Need Help! Paid Off a debt collector. New company now has s

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/20/2010 - 16:01
Forums
Credit repair

I am hoping someone can help me here.

I had a Bally Total Fitness account I stopped paying. I settled on a $1478.35 default for $500.00 with some company called SEARAY PORTFOLIO MANAGERS, located in Buffalo, NY.

This was back in September.

I just received a letter in the mail from NATIONAL CREDIT ADJUSTERS, located in Hutchinson, KS. It states that I now owe them $1478.35.

The only proof I have that I paid the $500.00 is my bank statement. The SEARAY company never sent me a receipt for debt paid off.

I need help with wording a letter to NATIONAL CREDIT ADJUSTERS stating the account has already been paid off. And that it is their fault for buying an account which has already been PAID.

Any help will be greatly appreciated...

Thanks,
Kevin

fireyone

Hello and welcome,
This is a dirty collector tactic have seen over and over, they collect the money and then resell the debt. I always try to tell everyone to get the arrangement in writing before paying the debt. By any chance did you make out a check? If it is on your bank statement does this mean you paid through your bank or sent the money after withdrawing it from your account? Let us know how you sent the payment, money order, check however. You can also contact your atty general and inform him of the situation and he or she will call both places and get to the bottom. Oh and did you call the first collector and ask that they could send you proof?

Thu, 01/21/2010 - 00:11 Permalink
Aaron (not verified)

Hi Hobbskc,

This is a common problem which the collectors create to collect money from customers. There are ways to get out of such problems. It’s possible to stop bill collection efforts using your Statute Of Limitations for enforcing debts. Most debts expire after 4 – 6 years. You can check the SOL of your state. If according to your state, SOL has expired you are not entitled to pay to the company; though this may negatively affect your credit score. Regarding the non – payment of the debt you can send a Cease and Desist letter to the concerned company. They won’t be able to sue you in return.

And if the SOL hasn’t expired, tell the concerned company that you want all future correspondence in writing before paying. You need to send this request via certified mail and request a return receipt. Once you have their claims in writing it’s easier to seek legal help and keep records of your correspondence.

Thanks,

Aaron

Thu, 01/21/2010 - 12:15 Permalink
cinnamngrl

You need to have some kind of agreement with the original company to prove that your are not liable for the debt. Send the new collector a DV letter.

How did you make payment to first CA? Ask your bank for some a record of the payment. this should be available even if it was ACH.

I would contact the NY Attorney General and explain the situation. send the record from the bank and explain that you settled the debt and now a new CA wants your money.

In mass, there are special laws about health club memberships and the amount they can collect. do some research about this.

Fri, 01/22/2010 - 11:13 Permalink
Dummy (not verified)

I have been trying to find a contact number for this company as they have been taking out $150 a month from our bank account for two years. My husband made this arrangement but failed to get a contact number. We are going to stop the arrangement with our bank and see how long it takes them to contact us.

Tue, 03/02/2010 - 15:23 Permalink
Aaron

Hi Raindropz and Dummy,

The address and the contact information depends on the state you live in. However, the address and contact information for sea ray that I got is:

4609A Kellogg Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45226
(513) 871-5555

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Aaron.

Wed, 03/03/2010 - 04:52 Permalink