Scenario #1

Remember the guy I was dating? Yes, we went on 2 dates and to the club together once. About a week went by after our last date and I thought every thing was cool. The only issue I was having was it seemed like he was intimidated by me and he was too damn shy, but I figured with time he’d warm up. Around the end of that week, he started to behave differently, by not responding to my texts, and then when I asked him about going out again his exact response was “Well that’s up in the air right now. I’ll let you know.” Seriously? Did he really expect me to wait around. Hell no. Then about 2 days later he’s tagging some ugly girl in a love song video on Facebook. That pissed me off, but I didn’t react to it at all. After a while week after week went by and every time he and I was online he’d tag this girl in videos or he’s writing poems to her. I guess he was talking to her the same time he was talking to me. SMH. Today my little sister got tired of seeing it and she commented on his video and dogged him out. That was all the push I needed. I didn’t curse like my sister did, but I did say that it was obvious how much he(calling him a baboon) didn’t care how I felt or about our friendship. I also advised my sister to let it go. Yes, I know that was childish of me and I shouldn’t have, but it was the asshole in me.

Scenario #2

Jeremy and  I have been talking. I don’t know if we are going to get back together because I am not trying to go back to a relationship full of dishonestly, lack of trust, and games. I don’t know if he has grown up, but he keeps saying he wants to work things out and claims he still loves me. Over the past few years he’s been calling and texting my mom and sending letters to me that I wouldn’t even read because I was so angry with him. I did read some of the letters as my anger resided, but we are still not together. We eventually started talking on the phone, on the net, and via text messages about the kids and trying to make things work. (BTW: Jeremy currently stays in another state right now) Then all of a sudden I see this pic of this ugly shemale girl on his page and they supposed to be in a relationship. SO now I feel played and then he got online to talk to me and I question him about it. He changed it back to single and I guess the girl has his password. So she changed it back a few days later. The asshole came out again and I commented saying “How many times are you going to be in and out of a relationship with this shemale?” LOL, I then tagged Jeremy in a video of a comedian dancing in spandex. The video is below for your entertainment:

About a week later he went online and changed his status back to single. Then the girl got online and went on his single status and started cursing calling me a bitch and claiming I got an STD. I told Jeremy he needed to change his password. She continued to comment on the status with more cursing and defamatory statements, which didn’t bother me much because lies don’t hurt. I was over here laughing so since she was so angry I decided to push her buttons by calling her a shemale and rubbing it in her face how Jeremy and I have children together and how he was just here this past summer spending time with me and the kids. She continued to rant and rave and I just stopped responding because it was getting old. I then put a pic up of Rupaul and her on the other side asking everyone who looked better and tagged Jeremy in it. I am so immature for that. LOL. I have really been letting my frustrations get the best of me and it seems like I’m taking them all out on the wrong people.

I don’t need to be scolded for my foolishness. I do know better and I do feel very shameful right now. I just needed to vent on my blog so I can get this shit out of my system before I do anything else stupid.

So back to Brian, the reason for my frustrations. How the fuck is this fat retarded nigga going to call my mom demanding to see Israel. That asshole put me through so much shit. He rushed me into marriage. He rushed me into getting pregnant and asked me to quit my job, then he left me with the drop of a dime with nothing. I had to find a job at 6 months pregnant and when I went to court to get divorced this nigga had the nerve to deny paternity of our child! Then he put me through hell when he asked for a DNA test because both times that he had an opportunity to get the test done I had to take my newborn downtown in the freezing cold just for his ass to not show up! He was even advised to take some parenting classes for divorced parents to get visitation rights. Of course he didn’t do that either. After all that drama I finally got a divorce and here he comes 4 months later demanding to see my son. Who the fuck do he think he is? What gives him the fuckin right? There is clearly something wrong with him, and of course he is calling to speak to my mom, not me. Just like in our marriage when he wouldn’t communicate with me about things, but could talk to everyone else. Here he go doing that same shit again. That nigga can go straight to hell…

Well, it’s 10:54am and I am still fucking pregnant! Still uncomfortable with the same few contractions ever so often that I’ve been experiencing for about over a week now. This is becoming very discouraging. I go to see my regular midwife today at the hospital to see if I can be scheduled to come in and have my water broken. The midwife I saw yesterday said she could probably do it Friday, but that would interfere with Jeremiah’s party, because I would still be in the hospital on Sunday. This baby is going to screw up my sons party. I know it is, especially if nothing happens today, which I know it won’t. I should not have to wait 2 weeks after the 27th to give my baby son a birthday party. His birthday is on Friday and his party is on Sunday. He should be able to enjoy it with his mommy just like his brothers have. If I could I would’ve just had his party before his actual birthday if I knew this was going to happen!

