Loan company refusing to deal with us

just wondered if anyone had experienced this.


our helper took a loan out for someone else many years ago (in her name, not as a guarantor) and assumed the payments were being made. she has now been contacted by the loan company with the news that no payments have been made and she owes 60k+.


We only found out as the company phoned our house. Since finding out at the beginning of the year she has paid 6k back and wants to make good on the loan. She's essentially a very trustworthy person, just a bit silly for getting herself into this mess....


The company have acted in an intimidating manner so my husband and I decided to go to their offices to discuss the matter. we offered to repay the principle (12k) there and then if they ceased to pursue it. This, plus the 6k she's already paid was a good deal given they are not likely to get the full amount back from her.


Oddly, they refused to deal with us. I have since phoned, faxed and emailed a written authority from my helper to let us act for her in this matter with no response - they keep phoning her.


What I want is the original contract that outlines the terms to see if it's binding and has the required details on fees and penalties.


I'm quite prepared to follow through legally if the document isn't watertight, the whole practice of loan sharking to people who don't really have the capapity to pay winds me up! I'm assuming if they take her to court it will be a civil matter and not one that could effect her immigration status?


Has anyone else experienced something simlar? We're not prepared to pay the whole lot for her, just the principle of 12k-ish and she can pay us that back.


Any advice?


L

if they keep calling your home, you may caution them that you would complain to the police, i think they will happily accept 12k, also ask them if they are the collecting agencies or the actual peole who lent her, if they are just the collection agents chances are they will stop calling you, record the converation if they are threating the helper and the case will be reversed against them and file will be closed without the helper having to pay a single cent.


good luck

I agree entirely with Huggy in ensuring that you make sure you know the ABSOLUTE truth. My helper 'guaranteed' a loan using my details despite our insistence that she never ever use our personal details to do so. We actually terminated her contract for this breach os trust as she knew exactly where we stood on this issue and she still decided to abuse our good will towards her. Prior to this incident I would never have believed she would wilfully decieve us and even when the details of this 'guarantee' came out and I was visbly upset, I asked her if this was the only loan she had and she swore it was and through all the tears and histrionics assured us that she had just made a silly mistake and had been badly let down by a friend. We still decided (after much soul searching) to let her go and thank goodness as what do you know? 2 weeks after she left us I get phone calls from 2 separate companies looking for her and telling me she has unpaid installments on yet more loans!!!!!!!! Had we given her the benefit of the doubt and paid off this loan (which was for $18,000 by the way, not an insignificant sum!!!!) we would now be that far out of pocket and now would have the double deception to deal with. The moral of the story is before anyone decides to 'help' their helper by bailing them out find out exactly what they owe and to who otherwise you could just be increasing the pain when the truth eventually comes out.