Collections Agencies?
By kylesmiles
@kylesmiles (1910)
United States
December 5, 2006 8:06pm CST
What are your experiences with Collections agencies? We are currently in dispute with a business. The business admitted to making a new verbal agreement with us and now they are saying that they want to go back to the written contract... Anyway, our case is going to their legal department. I don't have much faith in it because its the collections agency's own legal department... What do you all think?
2 people like this
3 responses
@lisan22 (191)
• United States
6 Dec 06
Do you have on tape or in writing them admitting that there was a new verbal agreement in place? If so, don't go through their legal department. Simply sent them a letter with a copy of the proof you may have stating that this is the agreement to be followed and if they deviate from this agreement in any way that you will pursue legal action. That should get them to shape up. If it doesn't, see if your local courthouse offers legal aid (typically free) and ask them what you can do.
If you don't have any physical proof of this, you're probably not going to get anywhere. Sorry, I never use verbal agreements. It's always in writing with me or it doesn't happen.
2 people like this
@kylesmiles (1910)
• United States
6 Dec 06
Yes! We have written proof from the business! LOL We've been in dispute with them for months now.. They sent us a response admitting to making a VERBAL agreement with us...and they are now backing out of it and want to revert back to the written contract..
The collections agency now says its going to THEIR legal department. My husband said that we can sue the Business... but I will let hubby know about the local courthouse offering free legal aid! :)
1 person likes this
@lisan22 (191)
• United States
6 Dec 06
Definitely use it if they have it. There is also other ways to get legal advice for free. (Going to a free consultation with a lawyer.) You can also report the credit agency to your Attorney General (and threaten to do it in a response to the collection agency). Also, here is a link to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, I know it's long but read through it. If they are violating ANY of the rules set out in that ACT you can also bring that up with their legal department. They can get into a lot of trouble for over stepping their boundaries. http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/031224fcra.pdf There's that link. I hope this helps! (I used to work in collections. So I know a thing or two.)
2 people like this
@callarse1 (4783)
• United States
17 Jan 09
Well I had an account go into collection with the creditor (but it was the creditor's fault!) It went the collection department of the original creditor...basically it was an account I had online. The username you have to use your email as the login well at the time I used one of my emails but I don't use that email anymore...I updated my contact email in the profile section of their website but for some strange reason they keep sending those "change your credit card info" notices to my OLD email address. Duh! 
That was my point of putting my NEW email address in the profile page. So basically I didn't realize that my credit card they had on file was expired and they tried to bill the card obviously they couldn't get the money...and they sent me a collection notice. I couldn't believe that. I was pretty mad at them when I realized what they did...however it wasn't too late (I believe it was like 120 days late or so)...they never did report it to the credit report...luckily otherwise I would have disputed it with the original creditor AND definitely not done any business with them further..so now what I do is just go on their website to verify they have my correct information!
Pablo
That was my point of putting my NEW email address in the profile page. So basically I didn't realize that my credit card they had on file was expired and they tried to bill the card obviously they couldn't get the money...and they sent me a collection notice. I couldn't believe that. I was pretty mad at them when I realized what they did...however it wasn't too late (I believe it was like 120 days late or so)...they never did report it to the credit report...luckily otherwise I would have disputed it with the original creditor AND definitely not done any business with them further..so now what I do is just go on their website to verify they have my correct information!
Pablo
