  Johnnny5 Member Username: Johnnny5 Post Number: 594 Registered: 06-2005 |
Well about 2 weeks ago I get a phone call. The guy on the other end says he wants to discuss my account with _______ Bank. I tell him I no longer have an account with _______ Bank as I had closed it 4 years prior. He then follows with a "This a an attempt to collect a debt" speech. Knowing that I don't owe money to ________ Bank I tell him I will be calling ________ Bank and will call him back. When I call the Bank and provide proof of my identity they refuse to discuss my account. They do however acknowledge that there was a negative balance and it was sent to collections. They basically said that it was no longer their responsibility and I would have to deal with the collection agency. Worried that the debt is valid and it may affect my credit history I call back the collections agency. After a short discussion I inform them that I would be willing to pay half of the balance, but would only do so if they faxed a signed statement saying that the payment would settle the account. The sleazy collections guy swore up and down that I could "Trust" him and he would accept the amount, but I was persistent and after a week I finally received a faxed letter stating that they would accept my payment and would consider the account "settled". I sent payment by my credit card and figured the problem was taken care of. Today I get a call from the same collections agency trying to collect the other half of the balance! I referred to the settlement and to my payment and they say they accepted the settlement, but I still owe them the other half. Unfortunately my temper got the best of me and my next few sentences were a mix of the F-Bomb and something about never calling my house again. What are my options here? I have above average credit and have zero negative marks on any of my credit reports. Should I just consider this taken care of since I have a signed letter from the collections agency saying that my prior payment was accepted and the account has been settled? Can this still be sent to the credit bureaus? I wasn't going to mention the bank's name, but since they sent this to collections and never sent one letter or made one phone call I feel they deserve it. All I will say is they have numbers for a name. That and they will never again have me as a customer. (Message edited by Johnnny5 on September 06, 2007) | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 2764 Registered: 10-2003 |
http://www.greenpath.com/ They're a non-profit that help with these kinds of situations. My girlfriend works in their bankruptcy counseling call center. They're also hiring. You will need a college degree and some basic math skills. | ||
Scottr Member Username: Scottr Post Number: 738 Registered: 07-2006 |
johnny5, i once mixed in the f-word and such language when talking to a collection agency, and i got a 'you can't talk to me like that' speech and got hung up on. THAT was unexpected. Usually I can't get them off the phone. If you have that faxed letter still, send them a copy back, with a polite letter stating something along the lines that if they continue to insist on harassing you about this settled debt, or put it on your credit record, you will take legal action. Keep it civil, businesslike, but be firm. I would also consider requesting any and all info they have on the debt, as proof that you owe it. If it turns out this is not a debt you owe, you should be entitled to a refund of the money you already have paid, since you were pressured into paying it. However, I am by no means an expert in these matters, so i am not sure how the laws work in matters like this, but it would seem only fair. Ndavies, thanks for the link. It may come in handy here soon... |
