This company tried to victimize me and collect money from me that was never owed. I received multiple phone calls on my CELL phone from an 877 number that would tell me to "hold for a personal business matter" whenever I answered the phone. I never waited, and immediately hung up both times. Then I got a call from the same number with a slight pause, and then I heard a woman saying "hello, hello?" I answered her and asked what I could do for her. She said, "I am looking for, ummm... Ummmm... One second, having software problems. I need to talk with... Christian Ross." I told her that I was him and asked who she was. She refused to tell me. She said "I'm calling on behalf of, umm, ummm... Sorry I will have to call you back." I told her she had to know who she was and why she was calling me. She refused to answer and hung up on me. I was very angry that someone would call me and ask for me, but not tell me who they were and then hang up on me.
Two days ago, I got a call from the same number and another lady said she was calling from a collection agency. I was puzzled, as all of my bills are paid on time. I asked if I owed someone money. She said yes. I asked, who? She said (after fumbling for records again) that she was calling to collect $80 for Nationwide Insurance. It was interesting to me, because I do not have any policies with Nationwide. I asked her what my policy was and when had I gotten it. She could not answer. She just said that I had bought a house and nationwide insured it and I owed them $80. She also said that they were preparing to put it on my credit report, because they already had my social security number. I told her that they had better not touch my credit report because I did not owe this debt and this was the first I was hearing of it. She LAUGHED at me, in a snickering way, and said that she did not need my permission to put it on my credit report.
I am in the business of purchasing and selling houses, and a blemish on my credit report could cost me thousands of dollars in extra interest over the next few years. I had never received any letters, never any notice, and apparently they had tried to call a couple of times but never knew what they wanted to talk with me about. I demanded to see a contract that I had signed with nationwide, a deed saying that I had purchased that house, or anything showing that I would owe the debt. The collection girl told me that I was the one who had the burden of proving that I DIDN'T buy the house. I had to PROVE that I DID NOT owe this debt or they were going to put it on my credit anyways.
Now in fairness, I did try to purchase the house that they were talking about. But Nationwide declined to insure the house because one of the tenants had a pit-bull. So since I couldn't get insurance, I never bought the house. She told me that I had to go down to the courthouse and get a current document from there, saying that the house wasn't in my name. Again I got angry and told her that they had to prove to me that I DID owe it, instead of me proving that I didn't. They may NOT take up my time and effort to show them that I don't owe them money. However, I reluctantly agreed to go get their documentation and send it to them because I was unwilling to risk a credit blemish. But they wouldn't give me a fax number, wouldn't give me an email, and said that everything had to go through their snail mail, PO box. Angry again, I asked when this was supposed to go on my credit. Clearly through their faulty software they had been trying to reach me for months, and sending letters to a house that I never bought or lived at. They would not tell me when it would go on my credit.
The very next morning I went down to the nationwide office. There sat my file in a stack of folders with a big DECLINED written across the front. No applications had been signed, no money was owed. I had nationwide write me a letter saying that no money was due to them or their affiliates. Nationwide was quite easy to deal with. I feel that CCS should be required to be able to produce documents saying that I owe their client money. I feel that they have engaged in unfair and illegal collection practices. They tried to scam me. Granted, it was only for $80. But they have no right to call me up one night and ruin my evening by threatening to damage my credit when I never EVER had any agreement with their client. I am consulting an attorney to consider the possibilities of an illegal collections lawsuit.
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