When Almeda Libby purchased a hearing aid with a Sears charge card 15 years ago for just over $3,000, she thought she would have paid for it long before now.

But thanks to late fees of $35 per month and the 25 percent interest rate charged by the retailer, Libby, who is 91, still owes more than $2,200 with no end in sight.

All of that changed Tuesday after the collection agency involved received a call from Foster's Daily Democrat seeking comment about Libby's situation.

Carol Moore, senior vice president and assistant general counsel of Resurgent Capital Services, LP, in Greenville, S.C., said she could not discuss Almeda Libby's account with the newspaper for privacy reasons, but did agree to speak with a family representative.

The newspaper related Moore's message and telephone number to Marguerite Libby of Berwick, Maine, her daughter-in-law. Within three hours, she said she spoke with Moore who informed her the agency would "have it all resolved so she won't have to pay."

"This is something that's amazing," Marguerite Libby said. "My mother-in-law will be relieved because this is something she has tried to do herself for all these years."

In an e-mail from Moore to Marguerite Libby that Moore forwarded to the newspaper, Moore wrote, "Dear Mrs. Libby — This will confirm our conversation regarding Ms. Libby's account. As we discussed, the account will be written off and recalled from the collection agency, and no further payments will be owed. It may take a day for that information to work its way through our system, but please be assured that we will initiate the change today."

She said her mother-in-law's experiences shows how vulnerable seniors can be when they are dealing with complicated financial matters and they need help.

Steven Little, a hearing aid specialist at Seacoast Hearing Center on Islington Street, was the first person to come to Almeda Libby's aid when she told him about her situation about a week ago. Little said he learned Libby had actually paid more than $12,000 in interest, late fees and monthly payments for a hearing aid that is so old he couldn't even fix it.

"After 15 years, something seems horribly wrong," Little said. "It might be legal and they might be well within their rights to do that, but this is not right."

Little said Tuesday he wanted to contact the state Attorney General's Consumer Protection & Antitrust Bureau in Concord to report what had happened to the Somersworth woman. He also considered calling the American Association of Retired Persons in Manchester to see if they could provide her with some relief.

Marguerite Libby and her husband, Charles, both of Berwick, Maine, said they were equally appalled the retail giant could keep making the elderly woman pay so much money for a hearing aid that is no longer working.

She said Little contacted her and told her about the situation. She then contacted Sears and learned that her mother-in-law's account had been turned over to the South Carolina collection agency.

Almeda Libby, who lives in a senior housing complex in Somersworth, said she paid $25 per month when she first purchased a Miracle Ear hearing aid from Sears while she lived in Florida. As interest accrued and the original balance of more than $3,000 grew, her monthly payment increased to $60 per month.

Marguerite Libby said Sears and then the collection agency wanted to receive monthly payments from Almeda Libby by the 25th of each month.

Charles Libby said his mother contacted Sears and the collection agency several times and pleaded with them to change the due date to after the 3rd of each month to coincide with the delivery of her $700 per month Social Security check.

"...and they just ignored her," he said.

Each month since 2006, Almeda Libby had $60 per month and an additional $35 per month in late fees automatically deducted from her checking account by Sears and later the collection agency.

Little believes Almeda Libby ended paying "triple what her hearing aid was worth."

Almeda Libby said the situation left her feeling stressed and anxiety ridden. She just wanted it to stop and her family urged her not to make any more payments.

She said she didn't want to use a Sears charge card to buy a hearing aid 15 years ago, but had no other way to pay for it. She recalled that she paid $400 in cash toward the hearing aid when she charged it.

Almeda Libby said she used a Discover charge card administered by Sears & Roebuck, Inc. to pay off another hearing aid 20 years ago and she believed the same thing would happen after she purchased a second hearing aid with a Sears charge card 15 years ago.

Marguerite Libby said her mother-in-law also tried to get Medicare to pay for the hearing aid, but Medicare does not cover it.

Marguerite Libby said her mother-in-law lives on a fixed income of $700 per month. She pays $253 per month for her rent. She also pays $25 per month for a life insurance policy and $25 per month during the summer so she can have air conditioning.

She also uses her Social Security income to buy food and whatever else she needs, Marguerite Libby said. Her mother-in-law simply cannot afford to pay for a hearing aid that was essentially paid off several years ago. Little said he would repair Almeda Libby's hearing aid and provide her with a new one free of charge.

On average, Little said Seacoast Hearing Center, which has offices in Portsmouth, Somersworth and Dover, sells hearing aids that range from $900 to $2,500 depending on the patient's needs.

(by fosters.com)

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