BRM 2017 July 2017 | Page 42

Harassment and Money

By Michelle

This article is based on true life experiences I have had. I will not disclose the name of the accused, as this would be slander, and we do not want any part of that.

A year and a half ago, I changed jobs. I was working in a place that had bad morale, bad management, and bad ownership. But, it paid well, $23 per hour. I had several people tell me what an asshole I was becoming while working there for the 2 and a half years. It undid all the things I had worked on for my personality and how I addressed people. After said company had demanded I perform a task that was, not only against my integrity, but, also, against the rules established by the governing agency. I made a personal choice to seek other employment. My job is specialized, so not many options were available. I was consulting with a smaller company, as my expertise in what they had no experience in, was needed. I approached the manager, after the incident I mentioned, and asked if he would like some more help. I explained my situation, and the things that had transpired. He contacted the owner of the company and I was granted an interview. The outcome of that interview changed my life in several ways. First, it got me out of a bad place to be in. Second, it put me in a very small and very positive place, where I have freedom and no judgement. Lastly, it changed my financial status. I took a $3 and hour pay cut to be in a happy place. The grass is not always greener, but sometimes it is more comfortable. I am a rare person, I love what I do for a living. Not many can say that. It is a blessing that I now work for someone who appreciates me and my talents. Ok, enough on the back story, let’s get to what this piece is about.

After taking the pay cut, it got a bit tough to make ends meet. I want to pay all my bills on time, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Besides my mortgage and utilities, food and other life necessities, I have 4 credit accounts I need to pay every month. Those 4 are:

The Home Depot (for my house, obviously)

Dell (for my hobbies, but also tools)

Victoria’s Secret (what girl doesn’t want to feel pretty?)

Snap On tools (for my job)

Right now, those 4 accounts add up to approximately $13000 in debt. I pay them all every month, just not on time, sometimes. Tools are expensive, whether they are made of steel or silicon. I have both.

When you are late with your payment, your creditor(s) will contact you and say “Your payment is late” or something to that effect. Of the list above, 3 of them are very good at not harassing me about getting my payment in. They know they will get it when I have the money to do so. Most of the time, they will contact me via email, and sometimes, make a call or 2 within a week’s time. One doesn’t even bother me as I deal with a rep directly. There is one, though, that when my payment is a few days past due, they will call me multiple times a day. On my cell phone!! While I am at work!! I have had repeated conversations with their customer service department, stating that the amount of calls I receive is harassment and they need to change their practices. I guess those conversations do not mean anything to them. Give you an idea of what I mean by harassment, pretty much, abuse. On Friday, 6/23/2017, they called me 5 times within 4 hours, starting at 9:06 am. On Saturday, 6/24/2017, they called me 6 times in 4 hours. I was just one week late. This, I would call abuse. These were all computer generated calls, and if I did not answer, no message was left. The only way I know who it is, it shows with their name on my caller I.D. No human voice on the other end, just a pre-recorded message and a number to call. And, all the numbers are different. Never the same number twice.