I just wanted to give everyone a heads up about a collection agency that I have been dealing with. It's name is "VKI", I believe it stands for Valentine and Kabartas.

Here is the situation... when I decided to join a debt counseling service I had to contact VKI and let them know that I had to cancel the current plan I had made with them and set up a new one because I was trying to pay ALL my creditors back at once (because I found that trying to do it all on my own wasn't working) and this is what happened...

On the first call to them I explained to the woman who answered that I had to cancel the current plan I had to make a new one and she transfered me to a "manager" then I had a rude man pick up the line and say "WHAT"? he did not say hello or give his name, he just knew that I was calling to cancel the current plan for a new one so he was rude.
I ended up having to end the phone call before the current plan was canceled because he had me in tears by the way he was speaking to me, like I was a piece of trash. All I was trying to do was pay EVERYONE and try to be responsible. ( I explained during this conversation that I was in fact going to pay them just in a different manner!)

SO, the next day I toughened up and I called back. I told the lady who answered that I needed to cancel the current plan because I was entering a debt counseling program and she replied with " I have to transfer you to the manager". I then explained to her what had happened the prior day and that I could NOT talk to the same man who put me in tears and she (almost in a giggle) said "let me see what I can do" and then proceeded to transfered me to THE SAME RUDE MAN who answered like this "I thought we went over this yesterday" (in a yell) Again, I recieved no hello or my name is...just a rude answer! So, I simply said "I need to cancel my current plan" and he then YELLED "you are refusing to pay" and when I tried to respond and defend myself he HUNG UP!

At that point I was SO relieved that I did not have to talk to him anymore that I let it go for a little while UNTIL VKI debited my account anyways.
These people are so unprofessional that they put a women in tears and they don't listen to anything that you are trying to say! They just CUT YOU OFF mid sentence so that they sound like the right one and they treat you like garbage.
Thanks to them debiting my account, I had a negative balance and had to pay overdraft fees. I wish I had been recording the conversation because you WOULD NOT believe the way this man was talking to me!

And I just want to make something clear, I was in no way REFUSING to pay. As a matter of fact the whole reason I joined a debt counseling service is to re-pay ALL my creditors.

But the problem with the conversation I had with VKI is this...they were recording the conversation and when the rude man said "YOU ARE REFUSING TO PAY" and then he HUNG UP on me, this didn't give me a chance to defend myself and say that I AM going to pay!!

I am going to contact the Federal Trade Commission and also if they have the audacity to call me again I will let them know that they are in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act!
I have been doing my research because of their inappropriate behavior and because they debited my checking account without my permission!
I hope they get shut down! They are in violation of fair practices acts and should NOT be allowed to keep treating people this way.
I made all my own mistakes that put me in debt BUT I am trying to be responsible and repay everyone now.