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen rodents in here. I’ve seen field mice coming in through the heaters in the front room on several occasions and found rodent droppings in the drawer in the kitchen. I’ve also been kept up a few nights to the sound of scratching in my bedroom closet. I cannot wait until we move out of here! We applied for another apartment a few weeks ago and I pray that we get approved, this is just complete nonsense! I can’t have my children sleeping and eating in these conditions! It’s unsanitary! I’ve never moved into an apartment and had rodent issues! First this landlord moves us into an apartment infested with bedbugs and now this!

My complaints about public assistance:

You have no privacy what so ever. They want so much information, it’s ridiculous! They ask for more info, than what the government asks for to get a U.S. Passport! When you go for an appointment they ask for not only your driver’s license, employment info, and social security number, but they want to know your bank account information including account numbers and balances, marital status info. If you own a car they want to know the make, model, license plate number, how much the car is worth, insurance info, and if you are making payments how much. They want to know how much you are getting paid in child support if you are even getting it. They need to know who lives with you as well, even if they aren’t your children or spouse. If you get a new job they know it and then they begin calling and requesting all sorts of information about your job as well, but when you need their help, they won’t even return your phone calls.

They cut you off at anytime without any notification. What I mean by this is no matter if it’s their fault or yours they will terminate your benefits without notice. Perfect example: I moved and changed my address with the post office, I also told my previous caseworker in person that I was moving in the next week the last time I had an appointment. I continued to get mail at the old address so I called my caseworker and left a message telling her that I moved, giving her my full address, and requesting a confirmation phone call. She never returned my call. A few months later I was down at child support trying to figure out why neither one of my sons fathers have paid any support in months (which is another rant in itself) and I am notified by the caseworker down there that my children and I benefits were being cut off that very day because I didn’t return a tenant/landlord form. I told her I never received a form like that and she then went on to tell me that the form was sent to my old address and returned stating that I did not live there. I told her that I changed my address with the post office as well as told my case worker in person and on the phone. She then claims I should’ve put it in writing and mailed it. – Basically trying to signify that it’s my fault our benefits are being terminated.

They do stuff when they get ready. I reapplied for benefits at the beginning of the month, well before Christmas. Tell me why I still haven’t gotten an appointment letter and we had to go through the holiday season without any food-stamps or health insurance? I do not think it is fair that my children have to be without health insurance! I sometimes ponder on what these case workers are getting paid to do because it shouldn’t take me to call Legal Aid to get help and if a form was needed wouldn’t it make sense to give me a call and alert me of the situation before terminating my benefits? I mean, that’s what I would do if it was me in their position. I wouldn’t want my children to be without insurance and I’m pretty damn sure no responsible parent wants their’s without it either! Those case workers don’t care about no one, but themselves and that paycheck that they get for doing the minimum!

Every time I have to deal with public assistance in Cleveland I have to call Legal Aid just to get results. I have so many journal entries complaining about them that it isn’t even funny. If my children good for nothing father’s would do their job I wouldn’t need food stamps or health benefits, but we all know that would never go down, even if hell froze over a thousand times and relying on child support to do the job is a total waste of time. Even SupportKids has failed to collect any support on my children’s behalf.

In April of this year(2009) I applied for services with Supportkids Inc. because my eldest sons father hasn’t paid any childsupport in over a year and I was desperate to get some assistance. He owed over $5000 in unpaid childsupport and I really thought SupportKids could assist me in collecting it. After first applying for information, I was immediately sent all sorts of letters and received phone calls from Supportkids trying to encourage me to sign up for their services. As soon as I decided to sign up I received a contract stating that a $475 fee would be taken out of the initial payment received from my sons father, and it would be a 34%  fee every check there after.

