Richard writes:I am an MD-PhD, working at a medical center in New York. In 2006 I came here form Wisconsin, and at that point I called American Express (had a credit card with them for about 7-8 years before), explained my move, and the new academic position I was taking on, and asked them if they…
debt collectors
Comcast Charges You For Service You Never Ordered, Threatens To Ruin Your Credit
By 11.29.07
Reader Allison wrote her Congressional rep in regards to Comcast defrauding her:
Dear Representative Snyder,
T-Mobile Loses Cancellation Letter Twice, Sends Account To Collection Agency
By 11.11.07
T-Mobile sent reader Ivan’s account to collections after he twice cancelled his service. He first cancelled in August, but T-Mobile mysteriously lost the cancellation letter. Ivan faxed over a second cancellation letter while a CSR waited on the phone to confirm receipt. Having switched to Verizon, Ivan didn’t care when in September, someone stepped on the T-Mobile phone lying in his car, breaking the screen. T-Mobile is now demanding that Ivan pay a bill that lists only a reinstatement fee. Ivan writes:
Racial Slur-Dropping Debt-Collection Agency Settles With FTC For $1.3 Million
By 11.8.07
A debt-collection agency settled with the FTC for $1.3 million after thousands of complaints were lodged against the company for abusive and illegal practices. LTD used threatening language and racial slurs against debtors. They also threatened they would garnish debtor’s wages, something that can’t happen without a trial. Company managers were found to be complicit in its employees illegal actions. LTD collected debts for major credit card companies and retail chains.
Debt Collector Addresses Notice To "SHIT FACE"
By 11.7.07
Collection agency addresses collection notice to “SHIT FACE.” The letter begins, “Dear SHIT…” Below a line where the debtor is supposed to sign, the pejorative again appears. Best of all, the debt is only $16.39, for Columbia House (purveyors of fine 1cent for 624,215 CD offers). The debtor signed an affidavit saying he didn’t sign up under that name, nor did he use profanity in his correspondence. Consumer lawyer and sometimes Consumerist contributing blogger Sam Glover thinks the sobriquet is a deliberate touch by the debt collector. Debt collectors frequently resort to intimidation, though they “don’t usually document their harassment.”
Zombie Debt: How Credit Card Companies Illegally Reanimate Your Old Debt
By 11.2.07
In what BusinessWeek calls “financial Night of the Living Dead” credit card companies are refusing to stop reporting legally discharged debt to credit reporting agencies—illegally forcing consumers to pay debts that they no longer owe in order to get approved for mortgages.
Verizon Unleashes Zombie Debt Collector Scourge On Innocent Consumer
By 10.11.07
Reader Kevin has a problem with Verizon and the zombie debt collectors they’ve unleashed on the account Verizon said was paid off and closed…
By 10.2.07
../../../..//2007/10/02/aol-is-still-trying-to/
AOL is STILL trying to extort money from people who canceled their account. STILL STILL STILL. [KUTV]
Lowes Resorts To Legal Bullying Instead Fixing Their Horrible $3500 Fence Job
By 9.21.07
UPDATE: Allen writes to say, “The issue between Lowe’s, their attorney and I was settled amicably and in a timely manner…” He couldn’t say more, but his website has been taken down.
Sample Letter For Telling A Debt Collector To Drop Dead
By 9.17.07
Is a debt collector calling and calling or sending you letter after letter? Clark Howard has a quick and easy sample letter on his site you can use to tell them to swallow a fork. [More]
Verizon Sold 1,000,000 Old Accounts To AFNI, Who Then Fraudulently Tried To Collect Debts
By 9.13.07
A reader whose wife received a debt-collection notice from AFNI regarding a seven-year old Verizon account was actually just one of over a million consumers getting a similar letter, WSYR reports.
Is There Any Limit To How Often A Debt Collector Can Call?
By 8.15.07
A California reader has been getting calls from a debt collector every day and asks if there’s any limit to the amount of times a debt collector may call.
Sample Letter For Disputing A Debt Collection Notice
July 18, 2007
If you’ve received a notice from a debt collector, but have reason to believe you don’t actually owe that debt (or owe a lot less than they say you owe), federal law gives you a brief opportunity to force the collector to demonstrate that you do indeed owe this debt, and to stop trying to collect on it until they have verified you are the one responsible, and that the money is still owed. [More]
By 7.3.07
../../../..//2007/07/03/if-you-want-to-successfully/
If you want to successfully challenge a charge a debt collector says you owe, you’ll want to understand the doctrine of “account stated.”
By 7.2.07
../../../..//2007/07/02/debt-collector-denied-unemployment-benefits/
Debt collector denied unemployment benefits because he was abusive towards debtors… the same conduct that had gotten him promoted to a supervisor position within the company.
A Lie A Debt Collector Once Told Us
By 6.25.07
One time we had this huge credit card debt that we just let sliiiiiiiiiiide. When we finally owned up to it, the debt collector told us that the credit card company said we could just pay 85% of it if we paid it all at once.
File A Complaint With The FCC
By 6.22.07
If you have a complaint about anything that happens over a wire or is otherwise communicated, you can file one with the FCC. Telephone, cable, debt collectors, and more all fall under their jurisdiction.
Daughter Stuck with Comatose Mom's Debt?
By 6.8.07
For those of you who enjoyed today’s post on the woman who committed suicide after her husband was threatened with debtor’s prison, here’s another one up your bleak alley.
