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Action 9: Company ignores woman who wants to pay off loan

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One woman took out a loan and wanted to pay it off, but no one would take her check. 
 
It's not the usual problem. A lot of people contact Action 9 saying they don't want to pay money they feel they don't owe. 
 
But this time, Jodi Robinson had the opposite problem. She wanted to pay off a loan and couldn't seem to do so.
 
"Very frustrating. Very frustrating," she said.

She said her son took out a payday loan for $300, and when she went to pay it back for him, the company told her it sold the debt and gave her a phone number to call.
 
Robinson said she called several times but that no one answered. 
 
Then, she said someone called her out of the blue, sounded unprofessional and refused to put any bill in writing. 
 
"So I said, 'Unless you can give me something, I'm not paying.'" 
 
She said she didn't get anything in writing, didn't pay and never heard from that person or number again.
 
So the mystery and her frustration continued. 
 
"I know we owe something. I just haven't been able to successfully find out how much and to who we have to make that payment," she said.
 
At least nine months passed by the time she told Action 9.
 
Lawyer Douglas Simmons said a company will typically find you and send you written notices warning someone to pay. 
 
He'd wait until that happened. 
 
"If it were me, I wouldn't pay until somebody contacted me and said, 'I have the debt and I want to be paid,'" he said.
 
If this happens to you, make sure you keep an eye on your credit.

If you've been ripped off, overbilled or misled; or if you see something that is hurting all consumers, contact Action 9.