I was very desperate as I stated earlier and I felt this was the only way I could collect because the agency in my county worked slow and sometimes they just seemed to be really dumb when it came to located my sons father and finding out where he worked. Out of my desperation for help I signed up with them without researching further. As soon as I signed up with them and submitted all the necessary information, all that communication I was getting beforehand ceased to exist!

I first called Supportkids to ask questions on the status of my case because it was the beginning of April when my case was accepted and I hadn’t heard anything. To my surprise I wasn’t talking to real people anymore. There wasn’t even a customer service option. I had to listen to a recorded message about cases being transferred and then I was disconnected. I then emailed Supportkids on May 28th, 2009 about my case and received an automated response. I didn’t get an actual response until June 5th, 2009 that stated the exact recorded message I heard on the phone:

Hello,

We apologize for the delay in our response.

Your case is ready to be sent to an Enforcement Specialist, but in order for case to be sent we need to have confirmation from your state agency that the change of address is in place. We have yet to receive this confirmation from your state agency. Once we know our information is in place with their office the case will be released to Enforcement.

Recently, a limited number of Supportkids cases were transferred to another collection agency. Your case was NOT transferred, but this change has caused a slight disruption to our operations. During this time we ask that you continue to utilize our email address, website, or automated system for updates on your case. We are working towards resolving these issues as soon as possible.

If your case is paying, you may experience a temporary delay in your child support payments.

Thank you for your patience as we work through these issues.

Supportkids, Inc.
Email: clientline@supportkids.com
Website: www.supportkids.com
Automated client line: 512-437-6025

Now I was just completely frustrated so I called the SupportKids sign up line to get some answers. Of course a “real” person answered, but then they told me I had to email Supportkids or call the automated client line again.

I waited a few weeks and I decided to see if I could find independent reviews on the Supportkids. What I found was nothing, but negative feedback about them:

http://www.xomreviews.com/supportkids.com

http://www.killerstartups.com/Site-Reviews/supportkids-com-get-help-collecting-child-support

http://singleparentsunite.blogspot.com/2008/09/supportkidsread-before-you-sign.html

I then emailed SupportKids on July 23rd asking for information on my case once again:

Hello,

I’m trying to figure out why it is taking so long for an update to my case or to receive some payments. I can’t even call and talk to a real person and after reading some reviews about your company I’m beginning to get worried. I was told you had some good info on my case so what’s the hold up?

Please email me ASAP. I need to know what’s going on with my case.

Case# [case # removed]

Samara Bowling
[email removed]

I waited a week and I received no response. I then emailed Support Kids again on July 30th:

To whom it may concern:

I will like to start the process of closing my case with your company and ending my contract. I do not like the lack of communication with your organization. I can’t call and speak with anyone and when I email you I get no response. I emailed you 6 days ago and still no response. You didn’t have an issue calling and mailing me to hassle me into signing up with you and as soon as I do all the communication ends. I will not be changing my mind at this point. At least when I deal with my county I can actually call and speak with a real person. I will seek the advice of a private attorney to end my contract with you and I am having my forwarding address changed with the county from yours to mine immediately.

Samara Bowling
Case#[case # removed]
[email removed]

It is now August 15th and I still haven’t heard from Supportkids. I also did my own investigation with the BBB and look at the information that I discovered on this company:

http://www.bbb.org/central-texas/business-reviews/child-support-enforcement/supportkids-in-austin-tx-42874

This didn’t even make my situation any better, especially after finding out the terrible score that the BBB gave them. I immediately filed my own complaint against them for failure to respond to emails and/or calls. I have also notified my county child support enforcement agency about the situation because from what I gather, SupportKids is just a scam! They prey on single parents that are financially desperate and they do nothing to enforce or collect. More than likely they wait until the county actually collects the money, but because they have set up direct deposit with the county the money will go directly to them first. After they take their fees for doing entirely nothing they forward the remaining balance to the custodial parent.

Do not fall for this scam like I did! Either seek out the help of an attorney or stick it out with your counties child support enforcement agency. I’d rather not collect and wait for the county, than to not collect, wait for the county, and have fees taken out of my check by a scam company for doing totally nothing!