topic Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do? in Rebuilding Your Credit

NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:06:31 GMT

DH's latest CR lists the following

NCO Fin/22

DOLA 12/2005

Largest Past Balance $656

Acct Type OPEN (Not true)

Current balance $1077

120+ past due

They have initiated contact over the phone to both his place of work and his cell phone. We're still well within SOL, what should we do?

We can't find this CA in an earlier report - July 2008 - and he doesn't know what the debt is for.

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:38:44 GMT

bump

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:49:54 GMT

DV- CMRRR

State that all communication is to be in writing.

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:50:40 GMT

IF you don't know what it's for - How can you know it's in SOL?

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:53:24 GMT

If I were you, I would answer their call and tell them that you want all communication in writing and to not contact you at your place of employment nor cell.

Once you receive something from them in the mail, definitely send them a DV letter and then you'll get your answers as to what this is for.

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:54:41 GMT

Because it's listed in DH's last CR with a DOLA of 12/2005 - SOL in CO is 6 yrs. However, he doesn't have any paperwork on his end to know that this debt is in fact his. He doesn't remember what it's for.

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:58:01 GMT

Thanks Maria. He will be telling them that today when they call - they've been religiously calling him everyday. I will get the DV letter ready. I need to send some other GWs tomorrow so one more envelope is not a big deal. The only scary part is that we don't have the money to PIF, so if they sue, I don't know what we'll do.

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:06:33 GMT

Start saving money little by little. I know they can always turn around and sue if you're within the SOL, but look at it this way...if the information they are reporting is correct and does belong to your husband, they haven't done anything about it in almost 3 full years. What are the chances that they will sue and pay legal fees over an account that is approx $1000? By no means am I saying to ignore it because they can do whatever is in their mean, but realistically, I think you may be able to buy some time.

If they do DV the debt, your next option might be to PFD for 50%. See what they say... let some months pass by and if they are still sending you letters, keep writing more PFD letters stating that's all your can afford especially with the economy the way it is and see who budges......

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:08:34 GMT

That's great advice. I'm going to send DV-CMRRR tomorrow with the rest of my GW's.

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

valley_man0505 — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:20:39 GMT

NCO had 3 accounts for me at one time. Two of them are small phone bills that are SOL now and they contacted me once about those about 1.5-2 years ago. Early this year, I decided to start fixing my credit and I saw all 3 NCO accounts on my CR's. I disputed all of them (the balance did not seem correct on the phone bills and I had no idea where third one came from at the time). All 3 were deleted from my CR's, so I made the mistake of assuming my dealings with NCO were done and I never DV'd any of them. Then, 6 months after they were deleted, the sued me for the one I never heard from them about. Ultimately, they ended up getting a judgement against me without even proving the debt even though I showed up for the hearing and told the judge I had no idea what this debt was and that I would have worked with them if they had contacted me before taking me to court.

The moral of the story is don't ignore them. I figured out which account they are collecting for (still don't have proof they are the legal owners, but the judgment kind of ties my hands) and the DOLA on this debt was in 2003. They claimed they bought this debt a couple years ago already. I have no idea why they contacted about the phone bills, but never this account. I never would have known about it at all if I hadn't pulled my reports.

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:44:17 GMT

Well, I agree valley... If we ignore we risk them suing since they are well within the SOL in Colorado (where we live). I'd rather DV and prepare for the fact we might have to figure out a way of paying, settling, paying in installments or something.

However because of the way this debt is showing on the CR, it seems like it's bogus. There isn't an OC that is reporting on it - not a 0 balance, nothing.

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:02:29 GMT

I disagree with answering the phone. I say send the DV and say everything you want to in there so that it is in writing. Use the address listed on the credit report and state in that letter that you only want to be contacted via written communication.

Re: NCO has started calling -- what to do?

Anonymous — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:07:04 GMT

Im gonna go ahead and say BOOOO to talking to NCO on the phone. Get an old answering machine that still uses tapes.

Send them a DV letter and let them know that it is "inconvenient for me to communicate by phone and I am not allowed to have personal calls at work. Please limit all communication to correspondence through the USPS."

That way you aren't telling them you don't want to talk to them but you are limiting them to writing.

Then you can use the answering machine to tape all the messages that they leave you after they aren't supposed to.

Listening to an NCO call on the answering machine can be quite humorous, actually talking to them infuriating.