ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County woman says a debt collector harassed her so much over car payments that she ended up losing her job. Now, she's fighting back.
Quadtrille Kennedy parked her 2006 Chevy Uplander in the garage and she won't drive it. She's hiding from DriveTime, the dealership that sold her the car and financed it.
Kennedy says her receipts prove she was making payments through the night drop box, but she says they weren't reflected in her account and the company came after her.
"They were calling me from early in the morning until late at night," Kennedy said.
Kennedy claims DriveTime called her over and over while on the clock at work, several times every other hour, and on her cell phone. She estimates 25 times in a work week; her phone rang so much she says her boss had to let her go.
That's when, Kennedy says, she got behind in her payments. Kennedy claims DriveTime started calling her brother repeatedly while he was in the hospital and even went in her garage to get pictures of the car.
"That was trespassing. That's something she could have called the police and filed a report," attorney Matt Englett said.
Creditors and debt collectors can't come after you whenever and wherever they want. They have to follow specific laws.
But DriveTime says it has followed all the appropriate laws, saying in a statement from Jon Ehlinger, General Council for Drive Time, "We're sorry the situation has gotten to this point, but we feel actions with her account have been appropriate."
If the company violated the law, Kennedy could get $1,000. She could get more if she can show she lost income because of what happened.
If you want the calls from debt collectors to stop, you must submit a letter to the company in writing. Also, collectors are only allowed to call you between the hours of 8:00am and 9:00pm. They are allowed to call your friends, family or workplace, but only to find out where you are; they cannot discuss your personal information.
WFTV
