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Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

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lovinmyfico
Contributor

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

Hi Witanga:

 

Can you please pm me the GW letter you sent and to whom? 

 

I have an old paid collection from 2007 which was paid in 2009.  I tried a GW letter to no avail a year after it was paid.  This is the only thing that is affecting my scores at the moment.  It is due to fall off in 5/2012 (NYC paid collection falls off after 5 years), but I would really like to see this off my reports asap.   

 

Thank you.

Message 21 of 111
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

I was contacted about a US Cellular account of 2000  I was told I owe 150.00 

I do not and they can't seem to understand that is not a valid bill or account.

Why are they bothering me?

Message 22 of 111
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

     I received a letter from Portfolio Recovery 6 days ago and have tried since then to contact Legal Aid here in my city. They finally called me today and told me I would lose my paid for house. They said I shhould sell it and go into an old folks home with my 3 dogs and cat. HUH?  I am not ready to do that. I am so worried and I have 20 days to respont. I am disabled and scared.

 

Message 23 of 111
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

This is my experience with PRA in 2008:

 

- I get letter from them.  I DV them.

- They send a second dunning, no validation.  I send second DV

- They send a piece of paper that is not validation.  The calls to my cell phone start.

- I send them another letter notifying them of failure to DV, debt is still in dispute, and not to call my cell.

- USPS online tells me of date and time they received.  They increase the number of calls a day.

- They send me a letter asking me for more information (statements, cancelled checks)

- Their calls are fast approaching the 10 calls/day max.

- I compose and Intent to Sue letter, complete with ready to file Federal civil suit naming them as plaintiffs.  My request for relief: $1000 for violating FDCPA, $350 for federal filing fees, and $67500 for TCPA violations (45 calls * $1500/calls).

- Letter received.  Calls stop.

- Three days later, their counsel offers to reduce debt by 1/2.

- Next day, I counter with them paying me $20000, complete removal of OC TL and their TL.

- Did not hear from them.  I file suit.

- Their counsel calls me.  Elderly-sounding lawyer (who I found out later has a J.D. from Yale) calls me an extortionist.  I repeat my offer.

- They mail me settlement: what I last offered, except for their payment of only $10375.

- I accept and drop suit.  OC TL and their TL drop off 25 days later.

 

Any questions?

Message 24 of 111
CreditCrusader
Valued Contributor

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

The feedback to follow represents the opinions of one FicoForums member only, so take them for what they're worth:

 

Portfolio Recovery Associates = Bottom-feeding parasites

 

These 3rd party collectors live to buy out-of-SOL debt for pennies on the dollar...then scare consumers into paying for debts they no longer legally owe.

 

How do I know this? I worked for 3 years for a worldwide telecom/wireless provider who sold countless out-of-SOL accounts to these scumbags. We routinely received calls from honked off customers threatening to close their telecom accounts if we didn't recall the account. Unfortunately, we had long since purged any evidence of the account's existence years prior save the name and last known address of the former customer.

 

What does this mean? It means that most of the accounts these people buy can't be validated, and therefore shouldn't be paid or even discussed lest you restart the SOL on the account. The best way to handle them is to send a CEASE COMMUNICATIONS letter (There is no "Cease and Desist" letter where collection law is concerned. Proper verbiage when dealing with 3rd party collectors and FDCPA issues is crucial) and simultaneous demand for them to validate the debt. When they can't, away the account disappears into the night.

 

Now, should these people somehow get hold of a valid debt (and be able to validate it legally), that is another story. However, my sources within our credit department at the telecom advised me that PRA handles such accounts in rare instances. They make their bones buying up old debt and scaring old customers into paying debts no longer legally owed.

 

Again, just one person's opinion based on experience...

