Before I begin my tale of woe, here's a little background on how this call came аbout:
Last year, my boyfriend got an American Express Blue card. When he applied for it, he applied for it on his own. About a month later, he decided to add me onto to his account as an "authorized user, " a term NCO you will find out later, doesn't understand.
Anyway, in January/February my boyfriend became my ex-boyfriend and he had me removed as an authorized user. On March 16th, I called American Express Cardholder Services to ensure that I had been removed from the account and to ensure that I would not be held responsible for any oustanding balance if my ex were to default on his obligations to American Express. I spoke to a Mr. Brad who verified my removal from the account and that I would not be responsible should my ex defaulted on the card. I considered the matter settled.
On June 28th, I received a message from a Mr. Alonzo Curry from NCO Financial to return his phone call. Apparently, he had been calling before, but I was never home and no one ever bothered to take a message. So, on June 29th, I called him and he told me that he was contacting me on behalf of American Express to collect an outstanding balance of $4,242.63. He informed me that American Express was willing to settle for $2,333.44. I informed Mr. Curry that I had spoken to a customer service representative in March and was not accountable for the outstanding balance. He begged to differ. I informed him, that I would call American Express and get the facts from a representative there.
After my phone call with Mr. Curry, I phoned American Express Cardholder Services once more and spoke to a representative by the name of Giselle who gave me the phone number of the American Express Credit Bureau Unit and told me that they would be able to provide me accurate information. I called the Credit Bureau Unit shortly after my phone call with Giselle and spoke to a Ms. Heager. I explained the situation to her and she informed me that because I was removed as a secondary cardholder on the account prior to the time Mr. Smith went into default, I was not responsible for the outstanding balance. She further told me that because this was the case, NCO had no grounds for calling me and were merely trying to collect from anyone, even if they used to be the account. She also stated that Mr. Smith's default on the card should not be reflected on my credit report or score.
So, after that, I decided to write two letters: one to NCO disputing the debt and the second to American Express following up on the phone call and requesting a written statement for my records that I was not responsible for this particular debt. I sent both certified with return receipt and gave them each 30 days to get back to me.
In NCO's letter, I told them I was disputed their claim that I owed them. I also politely defined the term "authorized user" and how it differed from "joint account holder." I told them they can call American Express and they will tell them the same thing I am telling them: that they have no grounds for coming after me. I also explained that they need to cease all communication with me and if they must communicate with me, it must be in writing. I also mentioned that if they believe that I owe them, they must submit proof but I doubt they will have any so I expect a written statement that will let the situation die.in addition, I told them that if they already placed negative information on my credit report, they did so prematurely and it must be removed and they have 30 days to get back to me.
After sending these letters, I called Mr. Curry back, but he was on another call so I got his voicemail. I left him a message telling him that I called American Express, they are siding with me, that he must stop calling me, that I sent a letter, and will send a statement from AMX stating they have no grounds for coming after me.
I also took the liberty of calling Capital One and Chase because I have cards with them and don't want NCO ruining my relationship with them by falsifying information on my credit report. The reps at both companies assured me I have nothing to worry about. They have a policy similar to AMX that if the authorized user is removed before default, they are not accountable. If they were on the card when it went into default, 9 times out of 10, they would only be reponsible for the purchases they made.
I sort of get the feeling this won't be the last that I will hear from NCO. I've done tons of research on them and they are notorious for scaring people into paying debts that don't even belong to them. I found out that my ex is declaring bancruptcy and during bancruptcy, attemtps to collect on outstanding accounts must be stopped. I think NCO knew this and so they were trying to come after me in the hopes that I wouldn't know any better and would pay them for something I don't owe. They also keep calling after you tell them not to call.
I'm ready though. If you're having problems with this company, let me know. I'll post the letter that I sent them so you can use it to dispute if they are harrassing you for something that isn't yours.
Nub
Sunshine, Florida
U.S.A.
0 comments