I don't exist but the debt does

[Anonymous]

This is just strange. I've got a mortgage lined up and the bank is asking that I clean up the one open collection on my account before the deal can close. The credit report they ran says I owe $318 to AllianceOne, and the report gives the address and phone of their medical claims collection office in Indiana. There was no account # attached to the reported claim. I sent a certified PFD to the address provided and the letter was received, but signed for with a squiggle; not even the attempt at a signature. I've received no response in a month. The phone # always has a message saying the office is closed right now, no matter what time of day I call. When I then tracked down a different AllianceOne phone #, and got bounced around in their system, I finally ended up with a human being who looked me up and discovered that I don't exist in their database. So the agencies have a collection report from AllianceOne in my name; AllianceOne (at least the office I spoke with) has no record of such a claim. What the heck do I do now? The bank can't close on the mortgage with an open collection!

[Anonymous]

Get a letter from AllianceOne confirming you aren't in their system. If the CSR you spoke to had a half-ounce of sense in your head, she would have offered to send one out.
Other than that, if they've received the DV and haven't responded, you can try disputing it online and/or getting your mortgage guy to sit on a speakerphone convo while you make the call again, so they have confirmation that you have no debts in their system.

[Anonymous]

I did ask for an e-mail or letter confirming I wasn't in the system, but was told they don't and won't do that.

[Anonymous]

bullshti. Call this number for AllianceOne: 877-768-8249.

And if they truly won't send documentation, then you have no choice but to sit on speakerphone w/ your lender & let them listen to that load of crap themselves.

AND, if they don't respond to your DV and continue to report, then you can start tallying up your fines.

[Anonymous]

OK -- I guess just writing about the problem was enough to change the karma. I called the original # one more time and it was actually answered (this was the 8th call I'd made to the #). I was handed on to a collections agent who found my file and agreed to do a PFD. She offered to send a letter to that effect and then offered to fax it, if that would help. So, I've provided the funds and they'll delete tomorrow. It took forever to get a human being to respond, but when she did, she was remarkably helpful.

Again, I'm grateful to this board. I had no idea such things as PFDs were possible before coming here.