I rcvd a letter from this company. Other than complete fury at the attempt to intemidate me into paying something that I have no clue as to what company they were collecting for I notice how very unprofessional these letters were in format and the casual tone.
The letter is postmarked March 11 and I rcvd it on March 13 with the threat that I must pay 189.99 (hand written in a blank) by March 20 or they would proceede to court.
First a true collection agency states whom they are attempting to collect. They state the full name of the company and the account number that the debtor had with that company. This allows the person they are attempting to collect from a chance to review bills, credit history, payment history and contracts that they entered into with the company that is claiming an outstanding balance. LEGALLY all collection agencies have to give 30 days to the person to dispute the debit in writing.
True agencies do not want to go to court they will write off a smaller debt or they will sell the debt to another agency before the five year limit on a debt to rid themselves of it. This is normaly business practice; however it does not mean that they will not go to court. Yes attorneys fees and court cost can be added to a debt that is owed, however it is not normal for the company to know exactly the amount of the atty fees and court cost. They like to leave room for interest and possibly more money to add to profit.
Second a true collection agency not only provides a contact phone number in the communication but they also TYPE it in, not randomly write the number on the page. It is also very good business practice for them to provide an 800 type number. This allows for a free phone call for the debtor who may really want to pay a true debt off or they may just call to yell.
Third when calling a true collection agency the representatives have been trained to answer the phone with the agencies business name. They will request the account number and information provided on the letter. Once they verify who you are they must tell you information on the account. This is also something they are LEGALLY bound to do. You have the right to this information. If you don't get this information and prove that you have requested the information (take names and send letters certified mail) and have been denied such request a judge will grant in your favor and before the case can go further they must provide you with your requested information with in 30 business days. This you can do with out an atty. They have the burden of proof.
I called 704-464-6550 and got only a voicemail with out information of the company name. I rcvd a call back based on caller ID from Evelyn @ 704 492-5284 - which is a cell phone folks and collection agencies do not call on cell phones. The greeting I rcvd when I answsered was - "You called me." Well I really didn't know whom I had called because I never rcvd a name. When I demanded to know who she was attempting to collect a debt from she proceeded to yell at me and told me that she would see me in court. Ok I know true collection reps get h*ll, but they are legally bound to give you information about your "account" with them and not to yell and say see you in court. This is just horrible way of attempting to collect a debt. They do not want to go to court. Several attempts after being hung up on I gave up and decided to check the company out. Since every red flag was raised high and waving TROUBLE! I see that I am not the only one that rcvd such a letter.
No need to contact a lawyer folks for the possible court date on these "debts". However for the fear of not knowing exactly what these people have or what they can do with it and the pure fact that is it a scam, an attempt to defraud people from money it is a great idea to contact an attorney.
I will be calling on Monday morning
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