Today, much to my chagrin and horror, s-fabulous just got ghetto-fabulous. 

I’ve been receiving telephone calls from Premiere Credit Collection agency, from a person named “Kendra”.  She’s been likely assigned to this case, because she’s the same person that has been calling my cell phone, day in and day out looking for one individual named “Angela”.  Kendra calls on Mother’s Day.  Kendra calls on Sunday.  Kendra calls on Memorial Day. 

It’s truly unfortunate because my first name is indeed Angela, but I am not the Angela that this company is looking for. (Due to this company’s lack of communication skills,  I didn’t find this out until TODAY)

The phone calls usually go like this:

Me: “Hello this is Angela” (I do use this as a business line)
Kendra: “Yah, my name Kendra, and I’m calling fro’ Premiere Credit Agency ’bout a student loan you tooked out in New Mexico”. 
Me: “Ma’am…?  I never went to college in New Mexico”
Kendra: “Angela?  Is this Angela?  Well, I need to speak with you about your New Mexico college loan, afore I turn in over to the courts.”
Me: “Ma’am?!” (a little louder) I never went to college in NEW MEXICO.  I live in New Mexico, but I just moved here.  I do not have a New Mexico STUDENT LOAN.”
Kendra: “You don’t need to be gettin’ nasty wif me Angela —-”
I hang up.

Cause you know, my patience and tolerance from this kinda crap only goes so far.  At first I thought it was a scam.  Kendra be ghetto.  Kendra did ask for my last name and my social security number, but you can imagine what I told her to do with that right?  This Angela wasn’t born yesterday.

Day after day I called the numbers back as they came up on my Caller ID so that I could see if I could get any more information from this company.  Got weird fax machines, personal voice mails, or even “this number has been disconnected” messages ringing in my ears.  Obviously this company doesn’t believe in showing their own number on their caller ID, so they switch it out with poor hapless people that have been receiving a number of crank calls by yours truly (I’m so terribly sorry.. by the way).  Once I figured this out, I tried to get to the source. 
Who is this company and what do they want? When I tried to ask my buddy¹ “Kendra” for a mailing address, or a fax number (cease and desist letters work really well I hear), “Kendra” hangs up.

Today I had a new caller, and I figured it was from the same company because the incoming telephone number was only two digits off of my own telephone number.   I answered the call, wary.  A new person.  She sounded rather nice, but gave me the same song and dance, asked for “Angela” (didn’t ask for a last name) and then informed me that she was sending my loan to the courts, blah blah, I would be prosecuted, blah blah.   I had hoped two months ago when the calls first started coming in, that they would go ahead and send this other “Angela” to the courts, and put her ass in jail, so that this Premiere Credit company would STOP CALLING ME.  Evidently this is not to be the case. 

Gah. 

I even went so far as to contact the Department of Education and find out what the heck is going on in case I had been the victim of identity theft.  I did give the person that I spoke with my full name, social security number and he verified with me that not only do I not owe for a student loan here in the state of New Mexico, I don’t owe on ANY student loans. 

Today I reached the end of my rope. 
I asked the new caller, “Dami” to please give me their customer service telephone number.  A-HA.  She did. 
(1-877-277-2849)

So I called.   Fourteen times, before I could get any sort of verification that my number has been taken off of this Premiere Credit Agency’s list.  They of course, still refused to give me their mailing address, their fax number, and apparently they DO have caller ID, because after the 10th call in, I was just transferred over to a supervisor without so much as a “hiya can we hep’ you?” response.   Funny that they’re really quite perplexed when the shoe is put on the other foot, and they’ve got some jackass calling them endlessly, tying up their business lines, preventing them from doing their jobs. 

I have yet to receive an apology for the crap that this company has been pulling, but I was finally assured that my number would be taken off their list.

First I was told that I was a reference number for one “Angela Hernandez”.  Next, I was told that because I was “Angela” (note no use of last name) and without me being willing to give them my last name, or social security number, they wouldn’t leave me alone.  ALL of their customer service represenatives were rude, snarky and talked over the top of me. 

I finally said, “My name is ‘SOMEONE ELSE’!!!!!!” because obviously, as “Angela”, I’m never going to win.  It’s true enough, this telephone is on a “Family Plan” that does indeed belong  to someone else, so logistically and technically it really doesn’t belong to anyone named “Angela” and I’d be More Than Happy to send in a bill proving this but that’s BESIDE THE POINT. 

I’m not THAT Angela. 
Gah. 
What the hell is wrong wif people?

At call number #15 into their number I spoke to a very nice customer service agent, who did confirm that yes, my number had been taken off The List.  If I receive any other phone calls from their company, I am to call her back right away, at her extension.

No, I think I’ll be contacting a lawyer, and sue them into Chapter 11 for the harassment, (although using this through the mouthpiece on the phone, would be so much more entertaining). 

I’m sure I haven’t seen the end of this company…
Stay tuned for further updates.

 ¹She’s not my fucking buddy…  I was being facetious. 
Yeah, I DID go to college, and it’s PAID FOR… tyvFm

Since I’m not working for anyone else anymore, I’ve decided to plug all of my energies into working for myself.  Marketing, marketing, shooting, shooting, marketing, drooling over the B&H Photo Video catalog, trolling commercial real estate owners, and more marketing and shooting. 

One of my clients suggested to me that I get a MySpace page.  I abhor MySpace, or my perceptions of such.  However, I’m hearing more and more that social networking is the way to go, and MySpace is highly recommended for those who want to get out and get into the younger market. 

So okay fine, here it is… no music though.  There are some lines I just do not cross. 
It’s actually not so bad, I guess…  I don’t know enough about it to make a judgement call on it yet.  Let’s see if it works…

I also started a food photoblog here on WordPress.com.  I’ve discovered that the one thing I enjoy shooting more than even weddings, is styling up and shooting food.  It’s weird, and Natalie laughs everytime I set up two lights, four reflectors, white board, and make a serious production out of shooting plates full of food, but there’s just something about it that’s challenging and stimulating to my senses.   I also eat a lot less when I’m shooting food (because all of the gross things I have to do with food, to get it “shot” worthy). 
It’s not as easy as it looks, and I definitely have my work cut out for me. 

So yes, more blogs, more “social networking” projects, which brings my total count up to:
8. 

Egads.  Quite simply, Egads.