I have been requesting validation for an old Burdines account that is due to fall off in about 8 months (and obviously beyond it's statute of limitations also). They sent me a 'statement of account' and I responded with a request for original contract or receipts with my signature etc. They responded with a letter stating that they only had to retain originals for 25 months and made a settlement offer (which I have no intention of paying) SO in theory they cannot validate the debt therefore should be required to remove - right? I sent them a letter stating that and yesterday received another letter with the following: "My prior letter explained the availability of the application per federal law, and pro offered a counter settlement amount of $534.78. As you appear disinterested in the contents of my letter or in settling your account, I can only surmise that you do not wish to negotiate further. Please be advised that if your $534.78 is not received within 14 days, collection efforts may resume. Please be advised that we reserve the right to take whatever actions are legally available to protect our interests" WHAT SHOULD MY NEXT STEP BE - WHAT KIND OF LETTER CAN I SEND THEM NOW? PLEASE HELP!!
*Sigh* You see where letters have gotten you so far, right? Nowhere! So, please have a little patience. Ignore their calls, save their letters & let the sharks swim off to harrass someone else. You should only be dealing with the CRA's. Give them a call in a couple of months and ask them to remove that item because it has matured.
"Reference is made to your letter dated XX/XX/2003. Since you appear disinterested in complying with federal laws governing collection activity and credit reporting, I can only surmise you wish to be sued. Please be advised that if you resume collection efforts as threatened, without providing proper validation, as provided for by the FDCPA, I will immediately pursue any and all legal remedies available to me. P.S. Please be advised that since the statute of limitations has expired for this debt, the legal options available to you for collecting this debt are limited at best." Okay, so I'm just being a smart-a$$ and you don't need to send any letter. But it's kinda fun to play with them and their veiled threats to sue you. And, they say they will continue collection efforts if you don't send them $$ in 14 days - that statement in and of itself is an effort to collect! Since it's past SOL and going to fall off soon, I'd just ignore them - they keep pursuing you because they're getting a reaction out of you.
Re: Re: FACS/Burdines Great advice! If they think they've got you over a barrel they'll kick it out from under you and walk away laughing. Why give these sharks the satisfaction? Why answer the phone? Tell them the SOL is up, the item is due to fall off your report and to go straight to h*#! Let them stew in their own juices for once.
Re: Re: FACS/Burdines Thanks for the advise - I'd love to send them that smart a$$ letter but alas, would do no good, so I'll just leave it be until it get's closer to falling off.
Re: Re: Re: FACS/Burdines I dispise the tactics of CA's as much as anyone and have been able to add to my nest egg because of them. What I don't get is the venom people have toward OC's who just want the money that is owed (making the assumptiion it is not a billing error) to them. I mean if you had a store/business and provided thousands of dollars of services and/or merchandise to someone - wouldn't YOU like to get paid? Or would you rather have the reputation that it's easy to rip off SoParkDiva inc. because you think it's ok and people have no obligation to pay. Just looking at the other side. 0 p.s. - note that I did not condone evil collection tactics by either OC's or CA's. I also did not pass any moral judgement about making OC's jump through hoops.
Re: Re: Re: Re: FACS/Burdines When I mention shark(s) I am referring to the bottom feeding species that operate under the title of COLLECTION AGENCIES. I am not referring to original creditors. We don't know everyone's financial situation. One short-term illness can wipe most people out financially. 99% of the good people on this board try to negotiate payback terms with their OC's. They don't want to be deadbeats. But the OC's - for whatever reason - sells the debt to the sharks. AT this point the OC's have decided to walk away from the debt. They can do that because they have built up their massive fortunes by charging you & me exorbitant rates and fees. CA's on the other hand don't have the financial windfall of the OC's so they can, and do, take off the kid gloves in most cases. So please don't get it twisted. There is no "venom" toward the OC's in any of my posts.
Re: Re: Re: Re: FACS/Burdines I have a particular venom to Burdines, I hope they all rot in hell!!!! At least you got a settlement offer. I couldn't get one, not even with the CA. I couldn't get payment for deletion, not even for the full amount! They are bottom-feeding-scum suckers as far as I am concerned. They will get the full amount from me because I had to pay this chargeoff for the full amount in order to close on my house. Again I offered money, full amounts and then I got a settlement offer from the CA, you know what they said they could/would not send me a paid collection letter for at least 30 days because it takes that long to update the computers. Sorry, when you try to deal with these companies and all you get is the run around and NOBODY will help you, even if you pay what you owe+some - they do not deserve to get paid. The title company keeps calling me to get the info. on Burdines, they can figure it out for themselves, I'm not helping one bit. They already have my money, I don't really care if Burdines gets paid or not. So morals, and all of the above does not come into play, these companies have no morals and could care less about each individual cardholder at any time. Wait, until the 8 months is up, paying Burdines is not worth it, they going to become a glorified Kmart soon, anyway. Try disputing, it might come off.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: FACS/Burdines Ok, but I didn't "twist" anything. It's just that when you said "Why give these sharks the satisfaction? Why answer the phone? Tell them the SOL is up, the item is due to fall off your report and to go straight to h*#! Let them stew in their own juices for once." about Gvieve's letter from Burdines/FACS it seemed venomous to me. Burdines/FACS has done right by me, finally, so I felt obligated to speak up. And while it doesn't apply to you, there does seem to be a significant attitude that any attempt to collect a debt by anyone somehow is evil. 0
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: FACS/Burdines I think the letter the OP received came from the CA/sharks, not Burdines.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: FACS/Burdines Please scroll up & read betacredit's post above yours. People do get screwed over by these sharks/CA's and have every right to be angry.