In my wallet: Apple $5,000, local CU $15,000, Bread AMEX $5,000. In my sock drawer: A few other cards Smiley Happy

Current scores (EQ, EX, TU): 787, 788, 796
Message 25 of 111
92SelfMade
Contributor

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

they also ran my cr soft probably cause its locked and i called them and they told me ithey were collection on a debt from  93 for a ccc account for 2000 I told them I waws 1 year old then told them good luck and to stop calling and running my cr I was 1

Message 26 of 111
dam1120
New Member

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

Please explain what DV means. Also where do I get a copy of a great Desist letter and where can I find a copy of a intent to sue with correct verbiage? I need help my 2 debts they are stalking me about were from the 90's yet they still come after me and put them on my credit report.

Thank you very much for the help.

Message 27 of 111
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

This is a letter I sent to PRA
they are trying to collecton on the unpaid portion of the debt plus interest and finders fees and all sorts of stuff
but I already settled this one with the credit card company itself.

that was 8 years ago....here is the letter I sent them



Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC.
120 Corprate Boulevard

Norfolk, VA 235414

Your Name
your address
your city, state and zip

Regarding your account number: Your Account Number

I am sending this letter to you in response to a notice I received from you on October 12, 2011. Be advised, this is a notice sent pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g Sec. 809 (b) that your claim is disputed and a validation is requested.

This is NOT a request for “verification” or proof of my mailing address, but a request for VALIDATION.  I respectfully request that your office provide me with competent evidence that I have any legal obligation to pay you.

Please provide me with the following:

  • What the money you say I owe is for;
  • Explain and show me how you calculated what you say I owe;
  • Provide a verification or copy of any judgment if applicable;
  • Identify the original creditor;
  • Prove the Statute of Limitations has not expired 
  • Show me that you are licensed to collect in my state; and
  • Provide me with your license numbers and Registered Agent.

If your offices have reported invalidated information to any of the three major Credit Bureau’s (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion), said action might constitute fraud under both Federal and State Laws. Due to this fact, if any negative mark is found on any of my credit reports by your company or the company that you represent I will not hesitate in bringing legal action against you for the following:

  • Violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act
  • Violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
  • Defamation of Character

If your offices are able to provide the proper documentation as requested, I will require at least 30 days to investigate this information and during such time all collection activity must cease and desist.

Also during this validation period, if any action is taken which could be considered detrimental to any of my credit reports, I will consult with my legal counsel. This includes any information to a credit reporting repository that could be inaccurate or invalidated or verifying an account as accurate when in fact there is no provided proof that it is.

If your offices fail to respond to this validation request within 30 days from the date of your receipt, all references to this account must be deleted and completely removed from my credit file and a copy of such deletion request shall be sent to me immediately. 

This letter shall also show (but not limited to) you, your company, computer generated calls, computer generated letters or any of the third parties that you hire, employ,  or any of  Portfolio Recovery Agency employees or legal agents are NOT to contact me other than written correspondence.

Any violation of this will be considered as harassment and I will have no other recourse then to inform all agencies and the State Attorney General of your actions.

 Any attempt to contact me other than written correspondence will be followed up with my States Attorney General and with any other agency that has jurisdiction over such practices.

All future communications with me MUST be done in writing and sent to the address noted in this letter.

This is an attempt to correct your records, any information obtained shall be used for that purpose.



Your name


I have not heard from these people at all!

Message 28 of 111
dam1120
New Member

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

Wow this is awesome. I will use this to get them off my back also. Thank you for this and all the help I have been getting since joining this forum. Only question is they put it on my credit reports already so will they remove them after getting?

 

Oh do I send this certified return receipt?

Message 29 of 111
Downto0
Regular Contributor

Re: Experience with Portfolio Recovery Associates?

Post by 92selfmade:

 

they also ran my cr soft probably cause its locked

 

I have a JDB making soft pulls on my cr also.  I was taken to court by them and their case was dismissed due to lack of no assignment of the debt.  I think that, in my case, the JDB made the soft pull under account review, instead of collections, because they wanted to silently view my credit report to see if I was possibly in a position to where they could use "extortion" to make me pay a debt that they don't own.  They were checking to see if I had landed a good job, or something similar, and expected that they could inform my employer, by calling for location information, that I was a dead beat debtor.

 

In your case, did they do a pull for account review or for collections?

Message 30 of 111
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