Hi all
Thanks to all of you who responded to my last post 'don't know what to do-need help'.
Here's an update of sorts and I'm so confused.
So I am reading like crazy and googled the heck out of every matter of this subject, read a lot of past pages on these (and other) message boards and have finally made a decision.
My decision is I would call Amex one last time and try to get them to take my $16,000.
If they would not take it or continue to claim (like they did the last 3 x I called) that they can't get the debt back from the CA or that they are no longer handling the account, then I would call the CA (United Recover Systems, google them, it's scary), and tell them I will pay in full for delete or to not report. The first corespondence came from them on May 12th, so not even 30 days ago.
I'm thinking this might be the best way to keep my credit rating in good standing.
So I call Amex and the lady wouldn't even transfer me to anyone else, she just kept telling me over and over "I understand how you are feeling but there is nothing we can do, once this company is handling the account we cannot get it back". She did recommend to me that I call the CA and ask them if I could pay Amex myself. I felt this was very odd.
So my next step was to call the CA.
Oh, something I probably did not mention in my first post and something that may have some significance. The first phone contact with CA the gentleman (and I use that word losely) told me that if I paid the account in full that Amex would reopen the account and give me a credit line of $8000, isn't that generous of them to offer to do that?", etc. That conversation was so confusing to me because I didn't know who he was or why he was calling, and I don't remember a lot of what he said to me.
So today I call the CA after getting off the phone with the OC. I told him I would pay the account in full in return for them either not reporting or deleting any mention if it had been reported. He put me on hold right away and I imagined that while I was on hold he was ringing a bell in the room and dancing around and saying 'we have a live one here people!!!'. Then he got back and the phone and appologized for having to put me on hold, then asked me what I needed again? So I repeated myself and he told me that they do not report to the Credit agencies, that American Express would do that and he had no control over what they did. So I said something to him about how that didn't make any sense to me and he said 'hang on, let me get my supervisor'. I have talked to his 'supervisor' before and she was a witch, I would like to take one of these houses I can't sell and throw it on her. And her little dog too.
So I was on hold for about 2 minutes and I decided to hang up. They have since called me 6x and don't I love that 'ignore' button on my cell phone.
I started thinking maybe they really don't own the debt?? Maybe they were just hired to collect for Amex?? So I'm going with one of my other plans of action. I have paperless statements so I don't have a statement from Amex. Our stock check will clear tomorrow a.m. I'm going to write the check out to Amex, print the statement online and fed ex the check to Amex directly. Then when the check is cashed I have proof that they cashed the check. I will write paid in full in the memo secion of the check with my account number. If they sign the check over to the CA I will hopefully be able to tell.
Maybe my credit is saved??
If later I find on my credit report that the CA did report could I then ask them to validate the debt and when they can't then can I try to get it removed from my report. Because by this time it will be paid off.
If any of you have any insight or advice I could sure use it! My mind has turned to mashed potatoes, I just can't even think straight!!
Thanks!!
Leigh