is good to know that I will not be taken to court right now...I don't think I could deal with that on my plate right now.  I don't own anything they could put a lein on nor do I have any large amounts of cash stashed away (I wish).  So I think I will take your advice and send along a few post dated cheques to tide them over for the time being.  T

hanks again for your reply.

Another thanks....just a quick question....by making the payment directly to the creditor, do you mean the institution where I had the line of credit?  If that's the case, would I make the cheques out in the bank's name?  Would five dollars really be acceptable?  I think I could swing five bucks...haha.  Maybe $50 would be a little better for keeping everyone happy and making me look like I am really trying.  The last thing I want to do is shirk on an agreement, but the way thinks happened I had no choice....they made it so I had no choice.  If they had just let me continue the way I was before, I would have kept the account in good standing and been able to pay down the principle at a later time.  That way, I would not have messed up my credit and the bank would not have to be fighting with me nor sending me to collections.  It is very frustrating that they couldn't understand that they were not only cutting off my ability to pay, but that they were hurting themselves too.  Banks!!!

 When people send cheques to the creditor or government, they are forwarded to the agency in all cases. The better way to do this is make the cheque payable to the party that you owe the money to, and not the agency. By doing this, it also keeps your affairs private thus your bank sees that you are paying a creditor and not a collection agency. Just a useful tip in building financial relationships.

 For student loans, agencies cannot refuse payments regarding CSLP or Provincial. The bank cure, risk, or risk-shared come with more unusual colelction tacics to press for payment. Pay what you can afford, and substantiate it. That will help those who are being pressed. If the pressing continues, simply know that there are no legal avenues to enforce the issue - unless an individual can pay more that what they are claiming. Collectors look at this side of things also. Student loans are not sued as much as colelctors say they are. That is the reality.

 Johnny

How do i find out who my student loan was with?? One would be the goverment i assume and the other with the bank of Nova Scotia. I don't think i have any of the paper work from way back then. What other avenue can i take to find this out??

Thanks in advance!!

 The only way to find out if you are unsure is to call the HRDC or NSLC for info on federal loans, or the bank that you had borrowed from.

 If you call them, just stick to the question that you have. They will likely require information about you to identify the accounts. Use your judgment when divulging information to the representative(s).

 Johnny

I realize that it doesn't matter what amount you give these people but I have a story for you..In 2002 I began paying ScotiaBank whatever I could afford at the time $100.00 here and sometimes more..They said that wasn't enough to pay the minimum, I said I am sorry but thats all I can do for the moment and if I was able to pay more then I would..Well last year 2003 in the month of October I decided to give them only $50.00...They cashed it so I was under the impression that they really had no choice but to accept it...Wrong...they wrote me a check for the same amount $50.00 and said that we were unable to accept your payment because it is not enough to meet the amount required (something like that)..I never did cashed it and don't plan too cause if I bring them to court it will look bad for them...Anyways they sent letters upon letters prior to that saying you are behind BLA BLA BLA...but I kept giving them an amount every month anyways...After they wrote me that check I then sent them 4 post dated checks for $125.00/month..They sent all of them back asking that if I didn't want my loan to go to collections they asked to pay $130.00 for 6 months...Last week I get a nice call from NCO collections saying I needed to pay X amount of money to them...At this point I am confused...I politely asked the girl if my loan is in collections why wasn't I notified in writing..She says oh we did send you a letter last week...2 weeks has passed and still no letter..I simply told her that unless you have eveything in writing you and I aren't conducting any business and that is my right..She would'nt even give me the company address...I told her well i guess you don't want my money and that maybe your company might be a fraud what do you say anout that...Well she hung up...Anyways does anybody know this company or has anybody had dealings with them concerning student loans I really would love to know..

thanks

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

NCO Financial Services Inc (Brantford)

Work: (519)750-6000
Fax: 519-750-6088

1 Market Street, Suite 310
Brantford, Ontario
N3T 6C8

They are a collection agency that collects many items, Federal Student Loans being one of them. If you are not able to pay your student loan you need to contact the people that actually hold the note loan. Student Loans split up into three parts when they default. Prior to 1999 any loans were granted through banks and the securing parties "Cosigners" on your loan would have been the federal gov't Provincal gov't and the bank. Each of these parties have to secure a portion of your loan. When you default they all send your file to collections in different agencies and time frames. But one thing remains the same, if you really can not meet your obligation with them you can fill out a Finanacial Assesment form and tell them what you can afford, Bill Collectors will not tell you of this form cause they want PIF payment in full.

