Not being able to prove that the bill is yours
Complaint
kim
Country: United States
I got a letter from the "Wonderful" company, stating that I owed the 50.54. I do not owe this amount. They state that it is a bill from BMG Music Services. I have NEVER had an account with this company. When I call in to let then know that I have never had an account they right away want me to give them my informaiton. They want my address and phone #. Why should I have to give them this information. The best part is when this bill was accured I had a different last name and I lived at a differnet address. So How is it they have now found me, But yet they want me to tell them all my personal info. Come on something needs to be done..
Comments
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/kJLPa8aTMACw2gjMKGPMkg
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/PZzRKact9wBMZgjLdWEHww
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/HR0hVY545ADPzAjLNM3RGw
Your complaint is consistent with most complaints against NRA related to alleged BMG accounts on this site. The fact that your name was different at the time the account was originally opened proves they have the wrong person, but the many similar complaints indicate they are fishing for any sucker they can con.
This company has numerous complaints indicating that they are sending "collection letters" on small BMG accounts to people who do not owe the debts. They appear to be billing anyone they can locate with a similar name, and even negligently posting trivial "collection accounts" to the credit reports of the wrong consumers, damaging their scores.
Paying even a small bad debt you do not owe may result in credit damage, increased borrowing costs or closed credit accounts, or problems financing a car or home.
Send them a letter disputing the debt as not your account, and demanding that they obtain and send proof that you owe it from the original creditor. Send that letter certified return receipt requested.
Check your credit reports, and dispute any erroneous accounts you find there through the credit reporting agencies. You may also find erroneous addresses you never lived at added with the erroneous accounts. Dispute those, too.
If you run into any problems, they fail to respond, or they respond with fabricated "documentation", file a complaint with the FTC and contact your state Attorney General for assistance.
You might need to find an attorney with experience in FDCPA or FCRA litigation to force them to remove erroneous reported information. Both laws allow courts to award attorneys fees should you win, so look for one who will take the case on contingency.
The level of complaints of credit damage related to bogus music club accounts indicates a reckless and negligent disregard for avoiding erroneous credit damage. A responsible company would employ reasonable care to ensure they don't report erroneous negative credit information, consistent with the damage they might do, not the amount of the alleged debt.
It sounds like it isn't even your account, and there are MANY complaints against NRA for pursuing music club accounts against the wrong person, including complaints that they routinely post these erroneous small amounts to credit reports. This implies a pattern of intentionally reckless and negligent skip-tracing and collection tactics aimed at using their up-front posted negative tradeline to force payments not even due.
Although they might have somehow mixed you up with some other person with a bankruptcy (presumably with a similar name), since they are using credit reporting as part of their apparently intentional practice of billing wrongly identified consumers, "correcting" their entry to also show "IIB" to match your credit files (when neither they or the music club would have had no notice of your bankruptcy) would be consistent with using their "error" for the purpose of forcing payment even on a discharged debt.
The pattern visible in their many complaints is that they consistently place negative information on credit reports for erroneously identified consumers in connection with small "music club" accounts.
Check with your bankruptcy attorney on how to handle this. Make sure the account was NOT included in your bankruptcy, perhaps swept up from appearing on a credit report. Many bankruptcy attorneys also deal with other consumer debt problems, including harassing, abusive, or deceptive collection, or erroneous credit reporting.
If it was not included in your bankruptcy, and it is not your account, then you would dispute through Experian. Send your letter to Experian certified return receipt requested. Dispute as NOT YOUR ACCOUNT. Do NOT do this on-line. You are building a paper trail you may need to use in court.
If NRA "verifies" in error, then they may be held liable under FCRA for their erroneous reporting. "Fixing" the account to look like one of your other IIB accounts does not make it accurate if it is not yours.
Been in the telecom industry, I can tell you spoofing is illegal, you can always use other resources to follow thru. You may want to contact The US attorney general, the FCC as well as the FTC. Also if this is interstate you can actually contact the FBI.
Based on the law, they cannot contact you at your place of business. They are only legally able to contact you at your home; you can also send a stop and desist letter via certified mail.
Record their conversation, when you speak to them if you do, many of them have no clue of the law and make drastic mistake threatening people. They can't make any statements in which they can destroy your credit, call your family, call your work and or tell everybody that you have debts and you do not pay, this is protected by the law. IN this case now you have the upper hand, as now they open the door for a lawsuit, almost any attorney will take this type of cases on contingency. Is an infringement of your rights and punish by law. This people use scare tactics to scare people and even collect many times the same debts that have been paid previously.
The reality nothing that they can do, if you do not or can't pay, they must take you to court and get a judgment against you, then they need to be able to collect.
You want to get even, call then day in and day out, to their numbers use redial, and have anybody that you know do the same, do it day in and day out, that will shut down their PBX system, if they do it to you do it to them.
Yes annoying, but effective if hundreds of people do the same and saturate their phone lines.
Remember their 800 are free to you, they pay for it, call put them on hold and have your friend do the same, do this every day as much as you can. IF they have the right to harass you, you have the right to do the same to them. They called you first! Block your number if that makes you feel more comfortable. You are not subject to the same laws , do not talk to them, that is what they want, if you call back and talk to them they are verifying that you are acknowledging the debt regardless of the purpose of the call as they will not believe you are not the right person.
Here are some of the biggest scan bags in the industry, and believe me they are all scan bags at the end. They count on you to be afraid of them.
RGS Financial
http://www.rgsfinancial.com/
P.O. Box 852039
Richardson, TX 75085-2039
RGS Financial, Inc.
1700 Jay-Ell Drive
Suite 200
Richardson, TX 75081
Call their 800 numbers is free to you but not to them.
They use many spoof numbers if any, as many times they use no caller ID on purpose but they leave you a number to call. Always keep the recording particularly if they are menacing and report does to your police local department as now you have a legal record.
Spoof Number used: 1310-953-3485
Viking Collection Service, Inc.
Minnesota
7500 Office Ridge Circle, Suite 100
Eden Prairie, MN 55344Arizona
2075 West Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite 110
Phoenix, Arizona 85027 Spoof number use caller id Block. One of their numbers is 1800-287-5802
Primary Financial Services also uses Collection agency services to mask there illegal practices (http://www.collectionagencyservices.net/)
http://www.primaryfinancial.com/ (Their web site is been down for long time to be able to cover their illegal practices)
3115 N 3rd Ave Ste 112
Phoenix, AZ 85013
(602) 279-1000
1800-661-0086
If you want to negotiate a settlement call your original lender directly, do not negotiate with this scan bags, they are on commissions or percentages based. Many banks and lender will negotiate up to 80 % of the debts, make sure they do not report it to the IRS if not they can make you pay the taxes on the remaining amount, and make sure they clean your credit, get it in writing first.
Don't get mad get even.
People which do block the caller ID and or use Spoof numbers always have something to hide, that is the only reason they will use a Spoof number (Fake number / Voip Number / Or PBX number whit no actual connection only rings and then dies) Report them to the Authorities, this business practices are illegal and punish by law: if they use spoof numbers, Obscene and rude language, threats, harassment, all this are felonies and punish by law. Report them to your Local Telecom provider, your local District attorney, the local police department, your local senator, record the conversation and keep any and all voice mail left, don't be afraid, they can do absolutely nothing to you till they take you to court if you owe them any money, is futile to argue with ignorant people.
THIS IS AMERICA,