Well it is now time for round 5. Four collection agencies (none of whom have proven the amount after it somehow got larger) after American Express and I parted company (long story) they have now sent it back to the first agency (Nationwide Credit Inc). Anyone else ever have a creditor send it back to the same agency? This time around however I am much more aware of my rights and feel a very blunt cease and dissist letter will be coming along shortly and will have no problems notifying the correct agencies if they do not behave in a legal and ethical manner this time around................
Amex seems to ignore what I asked for in the past as well. Sent the account to collection agency for years and when I requested that they prove to me that my wife signed the amex application, it went back to amex. Still they refused to send us documentation of any kind yet they called at least once every week for about a year and then just went away. Weird>>>>
Yeah. That sounds like the collections agencies they have used so far. Hopefully I can keep this up for another year or so until I'm sure it is timebarred/SOL.
Be careful with AMEX. They probably still own the debt. They do not have to provide any type of validation as they are the OC, not a collection agency. AMEX has a long and accurate memory, and they won't hesitate to sue if it appears that collection agencies are making no progress toward collecting. A cease and desist letter leaves them only one option--to file suit. Think long and hard before doing this on an in statute debt, especially one involving AMEX. You may have a judgment against you before you know what even hit you.
I'm glad you brought that up. A few points of clarification: 1)while the federal law does not apply to OC's, my state's collection laws do, so I still have rights to dispute with them or any agency claiming to represent them. I can also still tell them to contact me only in writing 2) Even if the amount they are claiming is correct (and that is one of my points of dispute) and I actually had the money (I don't), American Express is who I would technically owe, not one of the 4 agencies claiming to represent them 3) what I have actually been telling the agencies (other then the disputed issues) is to cease phone calls and contact me only in writing, and that's usually when they start to back off until it gets passed to another agency. I just find it a little peculiar that it has now been passed back to an agency they already used.
