I received a letter from Plaza Associates, they were writing about an AMEX account I had in in the late 80's that I never paid. They said that they would guarantee my approval for a new AMEX Optima if I Paid the old balance in full. Does anyone have any experience with Plaza associates. I have been trying very hard to rebuild my credit and this could be a great thing for me.
Hi Jim, Don't go by me, but I think you'll want to deal with AMEX direct, rather than a collection agency. With your account being over 10 years old, unless there are extenuating circumstances, that debt is no longer being reported on your credit report and this CA is trying to make some money off your ignorance of statutes of limitations. Now, that said, I read here that AMEX is like an elephant that never forgets you owed them money. All the more reason to go back and deal directly with them if you stand any chance of getting credit for them again. Some of the folks here who've had this sort of dealings with AMEX will pipe up momentarily. Meanwhile do a search on "AMEX". Good luck.
Thanks Hope. I recently reviewed a cpoy of my credit report and the amex was not no longer being reported. I was wondering if anyone had ever received any similar offers. I guess it is probably best to contact AMEX directly. Thanks for the advice.
Re: Just Curious.... They was titled "An opportunity to regain card membership". It said that they were hired by AMEX to collect on an outstanding debt. and that if I were to pay the debt in full, I would receive an application for an amex optima, which would be approved, granted I had not filed for bankruptcy or currently hold any other amex cards. They also asked that I contact them for more information about this offer.
Re: Just Curious.... Don't contact them by phone. And first, contact AMEX if you have any intention of paying this debt. I recommend in this case -- again -- that you go back to the original creditor. Collections Agencies will tell you ANY lie to get your money. And, they have no authority whatsoever to guarantee reissuance of credit. Talk to AMEX!!
Re: How much.... Humm... Well here's my story about Plaza. I had a Target chargeoff for about $300 and they sent me a letter. I tried to pay Target directly and they said NO. So I made monthly arrangements to pay Plaza back. Took about 5 months and I paid them off in January. Then in May I decided to reapply for Target on-line and was approved! What happened was that I wasn't approved instantly but it gave me a reference # to check the status....I checked the status like 10 minutes later and found out that they approved it. Then after all that I disputed the entry on my credit report from Retailer's National Bank (Target) that was listed as a chargeoff w/ a zero balance and it was deleted! But FYI...they never sent me a letter stating that after I paid the collection that they would guarentee my approval of a new Target card. Target did check my best report and my score at the time was around 607. So I guess my suggestion is that you contact Am/Ex and see if this opportunity that Plaza has presented to you is true or not. Like others have mentioned, collection agencies will say anything to get your money because they assume that people don't know the laws.
