I was recently mailed a letter from Eltman, Eltman, & Cooper P.C. stating that they are trying to collect money from a judgment against me in a DirecTv settlement in 2005. In June 2005 I was contacted by Nationwide Credit Inc to settle this matter & I did. I paid them via credit card. I never received a "letter of release" from Nationwide Credit Inc. Today I contacted Nationwide Credit Inc and they are claiming that they have no records dating that far back. How can I get verification that I did indeed pay & settle this debt? Is there a way to force Nationwide Credit Inc to verify that I paid? Can there be any recourse on there part? I contacted DirecTv & they won't even speak with my concerning this matter. I sent a letter certified mail asking Eltman, Eltman, & Cooper P.C. to verify this debt & I informed them it has already been settled. Can they site this matter on my credit report? Thanks in advanced for any suggestions & help!
I doubt there is much you can do to protect yourself unless you can show by bank records of some kind that you paid them. This is why you should never pay a debt collector by phone or by any method that does not give you a receipt. They never want to give receipts for anything. It seems that they simply cannot do business in honest and ethical ways. Maybe that is something else that needs to be put into FDCPA. A new section that says that a debt collector must give the consumer a written receipt within 5 or 10 days after their receipt of any payment by any means whatever including money taken by garnishment. And of course, if no receipt is given it makes it easier for them to steal from their clients, get out of paying taxes and lots of other good benefits. Under the table money is always good for a business.
Contact both the credit card company (you paid with), and the previous CA. They both should still have records of the transactions. It may take some time w/the CC company, and there may be a "research fee", but it can be done. As for the new suit, they need to respond to a validation request. This is the heart of the spirit of the Debt Validation process. But find the documentation to show you paid.
