Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts
That collector lied to you. Collection agencies use that as a negotiating tactic a lot. The only thing is, if they do it too much the credit reporting agencies will stop allowing them to report. So they have to be on top of it. Dunit, if you REALLY want to try this out just dispute the charge with your bank when it comes on, and call the collection agency and give them the exact spiel I gave you last night. It's going to be A LOT of work, but you can still get it done.
As far as permission to record you, it depends on what state you're in. WA, CO, and a dozen others are dual requirement states meaning both parties have to give permission. The way they trick you is by saying all calls are recorded and monitored for training purposes. When you stay on the phone, you've basically given your consent. If you don't want it recorded, hang up.
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I assumed the collection agency had a contract with the complex that wouldn't allow him to remove marks without their permission saying it was truly error.
When he told me to call the complex, he said it all sneaky-like, as if he was giving me some secret advice. I believed him because from his point of view:
I pay the complex directly, they tell the collection agency it was an error, collection agency withdraws bad credit mark, and then collection agency would not get commission. So if he's telling me something that removes his "cut," I'd think he's telling the truth.
I ended up leaving two messages with the complex and my calls were not returned. I still have $197 collection mark on my credit report, but now it has a "disputed" next to it that the collection agency added.
I was kicking around the idea of filing a pro se lawsuit against the complex to get them to respond, but I have no way of proving that I don't owe the debt. The manager who said I wouldn't owe anything when I moved out is probably no longer there, and I have no idea what her name was.