Most that know me...... KNOW I am passionate about Consumer Rights.......
Since I've had a influx of readers lately I wanted to share a situation that I'm currently "battling"
I received a collection letter in May from a (local) collection agency over a bill from a (local) hospital.
I spent a good hour with my insurance company going over records, then going through my banking records to pull the payments I had made to this :ahem: "establishment"
The story is simple.. ER Trip for one of my children... Ins. covered all but $9.54 (deductible had been met so I sent them a payment of $9.54......)
(Collection agency says I owe $95.40) Uhhhh think they added a one to many ZERO's to that? I do!
Now, back to the collection agency....... I get this letter in late May, and think WTF! So I being a SMART consumer cover my rear and send them a validation request........ They receive it June 1........ I hear NOTHING the entire month of June, and in Mid July I get another collection letter from a "law firm" I at first did NOT connect the two because they are two different names...... Same amount but it just did not *occur* to me what this "bill" was for....
Soooooo I send them a validation request... They receive it and within 10 days they zap 2 of my credit reports...... The name used on the credit report IS from the ORIGINAL collection agency that I requested validation from in May.... THE ONLY reason I *caught* this was related to the July "letter" was the amount.. When I saw it ... It FINALLY *hit* me that they were playing dirty.....
Soooooooo I google this "attorney" and see she is their "general counsel" (she's defended them in alot of lawsuits)
The information they give the credit reports are violations (IE) Open Account, They list the hospitals name AND they actually have the nerve to re-age this making it seem as if it's from JUNE.....
I go into *Furious* mode and call them on a RECORDED line.....
Now, I did NOT bother calling the "attorneys" office.......... I actually looked this company up and found their satellite office in the same city as the atty and gave them a ring....
The phone call was BEYOND interesting....... I was told the following.....
The "Agent" admitted to me that they HAD received the letter back on June 1, and that they had faxed the hospital for the information.. But (then he stammers and asks me to hold)
Comes back and apologizes and asks me how I want to pay for this..... I say.... "How about with my check that your going to send me for FDCPA, FCRA and OCSPA violations".... :) YES I really said it and YES it's on tape!
During the course of this phone call he also admits to me that they *should* have ceased collection efforts and that the account is reporting correctly as "open"
When he tried pulling the "correctly reporting" crap with me I gently reminded him of Martinez Vs. Alb. Collection Agency...... (He had NO clue what I was talking about)
What it boiled down to is I gave this company TWENTY FOUR hours to pull off my CR... They didn't so I am suing..
The deception, lies and "Tricks" that these companies are willing to pull for money that is NOT owed to them simply astonishes me.
I will NO longer tolerate this type of behavior and as a consumer who WANTS change
AND........................ I *WILL* FIGHT for it.....
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