Letter from Debt Collector

[Lerose]

I got a letter from a debt collector which said I owed all this money on a credit card from a store I never shopped at before. First thing I did was checked all my credit reports and nothing about the debt was on my records (thank goodness for that.) Next thing I did was call the store to find out about this deliquent account. Turned out that the debt existed but the store has charged off the account and that the person who opened it had the same name as me but lives in a different state. I have a fairly common name and it makes me mad to have to deal with this. A few months ago, I got a call from another debt collector which said I had a deliquent account at another store. This time, the person who owed that debt only had the same last name as me. Our first names were different. I sure hope this is not some kind of trend....

 

[nightnurse613]

Since debt collectors earn their money by collecting from delinquent debtors, I would guess this is not that unusual. I remember checking the local public records about two years ago and finding divorce decrees, liens, et cetera all listed under my name (married to different people, where I never lived and so on). :annoyed: I would think a letter on their collection notice MIGHT get them off your back. A certified letter would probably work better.

 

[cindi]

We got a call a couple of days ago about a check that bounced at a local restaurant.

Only problem is, we hadn't eaten there in probably 6 months. When my husband questioned the caller, all of a sudden it was oops, sorry, click.

 

[geekette]

This happens to me. I also have a too-common name and there is a deadbeat of the same name in this city. It's annoying but has so far cost me nothing but time and frustration.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Dead Men Don't Shop At Price Club.

When I was dealing with my father's business & financial affairs after he passed away in December 2002, I opened a letter addressed to him demanding immediate payment of an overdue amount, plus interest, plus collection fee.

Dad was always on top of his bills right up till the end, so it was surprising anybody would be dunning him after he died. It was also mysterious, because the only company name shown on the letter was the collection agency. The only way to find out what the bill collectors thought Dad owed was to call'm up. So I did.

I got connected with a guy who looked up the account & said that Dad's Price Club membership renewal payment was so late that it had racked up overdue penalties & had been turned over to the collection agency. I explained that Dad had passed away & would no longer be shopping at Price Club. The collection agent said, in effect, "Too bad. It's an automatic membership renewal. The charge is due & payable every year unless the member cancels before the renewal date. That date passed several months ago & the overdue amount has got to be paid." I asked to speak to a supervisor. After I explained the situation to the woman who came on the line, she apologized & said the matter would be taken care of immediately & said she was sorry for my loss.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​