West Bay Acquisitions, LLC, of Cranston, RI, desribed itself as the authorized agent for First Lien Term Lenders Liquidation Trust and the legal successor to Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery. They just sent me a bill for rentals from Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery from May through September for one of the stores in my Pittsburgh neighborhood that closed some time ago. The videos all looked like things I would have rented. But be clear that I did not owe Hollywood Video any money — my account was paid in full when they closed. There are numerous complaints about others receiving similar dunnings for videos they either paid for or never rented. Given the state of consumer protection in the country, I would not be surprised if this perfectly legal. They probably figure that some portion of those dunned will pay up to avoid the risk of this going against their credit rating. I think it entails a threat and is extortion.
The process outlined on the back of the notice, and seconded by the person taking my call at the Federal Trade Commission, is that you notify the collector (West Bay Acquisitions, LLC) in writing that you dispute the debt within 30 days. On the other hand, the response outlined on the back of the bill went on to say West Bay could proceed to obtain verification of the debt or obtain of copy of a judgement and mail it to the bill recipient, which does not make me feel secure. How likely is it that one could find records of pyments for DVD rentals from 2009. I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at 1 877-FTC-HELP, though I am not sure what that does. If you ask me, this is not legitimate business, it is an opportunistic crime.
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