While performing a self-credit check online through Experian, I discovered an entry from Veritas Instrument Rental Incorporated. It was in the amount of $19.00 past due as of October. This was a bill as was reported by Veritas from November. This was a bill which was a 1/4 violin rental for my daughter, for which she lost interest and discontinued lessons.
Veritas basically is a parent company which provides instruments for is chosen distributors as intermediaries. When this instrument was turned in, I attempted to pay at the local distributor he refused to accept payment (and rightly so because it did state so in the contract which is why the specific event sticks out so well, as he showed me in the contract that it was not the correct procedure). I got the address and wrote a check out in my car after borrowing an envelope from the clerk at the distributor. This was mailed out from the local post office on my way home. Also what sticks out mentally is that this was one of the last checks to clear on a small town bank which I was which I was closed due to paying so many foreign atm fees. That check check and several other checks cleared zeroing out my balance and I closed that account and banked ever since with a large national bank. I am crystal clear on those events.
So when all of a sudden this COLLECTION ACCOUNT was on my credit report. It had my immediate attention. First of all I NEVER received a letter stating any discrepancy or delinquency. Although having my phone number which has NEVER changed, I NEVER received any type of advisement call of any sorts. I contacted a very close friend who is an attorney (we actually call each other cousins) and explained the situation to him. He told me (as I had surmised from having worked for a bank before) it would be far cheaper to pay the $20.00. A statement copy with images, with the bank is $5.00 plus a $25.00 an hour research fee with a one hour minimum with thw norm being 3-4 hours. Basically, $100.00 and up for a $20.00 check. He did state that I should absolutely insist on having this deleted from my credit record.
I contacted the collections department. I made contact with an employee named Janice. I explained the situation to her. Believe it or not She actually stated the following snippets of information:
1. They until this year had a small and understaffed collections department.
2. Until March of this year, the computer system which they had was inadequate to handle the volume of customers with billing issues.
3. They only would send one letter to a customer such as myself since it was such a small amount, it would not be worth their while to pursue such a small amount with their staffing situation at that time.
4. That when customers did not receive the letter stating their final billing (Does she realize she just admitted that not all customers receive their bills???!!!??? WOW. Either ignorance, or brazen audaciousness!!!) that they would in most cases call in and check on the status of the final billing.
5. That I had rented a tenor sax for my son the next year (Wouldn't you think that when they received an application for a new instrument that they would say hey, stop, woah, you owe us money or just tack it on to the new bill?) but she stated that their computers systems at that time could not look at customer accounts. How would a company like this stay in business? No other company that I have EVER dealt with (and I worked for a bank before) would EVER continue extend credit to a "bad" credit risk in order to protect itself. Once again, ineptness or brazen audaciousness!!!
6. The new system which was put in place in March of was now adequate. This system would now pick up all of the accounts (once deemed no worth their time to pursue) and immediately report them to the credit bureaus. There STILL would be no effort made to contact the customers although knowing they had previuosly an inadequate computing system and incidents of customers not receiving billing, delinquency, or discrepancy notifications.
After actually expecting no better resolution than such, I begrudgingly paid $24.08. I adamantly express that I needed an immediate verification of receipt of payment via fax including a confirmation number (Apparently on top of marking my credit, a service charge of $5.08 was added compared to the amount reported of $19.00). I expressed to Janice that until this matter was resolved and this deleted from my record that we were best friends and she could count on hearing from me VERY often. It is my right to contact them until some sort of resolution or impasse. They are adversely affecting my credit. She laughed at me and stated "What do you want to do follow me around and try to break my legs"??? I really feel that even may have been an ethnic slur the way she said it. I expressed to her that she could count hearing from me often. She said I could check back on Monday or Tuesday to confirm payment being made. BUT if she weren't so busy trying to be a smart you-know-what she would have understood this does not end until this gets DELETED from my credit report. And now, an apology from her, and a refund of the service fee. They can keep the $20.00. I am not going to spend the money to prove a point. All in all a really dirty and unethical collection practice. Next step, the Better Business Bureau and their local Chamber of Commerce.
*UPDATE*
I sent an e-mail to the company and this was the direct response as sent to me:
Dear, Mr Patterson
In regards to your situation, you payed your last payment 12/24 but failed to return the instrument until 1/21 in doing so you should have realized you were not payed up to date.
Also your first two payments were due 11/1 and 12/1 and were never made... We had to force charge them pursuant to paragraph 7 on the back of your contract. We did send collection letters and a balance due letter but you never responded... Therefore we have nothing to correct on your credit bureau and have done business legally and professionally... We cannot be responsible for your neglect or oversight. Upon signing your contract you agreed to a monthly payment, amount, and due date. Legally we have done all we were required to do and if you do not agree with the information we have, you may dispute this with the credit bureaus... But we will forward all paperwork with your signatures on them to back up the accuracy of our claim.
P.S. Be assured we will correct a mistake when one is made but this is definitely a correct reporting whether it was reported in 2003 or 2005 we have 7 years to report and attempt to collect a debt.
Lucy Colon
Collection Department Manager
Veritas Instrument Rental
1-800-578-9724 Extension 246
Post Office Box 950 Pinellas Park, FL 33780
Email: [email protected]
I think it is amazing that one second a rep is telling me that they did not send more than one letter ever. The next minute this manager is stating they sent out multiple letters. It really makes me angry that this company could do this. It is such a no win situation. I can pay five times the amount of the amount which I paid to them or I can allow this blemish on my record. All for twenty freaking dollars. I actually spoke with a local branch manager and she laughed about it. She said that worst case scenario most experienced lender no that in cases like this, they would disregard this as a simple malicious attack and a regrettable abuse of the credit system. She told me if I ever need financeing for anything she will gladly accomodate me saying this basically goes along the same lines as the magazine phone scams and although I may be questioned about it after explaining and documenting it an intelligent lender will not even consider this in any decision. The horrible thing is that this company is refered by schools around here. I think I am really going to start making PTA meetings on any days that correlate with days I am not working to find out if I am the lone case.
If any one else has ever rented n instrument from VIR, check your credit report. If you are going through the same issue with them please add complaints. I do not think the right people are hearing my complaint. I think when they do this with be ethically resolved. I will guarantee I am not the only person who has been treated like this.
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