January 29, 2011

Eat Pray Love

I just finished a fabulous book by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's the story of a woman in her early thirties that had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want. She had a husband, a beautiful country home, and she was successful. Instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed by panic and confusion. She set out on a journey that took her across the world for a year. She ate in Italy while learning the language, prayed in India while perfecting meditation with self discipline, and experienced the essence of love not only for herself but others while living in Indonesia.

I found myself consumed the minute I started to read. It was as though I took the journey with her. My husband bought me both the book and movie for Christmas. I didn't want to watch the story first but rather experience what she went through on a deeper level. Now, I cant wait to see the movie! Eat Pray Love is a must read for all women! Kudos to you Elizabeth, you did a great job.

RJB/Supportkids

I received a letter the other day from a reader with some interesting information about RJB. I wanted to re-post his e-mail in my blog. This information may help some of you in your quest to reclaim your life and child support accounts back:

Hi Lori,
I wanted to respond to your blog about support kids now being handled by RJ boudreau and associates. I worked for this collection agency for a very short time and what I saw was tons of illegal actions by the collectors. The trainer would tell you how to get away with threatening law suits on people which you are not suppose to do by the FDCPA Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. I left there and actually reported them to the FTC. There have been tons of law suits against this company and they just pay settlements to get out of them. Support kids using them is just a sign of how bad this company really is.

I never even saw a paycheck from them either. My friends husband worked for them for a bit and they tried to get out of giving him his last check as well. Its a very corrupt company like many collection agencies are. RJB obviously was the cheapest that support kids could contract with. I couldn't see them using that agency for any other reason.

It's sad that companies take advantage of parents who are trying to get help. I knew the way they did business was illegal, this just confirms it.

January 14, 2011

District Attorney vs. Supportkids

After 16 years of battling the system, it finally worked! I was informed 4 months ago that I was going to get the back child support that was owed to me and my children (who are both grown adults now). My ex husband inherited a house that he put on the market. When it sold, the DA put a lien on the house and guess who got the first cut of the profits? I did. My suggestion to all struggling single parents who are going thru that same fight? File your case with the DA's office. They keep track of everything and it NEVER goes away. Not only that, it collects interest. If you sit back and wait for your ship to roll in without researching your options, you're going to be waiting a long time. Companies like SupportKids are the wrong way to go. They may collect money for you but they take 34% (or at least that is what is use to be) off the top and send you the rest. The DA's office doesn't make a profit off of your case, they fight for you for FREE. When they cut my check it was for the full amount that was owed.

I started my blog to put Supportkids out of business and get out of my contract. Both were accomplished. Supportkids has since been bought by another company and have proceeded to do business as usual. During that time (when the company was bought and in transition with the new owners) was when I put up the biggest fight and won. Supportkids was going out of business and the new company was clueless. I started my blog in 2007. 4 years later, I'm out of my contract with Supportkids and received full payment of my back child support. That may seem like a long time but is it really? Not compared to the years I spent trying to collect the money.

The DA's office have come a long way in their battle against "Dead Beat" parents that refuse to help support the children they helped produce. They suspend Drivers Licenses, refuse to issue Passports, deny the offenders the right to leave the country, and put liens on assets. If you try to take on this battle alone you will fail. Everyone needs help. What's the first step? You must get your case started with the DA in your area. The moment the non custodial parents refuses to pay, do something about it. The system does work. If you are currently trying to get out of your Supportkids contract, read some of my previous posts. There are a lot of helpful hints and other parents with great advice. Times are tough. You need to find your back bone and stand up for your rights. There is only one word to describe what you need to be and that is unrelenting!