CO from GECRB Paylpalsmartconnect

apoplex2 · ‎02-17-2013

So my only baddie is this CO from GECRB Paypal Smartconnect. I posted about this a few months ago. This was the incident that made me check my credit report for the first time. Back in December 2011 somebody from Leading Edge Recovery called me at work on my work phone and said I owed paypal smartconnect 364 Dollars. I was completely not aware of owing any money to them (nor was I sure I had an account with them) and that was the first I heard of it. Since he threatened to hurt my credit report if I didn't pay it, I paid him on the spot and he promised to mail me the receipt and the paperwork what those 364 Dollars were for (fees ? I only ever spent 110 USD on paypall smartconnect back in 2009 that I'm aware off now, and I'm sure I paid that because I pretty much always PIF). Since that day I found out that they put this as charge-off in my credit report and of course I never received anything ever in the mail confirming I made the payment nor what the money was for. I made tons and tons of phone calls about this last year and sent many letters. Not a single reply in writing. A woman from [email protected] called me and in no friendly terms explained to me that I was a bad boy and they need to report this.

This is of course also my fault because I didn't check on the account in 2011 or never wondered why I wasn't getting any statements (I really didn't even pay any thought that I had this kind of account), so it got this far, however I also feel that they could have reached me many months before that. I bet Leading Edge found me the first day they looked at the file. Also I still feel I was scammed and paid 364 dollars for something I didn't owe, but without statements hard to say. It took me several months to even reconstruct my full account number because noone from GECRB would tell me initially. I want this issue addressed and put to rest, but I do not know where to go from here.

Because they are not talking to me about any of this, I disputed this twice with the CRAs, but it just stays as correct.....

What would be the most effective next step ? Can I compel them to give me information on what the 364 dollars were for and were the statements went ? The man from leading edge claimed that he is 100% sure I got my statements mailed every month, but I don't lose mail. period.

Anonymous · ‎02-17-2013

It is a huge violation for them to threaten you with hurting your credit score. If you tell them your employer does not allow calls at work they cannot call you.

Is this CA, Leading Edge, on your CR? Do you have proof you paid them?

apoplex2 · ‎02-17-2013

No, they never reported on my CR, only the OC GECRB is on there. LERS called me only once and I paid immediately because I didn't want to hurt my credit obviously. I never had a collection or anything like that in my life before, so I didn't think about not paying them right away. It is listed as paid CO for Dec/2011 in my CR by the OC, and once I was able to reconstruct my account number I was able to confirm with GECRB on the phone that I don't owe anything.

After the call nobody ever contacted me again, neither by phone or writing, so my only proof that I paid them is my bank statement.

Anonymous · ‎02-17-2013

CAs don't mail statements. If you got one it would have come from the OC.

As for the $364 it probably included interest and fees the CA added on.

For getting it removed, now that it is paid, all you can do is send the OC GW letters asking for deletion.

apoplex2 · ‎02-17-2013

GECRB is not wanting to be helpful, but I'll keep trying. But LERS represented itself as law firm representing GECRB not as collection agency and they promised to send statements and that my credit would not be hurt if I pay right away. I'm not trying to say here they lied, so this must be a mistake they can still fix.

The "attorney" speaking to me gave me an invalid extension and I have no luck getting connected to him. Usually when I get transferred to him I just get hung up on after a while, but he never picks up the phone.

Anonymous · ‎02-17-2013

I guess I am being dense today because I still don't know what mistake you are talking about.

apoplex2 · ‎02-17-2013

Well I see what you are saying, I got duped. The mistake I'm pointing out is that they promised that my credit wouldn't be hurt if I paid right away, but then hurt it anyway by putting a CO into my CR. And they haven't corrected it yet. I normally don't get lied to much, so I always give the benefit of doubt that there was a mistake before accusing someone of being dishonest.

Anonymous · ‎02-17-2013

It was the CA that lied to you. About their reporting. They cannot say what the OC will or won't do.

Try writing a letter to the CEO of the OC and explain everything that happened, including how they threatened you at work and what was promised. There are OCs out there they do not like to hear that the CA they assigned a debt to is so blatantly dishonest and deceitful.

It would be worth a try at least.

apoplex2 · ‎02-17-2013

Thanks will try. In all my GW letters to GECRB I have not been making any excuses and just squarely blamed myself. I worked the LERS thread separately with them. I guess I'll make a new GW including the LERS collection details.

Thanks !!

apoplex2 · ‎02-19-2013

The written letters no response yet. The ones I emailed all resulted in me getting called to tell me that they are "legally required to report any negative information". Now I cannot understand how it is not illegal then to do PFD agreements, which according to this forum has been done by GECRB. In fact it seems even more illegal to me to make PFD agreements for some customers and to punish others like me who paid instantly the first time they heard that they owed money.

@apoplex2 wrote:
Thanks will try. In all my GW letters to GECRB I have not been making any excuses and just squarely blamed myself. I worked the LERS thread separately with them. I guess I'll make a new GW including the LERS collection details.

Thanks !!