How to deal with collection agency? (credit report, debt, payment, apartment)

[XodoX]

Hello, I need help in dealing with a collection agency. Long story short...

-moved out of apartment last July
-disputed move-out statement with manager that had left a balance of 143 Dollars to pay ( after 550 deposit) for supposedly needed carpet replacement.
-manager agreed to meet halfway on cost - I would get money back, cause I had proof carpet was clean
-have proof ( email ) that she said that

-NEVER heard anything from them after that, no calls, emails or mail
- checked credit report on march 3rd - collection agency after me now
- never received calls, emails or letters from collection agency telling me what's going on etc.


I am now trying to dispute it. Mailed the apartment complex telling them what I had agreed on with manager - nothing back...ignored me.

That's what I was gonna do now...

Sample Leter 9 - Request to a collection agency to validate a debt

I want to send this letter to the collection agency. Requesting them to give me the information stated there.

Should I leave the collection agency alone right now and should go ahead and send my dispute to the credit bureaus ?

[Woof Woof Woof!]

Check out the Bud Hibbs website. He's got lots of good advice. You want to send the collection agency a cease and desist letter and deal with the original debtor. Good luck.

[XodoX]

You mean something like this?

Sample Cease & Desist Letter

Don't you think this would be a little bit too demanding? The apartment sent them the first move-out statement, so that have "proof".

[wilvan]

Originally Posted by Woof Woof Woof!

Check out the Bud Hibbs website. He's got lots of good advice. You want to send the collection agency a cease and desist letter and deal with the original debtor. Good luck.

My wife had a similar problem with collection agencies. She opened an acct for a cell phone, a few days later the phone co. offered to consolidate that acct into our home phone acct for a single monthly bill. In the process of transferring the initial charge of about $100 fell through the cracked and it was not included. 3 mos. later we got a call from a collection agency demanding payment.

We called the phone co. to send us the invoice... but they never did... obviously they had sold the "bad debt" to the agency. Since the phone co. refused to deal with the problem they have created and my wife's credit rating was already dinged, we refused to pay it. So after 1.5 years... and the debt now sold to a 3rd collection agency... we're getting at least 5 phone calls a week. Is there no statute of limitation? We just let our answering machine screen their calls.

[XodoX]

At least you do get calls or mail. I NEVER ever got anything.

I just found this sample letter:

Sample Pay for Delete Letter - Template to Remove Collection Account From Credit Report

Would naybody recommend this? I don't want to prevent myself from other actions I might take if I send them this letter. It would kind of "admit" fault ( which is actually not the acse) but might remove if off my report? Would consider it cause it's "only" 143 Dollars.

[XodoX]

Sorry, can't edit the previous post.

I just sent them this letter here:

Pay for delete letter: A sample to remove negative items

I hope that this will resolve the issue.

[texdav]

Did you send them the copy of the proof you had?

[suzie02]

Originally Posted by wilvan

My wife had a similar problem with collection agencies. She opened an acct for a cell phone, a few days later the phone co. offered to consolidate that acct into our home phone acct for a single monthly bill. In the process of transferring the initial charge of about $100 fell through the cracked and it was not included. 3 mos. later we got a call from a collection agency demanding payment.

We called the phone co. to send us the invoice... but they never did... obviously they had sold the "bad debt" to the agency. Since the phone co. refused to deal with the problem they have created and my wife's credit rating was already dinged, we refused to pay it. So after 1.5 years... and the debt now sold to a 3rd collection agency... we're getting at least 5 phone calls a week. Is there no statute of limitation? We just let our answering machine screen their calls.

I am confused. Did you owe the $100 or did they just decided to charge you that fee?
One way or the other the easiest way to get peace back in your life is to pay them. Here is the key though. Ask them what is their offer? It is usually a lot less than the bill. Then counter offer. Tell them you will pay them $25. Then have them send you a letter in the mail before you send any payment.
It is not worth holding out even if you are in the right.
We have learned this the hard way. Here is our story. http://www.city-data.com/forum/perso...dit-score.html

[wilvan]

Originally Posted by suzie02

I am confused. Did you owe the $100 or did they just decided to charge you that fee?
One way or the other the easiest way to get peace back in your life is to pay them. Here is the key though. Ask them what is their offer? It is usually a lot less than the bill. Then counter offer. Tell them you will pay them $25. Then have them send you a letter in the mail before you send any payment.
It is not worth holding out even if you are in the right.
We have learned this the hard way. Here is our story. http://www.city-data.com/forum/perso...dit-score.html

We owed the $100. The first time we were informed about it, the collection agency suggested we called the phone co. to clear it up. So we did and they promised to send us the invoice but they never did. We called them 2 more times, again they promised but never send the bill. We guessed they have sold the bad debt and it was no longer in their books.

Meanwhile the collection agency kept calling everyday, in our exasperation we agreed to pay them only when they send us the bill (the agency's)... but no, they want us to write them a letter to explain our side. For $100... we have to go through all the trouble? For heaven's sake why don't you just send us the bill?!? We were so pissed off with the whole episode we refused to answer their calls.

I know it's not worth the aggravation but we have already endured 1.5 yrs of harassment, we're not giving in now! LOL. (They probably spent over $100 on their phone bills). My wife's credit score is already dinged not due to her fault and settling it won't change it. Anyway we don't have any debt and won't need any credit for the rest of our lives.

[suzie02]

Originally Posted by XodoX

You mean something like this?
Sample Cease & Desist Letter

Originally Posted by wilvan

We owed the $100. The first time we were informed about it, the collection agency suggested we called the phone co. to clear it up. So we did and they promised to send us the invoice but they never did. We called them 2 more times, again they promised but never send the bill. We guessed they have sold the bad debt and it was no longer in their books.

Meanwhile the collection agency kept calling everyday, in our exasperation we agreed to pay them only when they send us the bill (the agency's)... but no, they want us to write them a letter to explain our side. For $100... we have to go through all the trouble? For heaven's sake why don't you just send us the bill?!? We were so pissed off with the whole episode we refused to answer their calls.

I know it's not worth the aggravation but we have already endured 1.5 yrs of harassment, we're not giving in now! LOL. (They probably spent over $100 on their phone bills). My wife's credit score is already dinged not due to her fault and settling it won't change it. Anyway we don't have any debt and won't need any credit for the rest of our lives.

Then try the letter shown on the other post. It maybe that the collection agency is being sleazy and going after you for a debt that is not yours and it has never been.