Second, if a collection agency ever refuses to give you info like that again, they are breaking the law, bill collectors are all licenced with the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services 416-326-8800. You can log a complaint against the collector and agency. All provinces have a gov't body regulating the. The agency has to give you their licence number.

Hope this helps.  

Hi!

I want to know if anyone has ever dealt with CBCL..If so I would like to hear their stories cause they are making my blood boil by being nasty, rude and do nothing but mentally abuse people and that is a crime..Nobody deserves to be treated in that fashion and they should be charged for that..You try to make a deal that will suit them and you but they refuse to give you their address so that you have no choice but to breakdown and wire the money.They are refusing to accept my monthly payment and they are demanding $1500 byt the end of this month.There's no way i can come up with that amount I would starve and I am at the point where I just want to quit my job and just be  a bum for life but I hold a very respectful job and can't afford to lose it because of them..What can I do?

 Write a detailed letter to the attewtion of Mr. Sterritt at CBCL's head office. Also, copy it to the Ontario Ministry. That will work.

 The ministry in Ontario is a little less productive than most others fro reasons only known to themselves. If your complaint is severe enough, they will warrant an investigation. By writing directly to Mr. Sterritt, you will certainly get their attention.. and by copying the ministry, it will certainly hit a certain nerve.

 Johnny

 Also, be very detailed in your written complaint. Give facts, describe the way the collector(s) treat you, etc. Don't threaten anything other than copying the ministry. Your complaint is about "concern" and "a request for action". Coying the ministry is threatening enough.

 Johnny

I dealt with CBCL about 2 years ago.  I received a phone call one evening from a "Steve Anderson", after a short conversation, I did offer to make monthly payments on my CSL, but he refused and very rudly reminded me "you owe us $19 000 and you have until Friday to pay it".   I told him I would have to lift up my mattress and count my "stash" first.   Then he hung up.  Now, 2 years later, I can't find that loan - don't know who has it or what the balance is.  If only they had accepted my offer, I wouldn't be in this situation.

Steve no longer works there - I wonder why!

Hi! Overwhelmed..

CBCL are one of the worst Collections agency next to Equifax that I ever had dealings with..The girl I dealt with on our first contact was extremely arrogant..She was trying to intimidate me and when she couldn't make me cry or plead with her she then raised her voice and began to make her threats I simply told her "Ok Jayne you are obviously not making it any easier on the both of us so I guess I am going to have to do this the hard way".Be prepared to receive a letter..Then she began acting like a child and I then told her the "F" word and hung up..I then changed my phone number to an unlisted number..I also consulted with Johnny and I don't think I'll be getting any more headaches..This girl also left a nasty message on my answering machine and I tend to have it recorded and keep it in my files..Their practices should be outlawed no one should have to go throught this kind of abuse we are not all deadbeats..If they don't want to give you the chance to make monthly payments then I usually say "well then I guess you don't want my money so have a nice day"..Better yet send them monopoly money..

see yah,

Gary wrote: hey michelle  An example of differences in laws is in the U.S you can call as early as 8 am in the morning but in canada i think it is 7am... talk about a wakeup call. Ok im finished ranting

the times vary from province to province, In Ontario I think its 7am to 8pm. Never on Sunday or Statatory holidays. Collectors have one `late night' where they stay until 8 pm. This is normally on a Thursday.

Gary wrote: opps wait a min... ive just been reading some posts and there is talk about NCO wow i didnt think NCO was that big they have many offices in the U.S as well. The reason i know this is because sometimes other collection agencies such as NCO some collectors dont know how the close accounts out properly and when they are sent to our office they say they already paid it... ok im finished for now

NCO is one of the smaller less professional agencies. Collectcorp, CBCL, Nordon, NCO, Nova, CBV..... its breaks down like that.

Hi,

I'm new to this site but glad I found it. I finished school 5 years ago, went to school as a single mom with 3 children, got no breaks what so ever on loans  in fact my welfare cheque got cut 400 half way through school thanks to Mike Harris. Anyway I made it and graduated. I paid my loans faithfully until 2 years ago, actually I paid off the federal one. but  just over 2 years ago I got an illness which made it impossible for me to work due to severe pain in my face. I got behind on my loan and it went to NORDON. When they called I offered to make lesser payments of 50 per month, they refused this. Told me it had to be paid in full. I requested "loan forgiveness" due to disability and sent in all the papers they requested and never heard from them again.

