Hi - so I've been trying to answer these questions myself for quite some time. Unfortunately, I have hit a wall and am now seeking outside help!

I was living in North Carolina when I stopped making payments on my Capital One credit card in early 2004. I resumed making payments in late 2004 (appx. $200 a month on a $2000 debt - the minimum payment was only $10 a month). After several months, I once again quit making payments in May 2005. Since then, I have moved to Colorado. Summer of 2006, their collections agency began contacting me. I tried to establish a payment plan with them; all of my offers were refused. They insisted on my paying the full balance within 30 days. The balance by this point was upwards of $3800 due to a ridiculous amount of fees and interest. I offered them every reasonable payment option I could afford, with an offer of promise to have the balance paid in full within 6 months due to a financial gift I was due to receive in December for my wedding. They refused this offer, then had the nerve to call me back and say I had set up a payment plan with them and they hadn't received a payment! Which is hilarious considering I verbatim said I would only work with them in writing. They also refused to let me record their phone calls (is this normal)? Furthermore, they refused to send the letter stating I owed them this debt - because it had already been sent to an address I hadn't lived at for three years, and they didn't want to pay postage? What?

Anyhow, I received a summons to appear in court April 2007. The court date was less than 10 days from the time I received notice, and I just plain didn't go. So my questions are... 1.) In Colorado, is it required to send notice of default judgment? In other words, are they supposed to send me a letter saying Capital One received a judgment against me? It has been about 5 months and I've heard nothing more about it. 2.) If they refused all of my payment offers before, how the hell am I going to pay off a debt that is nearly three times what I owed??? At the time of the summons, the debt was over $4000. As I said earlier, I paid *at least* $800 towards the then $2000 debt back in 2004-2005. 3.) Before I received my summons, I asked the collection attorneys who were contacting me about the debt to send me a copy of the original terms of my credit agreement. They assured me they would, that it would take some time, but they would. Obviously, that never came.

I guess its a little late to do anything about it now, and I'm certainly not looking for loopholes - more out of curiosity, but: under the FDCPA, are creditors allowed to refuse audio recording of their contact with me? These people were nasty. I can certainly understand why they wouldn't want me holding a copy of some of their allegations; but can they do that? This guy accused me of being "untrustworthy", etc. Is this allowed? Furthermore, are there any kind of laws regarding who can get credit, and how much? I am asking this because this Capital One credit card was issued to me (coincidentally, I'm sure) on my 18th birthday - I reported ZERO income - as I was a student, and they gave me a card with a $2000 limit???