I am having a dispute with a CPA, who wants to charge me $200 for no useful service. He threatened me to deal via collection agency and affect my credit report. He is going to send me an invoice. I can argue his case in court, as his charge comes without no prior discussion of charges for his services. He pretty much surprised me with his charges saying the services are already done, now you pay $200 for this. I want to stop him to go to collection agency. What should I do? If I reject his invoice with a Certified mail explaining why I dont think the charge is correct, will it hamper his effort to go to collection agency? Is there a time after which the collection agency will accept his case?
120507
Okay there is really nothing you can do except dispute it until to comes into a collection agency. Not accepting the invoice will not help. Get it, and keep it. Document your dispute send him  by sending letters (certified). Also did you sign anything accepting the servies? if so get copies of everything. Keep your cool, he cannot threaten you with action he doesn't intend to take! After he sends you to a collection agency the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) kicks in and there is certain things that must happen. \nthe collection agency must verify that teh debt is good and current.\nAlso You will have a 30 day disputing period from the time the coll agency contacts you to dispute the bill, it must be marked disputed on your credit report by the coll. agency. If he cannot prove it's legitimacy to the coll. agency too. It must be canceled off your credit report and the coll. cannot persue it. a dn tehn hes pretty SOL- you can also take him to court after all this if it is false for deformation of charicter.\n\n-Hope that helps a bit
412152
You clearly have a dispute but the proper avenue to resolve the dispute lies within the Agreement which you agreed to when you signed up for their service.  Did you read the FINE PRINT-most likely where the hidden fees and costs are explained, otherwise, they would not be charging these fees without legal recourse against them.  There may be an "Arbitration" clause which requires any dispute be resolved through arbitration. You'll need to carefully review the terms of the service agreement to which you entered with the company, then make a determination as to whether you must resolve your complaint through arbitration, the legal process to which you may/may not have agreed to.  Otherwise, you may file a complaint in court (jurisdiction is another issue - i.e. the proper place/court in which to file the complaint).  Consult an Attorney who specializes in Contracts and Business Law.  \n\nIn the meantime, yes, I would close the account from which they are charging these fees and costs.  At the very worst, you may end up having to pay these amounts in the future if in fact your agreed to certain terms in the service agreement.\n\nClose the account and request a written copy of the full service agreement. From there you can determine your legal remedies and course of legal action.
40233
You can hire a Collection Agency or go to small claims court.  Before I would do either I would first go to the District Attorney as paying for services and placing a stop payment for those services could carry criminal charges of fraud or possibly depending how the law is written even writing a bad check.  Good Luck as a small business I realize that each sale is extremely important and may in fact be the tool that finances the next job.
621402
No, a computer print out and a time line is not proper validation.\n\nYou need to make a papertrail when you contact the collection agency. When you send them debt validation letters, be sure to send them certified mail return receipt (CMRRR).\n\nI would suggest sending them another letter (CMRRR) and tell them that a computer print out is not validation by any stretch of the imagination. And that you are requesting proper validation. I don't know how many times you have sent letters to them but if you sent at least two, give them 15 days to respond to this letter.\n\nIf they don't respond or if they respond with the same crap, file complaints with the BBB, FTC, your attorney general and their attorney general. Include copies of the letters (yours and theirs) with your FTC and AG complaints.\n\nAlso, check your state laws to see if collection agency's are supposed to be licensed and/or bonded to collect in your state. Then check and see if they are licensed and/or bonded in your state.\n\nI did a search on the credit repair site that I use and found a few library threads, so I think that the collection agency you are dealing with is probably the same...and they aren't known to be licensed alot of the time.\n\nI'm listing the credit repair site, you might do a search on them and see if you come up with anything.
498499
It has been a few years since I worked with an online credit card account.  However, what I remember is this:  The processing is actually done in two steps.  1) The verifying --Verifies that it is a good card, and that the amount of the sale is available in the account, and  2)  Settlement -- Settlement is when the "charge" actually happens.  I actually had to go online and select the transactions for "settlement".  This was because we were not allowed to charge the card until the product shipped.  So, I suggest that there may be a way for you to verify, but not settle.  It may be that you could void the transaction as soon as it was verified.  That part I'm not sure about.  You may also be forced to verify with an amount.  You could use something nominal, say $.50.  Again, you would then need to void the transaction.
529412
You are finding out the trap I've been trying to tell people for years now.....\n\nJust because you pay off a collection account does not mean it will improve your credit score.  All they are required to do is report that the bill is paid, but all information about late payments and charge offs will remain on your report.  You paid the bill but it's still hurting you!  Is that fair?\n\nNote that there are only two ways a negative report can be deleted from your records.\n\n1) The creditor must delete it\n2) The creditor fails to respond to a dispute investigation from the credit bureau.\n\nSo, as Amanda states, you can file a dispute with the credit bureau and HOPE that the creditor doesn't respond back.  But this doesn't happen that often, especially if it's a large collection agency.  They are wise to this game.\n\nAnd once you have paid this bill, you are going to find it extremely difficult to get the collection agent to help you.  But this may be your only way to get this fixed.\n\nSend them a letter and ask them to delete the report.\n\nIn the future, NEVER pay a collection agent unless they agree IN WRITING to delete the negative information from your history.  Don't pay them a dime until they do!
63382
If the credit card company finds that you owe for the services they will charge you any way, even if you dispute it.\n\nYou should be able to cancel your gym membership with a visit to the gym.  Having to send a form back to them after you visit is ridiculous.
