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I'm a minor, after receiving an unsolicited gift from some book club, I'm getting threatened with debt collection, they say this will go on my record and affect my credit card.
Ok i have been stressed about this for a few months...one day i received a box with 2 books in it from Quality Paperback Book club i thought it was for free so ignored it...then i started getting a letter each month from the company stating that i owe them money...it wasnt much only like $17 but i didnt want to pay for something i never asked for so after the third month Alliedinterstate mailed me a letter several months later saying
"We are a debt collector attempting to collect a debt
and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
Our client quality paperback book club has asked that we contact you regarding your past due blanace. Because you have failed to pay the Amount Due, our client has listed your name with the Credit Index, a consumer reporting agency. Your outsstanding balance will be available to other direct marketing subscribers using this service. A resoltution of the amont due will update with account to good standing in the credit index files.
You can resolve this matter and once and enjoy....."
I started to feel threatened by this letter..
So now that adds up to a total amount of $54.70 for 2 books i dont want..
but i just left it alone for a few months hoping they will stop and almost forgot about it until today they called my home after school to remind me of it...i think i might have given that company my info in a survey that offered free books if i sign up or something i completely forgot so i dont know what to do...i just kept denying and trying to explain that i had no idea but he didn't seem to care and was very persistant about it...saying that its simple logic i should of returned it within 10 days like it said if i didnt want the books BUT I HAD NO IDEA..i am a 17 year old i dont have a credit card so i cant give out any billing information so how could i expect to be charged like that i thought it was just a free gift and put it aside..because i obviously couldn't of it myself..so i just told him i will pay for it but since i am a minor i will get my dad to take care of it later and he left his contact info and told me i have until the 28th...
Sorry for the long post but i dont know where else to ask for help and there seems to be a lot of knowledgeable people on this subject by looking at the other thread. Money is not the problem at all i just want to pay for it and get it over with...but i heard some bad things about this company so i want to know its that simple...once i pay and everything is over or will i still have some kind of bad record and what if they still have my info? What will they do with it?
IOf you didn't order the books then call the BBB and report them ;they can look up the company.I'd send the book compney a letter and tell tehm you never ordered the books and tell teh collection agency if they call that you are going to report them to the attorney general because you never ordered anyhting and to stop calling.
...i think i might have given that company my info in a survey that offered free books if i sign up or something i completely forgot so i dont know what to do...
Well, it all depends on what happened when you filled out this survey. You might have inadvertently agreed to participate in some program. If you ended up signing some contract, well....you signed a contract. It sucks how they got you do to it without even knowing it, but it happens. Lots of people get scammed this way. If nothing else, its a good lesson learned about who you should/should not give your info to.
Good news is that you'll probably be able to get them off of your back (probably keeping the paperbacks too) but it'll take some work.
Texdav idea of contacting BBB will a good one but probably won't help you with clearing your name necessarily. BBB is more for keeping a list of crappy business so the next guy doesn't get duped. You can open a case with them (I think) and let them do their thing, but it'll take some time.
First I would try calling the company that sent the books to you. I would play dumb; say you've received payment reminders from them but you don't know anything about it. Make them provide documents that prove you are a customer of their. Have them fax you this information. If you don't get what you want from the person you are talking to, ask to be transferred to their manager. Don't get angry, but be firm. Don't give them any more information than necessary. I'm guessing they'll let you off the hook when you press them to provide proof of some contract or documentation. Frankly its easier for them to go after other fish who won't be bothered to call and complain...
I'd also call the credit agency and give them the same story...playing dumb, and asking for documentation. In short...make them WORK to prove that they have a case against you. Again, make them fax or send the information that have to you. Ask them that you would like to put the transaction in dispute. Again, if you don't have success with one person, ask to talk to their manager.
If they provide you with some sort of documentation that you agreed to their service...as I said, you'll probably have to pay up. If not, you making a stink will mostly likely make them give up. Alternatively, you can pay the 56 bucks and call it a good lesson learned.
Welllllll, Jeffery321 says he is a minor, (which makes me wonder if he read the TOS here and is over 16) and minors, IIRC, cannot sign legal contracts. Then there is the post office regulation that if you receive an unsolicited "gift" in the mail, it is yours and the sender cannot bill for it.
I'd say the first thing that Jeffery can do is peddle down to the post office with the books and packaging and talk with the postmaster.
A word to the wise, those "free cruise" and other promotions that get you entered in a contest often have stuff buried in the fine print, and even if you never fill one out it is possible for someone to use your name and address or phone number to either meet a quota, or be a bustard. I never fill out anything like that, but a few years back I got a call from a gym saying that I had signed up for something or other from them. When the person calling got snippy, I blasted them a new sphincter they could exercise, and then they had the audacity to repeat call just to try to "get even." Had it not stopped at that within a couple of days, it would have been ugly for them. I'm not someone people mess with and get away with it.
Broadbill hit all the right targets.
Only a few comments:
1-Very specifically tell the collection agency that the bill is in dispute. This is important. That notation must then be noted on your records. If you want to get them to stop calling, tell them they are never to call again about this debt. They may then call you once more......and that's it.
2-Once placed with a collection agency, most companies may not talk w/you about the open bill, but will direct you to the collection agency. Be persistent and demand to speak with a manager as he suggested. However, do this after you've informed the collection agency the things I mentioned above .......and after about 30 days so it gets on your account at the company.
3-to answer your question, yes.....it likely will go on your credit record as a delinquent item. However, make sure it's on there as a disputed item. To have it removed, you'll need to make sure you have informed the collection agency that the amount is disputed. If it gets on your credit record, you'll need to dispute it with the credit agency and take the steps to have it removed. (you'll need to contest the item as being wrong.)
Some no-name company sent me a NASCAR DVD a while back in the mail. I didn't order it. I had never heard of the company. I wouldn't have ordered it if I HAD heard of the company or the product before. But it included a statement that basically said they wanted $20 if I decided to keep it. I thought this was especially funny that they would think I would actually pay them for sending me what was obviously a free gift.
So for grins I kept it with all the original paperwork and packaging sitting on top of my TV. I was waiting for them to contact me demanding payment. But they never did. I was disappointed.
Call Krohn & Moss in California and see if they are licensed to pracatice in your state. There is no charge for a consultation. Most of those book clubs are like the old record clubs. Get 10 free records free, but you are obligated to buy X more at the regular price in 12 months. Once the terms of the contract were met, the membership (contract) could be cancelled. Most of these contracts are the same. The terms are wrtten in fine print in legal doublespeajk. In essence when you signed your name, you stated you were of legal age, you knew the offer was for a book club and, that you wanted a membership in said club.
The simple solution is to send the $17 and a notarized statement attesting to the date of your birth. If the books are paid for they cannot claim fraud. And they cannot claim intent.
Apparently not! I have worked with senior citizens who have had this same problem. They get things in the mail that seem free, then they get a bill. They can't really afford the bill, but since they accepted the package they feel obligated to pay the bill. They don't know how to cancel the packages so the "gifts" and the bills keep coming. It's very confusing for folks who have never seen such a thing.
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) but it'll take some work.