Now I'm working part-time and requested my credit report and there it is. I put in a dispute about this loan and now they are calling again. My son gave them my number at work and they are calling me there every other day. Oh they told him it was urgent that they speak to me and being a child he didn't know better. The guy who's calling of course has been pushing me to go to the bank for a loan with a co-signer because I don't make enough money to get a bank loan as well as having this in the credit bureau. When that didn't work he became threatening over the phone, he told me my disability claim was refused, when I asked him to send me proof by fax I received nothing.

Today he called my work and asked for payroll, fortunately I have call display and since I answered the phone I wouldn't put him through. I thought that was illegal for them to do that, at that point I asked him for his supervisor, I think he put through to another collector instead, she asked for my social insurance number which I gave and probably shoudn't have, she first told me they requested more information 2 years ago and that I refused to give it, that never happened  I offered again to pay 50 per month and they told me they would call back but didn't.

I don't recall ever receiving anything in writing from these people besides the medical form.

I'm not really sure how to handle this. My loan was with Royal Bank. Should I send payments to them??

Help!!!

I love these guys at NCO!!  They call me all the time, a few times a day, but I refuse to answer now.  My spounce answered the last call and said that I was no longer at this number and to stop calling.  They like to leave messages that simply state, "this is so and so from Edmonton and we would like to talk to you about some information we would like to send you."  They did not identify who they were or what it was about.  I guess I was supposed to be curious enough to call them back, but I knew who it was from the call display.  Nice try.  Isn't that against collection policy to not id who they are and the nature of the call???? 

Bottom line is that I have no money at all right now to offer them.  I am not working right now because I am caring for our new baby and we are just making ends meet with one income.  Besides, it is my debt, not my hubbies!  I went to school before we met and he should not be expected to pay for it. 

Nordon got my work number from my child by telling him it was an urgent call, now they call me every day, sometimes they just ask for our fax number, they don't say who it is, but I always answer the phone, the guy told me he was going to make my life hell, that he would call me every day more then once and to go ahead and complain, his exact words were " that's like complaining to the cops because cops beat you up, No one will care" Now I see their # and I just hang up right after I answer, they told me to borrow the money to pay them. They are driving me nuts, he gets other people to call and ask for our fax #. I sent them my financial statement guess it didn't make them very happy.

Barb

Johnny,

I enjoy your advice and need to ask... I have a CSL debt to HRDC, now called SDC, and it has been with Collectcorp for a few years. I was making regular payments on it and HRDC all of a sudden starts calling and sending letters and statements, saying that I owe them $1,400. The last statement I have from Collectcorp states my outstanding balance is $800 and change. When I refused to make any further payments until it was clarified, they all of a sudden could not be reached. So - you'll love this! - I sent them a 90 page fax with ALL receipts, cancelled cheques and statements from Collectcorp. They called me the same day. To complain about tying up their fax machine all day. Tough! They then told me the discrepancy is due to the fact that I was paying Collectcorp 7.25% interest and they say it should have been Prime Rate + 2%. They didn't figure this out for 5 YEARS?? Don't they have to do a fiscal year end reconcilliation of all outstanding debts? Just like any company does? Even those in collection? I said I was contacting my accountant and my lawyer, before I would take any other steps. Neither of which I have. If I could afford them, I wouldn't have debt in collection!

Now...if I do owe the amount they have calculated, do I also get credited for the months where the total interest rate was lower than 7.25%? They say no. Why should I be responsible for "their collection agency" not doing the math? If this is in fact the truth! How can I be held liable for this? 5 years and no one looks to see the interest rate they are charging me? Come on!

I am now in a position to pay off the thing in a lump sum. YEAH! Do I send the amount Collectcorp says I owe? Do I send the amount SDC claims? Who to pay? And how much? And how? Personal cheque? Money orders? Certified cheque? HELP!!

