[Urgent Help

Credit card debt - I had a "court" case yesterday in Georgia via arbitration. I cannot afford an attorney and so did my best to look up all the info I could. This card was supposedly opened in 1997, originally defaulted in around 1999-2000, partial payments made via Genus credit counseling in 2000-2001.

Then unknown to me, Citibank sold the debt to a collecting agency, who never send me a letter regarding the debt. Then in March 2004, a civil suit was filed by the collecting agency, who never mentioned who they were collecting for. I responded to the suit that I had never heard of them or the debt.

Then, nearly 3 yrs later, I am forced to go to arbitration and I tried to use the GA statute of open accounts 4 yrs and the arbitrators, who made derogatory comments about me during the proceedings, said that it was 6 yrs and that the suit "stopped" the clock even tho they didn't have the statue # or couldn't state it. Plus I couldn't ask questions (not that I knew what kind of questions to ask) of the Plaintiff since "they" only their lawyer was there.

I tried to dispute - kept saying I didn't know and I assumed but since all this happened in 1997 I didn't know and didn't have any documentation (credit card bills) and they said that meant I was agreeing and now I owe over $8K (the orig debt was supposedly $3K). I am terrified and angry at how I was treated and how I am going to survive being that is more than I make for nearly 1/3 of a year. Then they tell me to go find Indigent Legal aid (no one in the arbitration office even thought they existed) after the proceedings were over. I feel railroaded.

But now I only have 30 days to appeal what happened. Can anyone help me?

Desperate in Georgia,