Any advice you can offer on this matter would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Johnny wrote:    When people send cheques to the creditor or government, they are forwarded to the agency in all cases. The better way to do this is make the cheque payable to the party that you owe the money to, and not the agency. By doing this, it also keeps your affairs private thus your bank sees that you are paying a creditor and not a collection agency. Just a useful tip in building financial relationships.  For student loans, agencies cannot refuse payments regarding CSLP or Provincial. The bank cure, risk, or risk-shared come with more unusual colelction tacics to press for payment. Pay what you can afford, and substantiate it. That will help those who are being pressed. If the pressing continues, simply know that there are no legal avenues to enforce the issue - unless an individual can pay more that what they are claiming. Collectors look at this side of things also. Student loans are not sued as much as colelctors say they are. That is the reality.  Johnny

 This is an odd occurence.

 What youa re describing is what youy would call "post-audit" procedure. THe account is with SDC now? If so, they recalled the loan.

 I am reading more into what you are describing.. and if you have "proof" that there are accounting errors on their part (such as the receipts and statements you faxed) then they really cannot hide their errors now, can they?. It is illegal for a government institution, or any lender to charge or colelct more money than what is agreed upon by the borrower. So , if you have proof that they are colelcting more than the agreed upon sum, simply escalate the matter by writing HRDC to motion an audit to determine where there errors are occuring. It is pretty simple, really.

 The bottom line is that you don't have to pay something you do not owe.

 Lastly, if you have the means to pay out your CSL, make sure the numbers add up first. You don't want them coming back after you for a post-audit amount after the fact. If you are certain beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are being charged more than the agreed upon sum, take action.

 Request the HRDC conduct an audit of your account to ensure their accounting is accurate. If they refuse, and you have proof of error, that is an offense.

 Thanks Johnny!

Been super busy at work and not had a chance to check back in. I appreciate your advice. I will do as you say and request that HRDC conduct an audit of my account.

Do I just send it to the general address I have for them? Or is there someone in particular I should be writing to? Registered mail goes without saying. How long do I give them to reply? And if they tell me that they are correct and I owe the other 500 bucks? Do they need to supply me with "proof" that their accounting is correct?

I have been paying off all my bills today and they are the last one I owe. THERE'S A LIGHT AT THE END OF MY TUNNEL!! Finally. Once they're gone, it's just working to rebuild my credit rating.

Muchas gracias.

 Write to HRDC Collection Services but fax the letter of concern first. Make sure that you keep a transcript of the fax being sent... and place a line under your signature for a witness to sign as well to indicate that they were present when it was faxed. This way, it is physical proof that you issued them a letter. Also, have the witness sign the registered mail order so it can be proven that you actually did send a letter and not an empty envelope.

 This is a hint as to how people can protect themselves from the problems resulting from lost information, or claims of not receiving it.

 Fax your letter(s) to 800-667-0135.

 Mail to:

HRDC Collection Services

 140 Promenade du Portage

Phase IV

 2nd Floor

Hull, Quebec

K1A 0J9 

 YOU ROCK!

 I'll let you know how it goes.

michelle wrote: Hi! You try to make a deal that will suit them and you but they refuse to give you their address so that you have no choice but to breakdown and wire the money.

CBCL tried this with me in January 2003 and it didn't get them anywhere.  The collector was rude and then had the nerve to demand I send my monthly fee by wire......now why would I pay that much when it would cost me less then that to deliver the money in person.  Since I was off that day and had nothing else to do I delivered it in person.....they had no choice as I wasn't going to pay for someone else doing something I could do for myself......and I was going away so I thought....it's out of the way and I got my post dates in....I'll have a relaxing time away... 

Just to respond to a couple of earlier posts:

In Ontario, my understanding is that collection agencies can call you between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. (and I can confirm that this has been my experience for months).

I have a question:  an earlier post was that collection agencies can't call you at work.  I have sent TWO letters to Allied, both also addressed to the Ontario Ministry of Corporate and Consumer Affairs, forbidding the CA from contacting me at work (he has been calling me two or three times a day at work for a couple of months), and that was weeks ago.  The calls continue.  Anybody know if indeed they are not supposed to call people at work?  I might actually answer my phone at home if they would just stop calling me at work@!!!

 The 8am-9pm rule is correct. They can call you Monday to Saturday.

 Lastly, some provinces will allow communication with a debtor at their place of employment. It is not something that "should" be done, however, in many cases, business hours are the only times a collector can reach their party. In certain provinces, it is absolutely against the law for a collector to communicate with a debtor at their place of employment. If you are in Ontario, then the rule is that a collector can contact you at work ONLY to 1) to make contact because all other options have failed, 2) discuss an appropriate time to have a conversation about the matter, and; 3) discuss the debt with you if it is convenient for you to do so.

 Here is something that people MUST know...

 If a collector is working under a provincial law that restricts him or her from communicating with you at your place of employment, and decides to break the rules and proceed to contact you, then you must have proof of this breech in directive to make it count. Otherwise, it is your word against theirs. If you take the matter to your provincial ministry, they may contact the agency to review the account notes. Collectors are intelligent, especially when it involves making sure that they leave no "foot or finger prints" that will incriminate them. In other words, your account notelines at the agency will likely not reflect that any such call was made. The collector can simply not input the information in the notelines.  

 Johnny

Well, that figures.  Thanks for the info, Johnny.  I've been trying to find the "rules" that the CAs are supposed to be following, but so far have been unsuccessful.

So the only proof, then, would be if I saved my voicemails at work forever?  (I guess I could try to tape them, but I couldn't prove they weren't from home ....)

Oh, and I was under the impression that continuous telephone calls when someone has requested them to stop constitutes criminal harassment.  Any thoughts on this?

I have a question

I have been paying my loan to Nor-don for about 3 years

It was for 15000 at start. What i would like to know is Do they charge interest on that. cause i asked for an update and they said i still owe 14500. so in 3 years i paid only 500.... and i have been paying 200 a month for that time..

any ideas what they are upto and what can i do...

thanks

Nordon will charge you interest at the same rate as the bank or the govt did. For example, if you had a loan with CIBC that was accruing prime plus 2.5%, then your loan with Nordon would also be accumulating prime plus 2.5%.

They should be sending you monthly statements, so you can track what you're putting on the interest and what you're putting on the principal.

no they said i only paid 500 over 3 years.

I have paid them 200 a month for the 3 year period.

what can i do or what should i ask for from nordon to get a look at my files. do they have to provide them to me. and do they clearly have to show what was charged to me in interest and what was paid monthly.

also is there files or forms i need to do all this.

plus file and forms from my bank i had the loan with. I have closed my account with them (well they closed it on me) even though i had been paying them with no issues. they decided one day to send me to the collection and freeze my account with no explaintion at all.

they told me they had the right to do that anytime they wanted.

i had lost all my paper and docs due to moving around so much it school i could not dispute it at the time.. but i am now wondering what are my option...

thank for all the input.. i wish i had found this site 3 years ago.

hunter wrote: Yes both collection agencies and HRSDC will keep charging you interest.

Hunter, I had loans with NSLC (federal, federal/integrated) that went to collections. I was under the understanding that CBCL could only charge me the interest that NSLC would have charged. Is that not the case? Am I actually paying double interest?

Hi Tonto,

I will call you Monday evening. I have some contacts for you. I Will talk with them this weekend and they will contact you.

Johnny

This forum is for people experiencing issues with Student Loan debt....why are you  here?

And in case you missed it, here is the policy of this site....

Policy of this site:
Student loans are meant to be paid back. Help should be available for those who have an unmanagable debt burden. A higher level of service should be provided by administrators. Bankruptcy is not the answer to student debt! If you are seeking ways to avoid paying back your loan, please do not post on this site. If you have good intentions of paying your loan and are experiencing hardship and need help, you are most welcome to post here.

My favourite thing about Student Loans sending your loan to a collection agency like NorDon, is that they immediately demand your entire loan in one lump sum from the get go.

This is very interesting. THis collector is Mr. Rahman (I think is the correct spelling). There are quite a few people posting messages about his collection tactics and behavior. When you call his desk at 800-268-5638 (Extension 5589), his voice mail says: "You have reached Mr. Rahman, default investigation and enforcement unit, please leave your name, telephone #, and case # ..." He is a collector for this agency, not an default invstigation or enforcement unit guy. This is a clear example of how collectors use creative titles to make you think they are more important than being a debt collector. Using the words "enforcement" and "investigator" puts fear into the minds of those calling him who are getting his voice mail. The scary part is that his voice mail says this, what is he actually telling people he is or does for this company?

No. As long as one party agrees. That is the way the law is written. Whoever wrote it must have been semi-conscious.

No. As long as one party agrees. That is the way the law is written. Whoever wrote or passed it must have been semi-conscious at the time.