308184
Almost all the info you have here is not correct.  Collections agencies do not buy accounts, they work on a contingent basis.\n\nSome of the info is right.  Once the account is assigned to a 3rd party the original creditor does not have the ability to negotiate any longer  \n\nYou must deal with the collection agency.\n\nHere are some hints.\n\nDo not tell the collector that you are trying to buy something on credit (ie a house or car) and you need this to be paid.  This take away your leverage as they now know that you HAVE to pay it and they don't have to take a settlement.\n\nSimply tell them that you are trying to make good on your past mistakes and take care of your responsibilities.\n\nMost agencies will take a settlement offer, start low and they will counter, don't play too much or it will irritate them and then may just say "forget it, pay it all."\n\nGood luck!!
395682
Call the company and explain the situation.  They can often reverse the charge on your account when you correct the situation.  Most places are reasonable.
4067
It would be hard to deal with without a lawyer.  The simplest thing would be to show the proof, document it, and threaten to sue if they collect from you wrongfully.  If they did so after you had given them proof they likely would be liable for much more than the amount taken.  But if that didn't scare them off, you'd still need a lawyer.  You should also make sure the credit reporting agencies haven't acted on the same bad information, and make sure the collection agency hasn't caused your credit to be affected. Ask your lawyer about that -- the collection agency will have to have that cleaned up.\n\nBy the way, I disagree with a previous poster who wrote "Generally if someone takes you to court for some reason and loses, they are required to pay your legal costs." Unless there is a special reason, in the United States the loser does not pay the legal fees of the winning party. (Costs are technically something different than legal fees, and are much much less than legal fees.)
142955
I work for a collection agency.  If they call you, tell them you want to pispute the charges.  They will give you an address.  You have 14days from the day they tell you this to write the letter and for them to recieve it.  They will evaluate the vilidity of your claim.  However, if you claim fraud and you are lying and all the calls made were made by you, you will go to prison for fraud.\nThey can give you a settlement...anywhere from 80% of the original bill to 50% of the original bill, depending on what company you are with.  And they might take payments.  Most do.\nGood luck to you.\nRemember, this will affect your credit and collectors report every 30days to the creit bureaus.
316378
Come on icsowesmemoney!  Answer the darn question and quit preaching about about paying the bill!\n\nIn my opinion it's paid.  He's had his credit trashed for the past 7 years, that's payment enough.\n\nThe answer to your question is to first read the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  It goes into detail of what exactly a credit collection agency can and can't do.\n\nIf you send them a "cease and desist" letter, they must stop ALL communication with you.  If they continue to call or write to you, file a small claims suit against them.  It very easy, and you will collect $1000 plus any damages the judge awards.\n\nIf they sell this debt to someone else, send another letter.  \n\nicsowesmemoney is right on one thing, the creditor can not sue you.  After the SOL runs out, you no longer have a legal obligation to pay the debt.  But they can continue to TRY and collect from you.  \n\nBut you DON'T have to be harrassed into it.  Read the links below.
209437
1. Write a letter POLITELY explaining the situation and that you want them to stop sending emails asking for money.  (If you can find a mailing address, send it certified mail with return receipt, so you can prove they received it)\n\n2. In the letter ask for confirmation IN WRITING that you have $0 account balance and that no further charges will be incurred.  Give them a deadline of between 7-10 days to respond (give the date, e.g. 5/1/06).\n\n3. If you do not get a response, or they refuse to follow your request, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.  They can help mediate this type of dispute.  Bonus: your complaint goes on record for the public.\n\n4. If the BBB doesn't work, write another letter, certified mail again, with another 7-10 day deadline, still polite but more strongly worded.  Communicate what action you will be "forced" to take if you do not get a good resolution in this time frame (complaint to the state or US Attorney General, litigation...)\n\n5. As a last resort, consult a lawyer on what you can sue for in small claims court (some only allow monetary claims and are unable to enforce changes in behavior - or if small claims even has jurisdiction).  Most cities have a legal hotline you can call to find a lawyer who will give you a 1/2 hour consult for a small fee: Cincinnati $10.\n\n6. Monitor your credit report.  You want to know it if they file collection actions against you.\n\nRemember to document all communication with the company (keep copies of letters, a notebook with dates/times of any phone calls about the issue), put your name, address, email address and any account number on all correspondence, above all be polite!  If they are working in good faith to help you, then be a little flexible.  This could be an honest mistake!\n\nGood Luck!  This sort of thing can be tedious and frustrating, but well worth the effort.\n\nlizzy (Winner - v. Family Dental Care Associates, billing dispute 2003-2004).
328258
collection agency will say almost anything to harrass you! unless it's a lawyer telling you this, don't buy it. and why hasn't he paid it anyway?
44337
The first thing I would do, is if you owe the debt, contact the original creditor in writing expressing that you are intrested in resolving the issue and are being harassed by a collection agency...be sure to provide them with who the collection agency is.  If you still owe it, they will work with you.\n\nAs far as stopping the calls, simply ask the agency for their mailing address and send them a certified letter demanding the harassment and phone calls stop and that all communiction should be in writing.  Be sure to log the calls and the times and any threats or harassing they commit.  After they recieve the letter, it is illegal to call you....if they do, file a complaint with a copy of your letter and the certified receipt showing they received it along with your log to the authorities.  Whatever you do, do NOT discuss the debt with them at all!  Simply cut them off politely and say that you need a mailing address and tell them that any future communication should be in writing.  Follow up with the certified letter, and it should stop.  Also, if the collection agency has reported the debt on your credit report, you can remove it by sending a letter to each of the creit reporting agencies denying the accuracy and demanding that the debt be "validated".  This will give the collection agency 30 days to send a copy of the original signed credit agreement as well as a complete payment history.  If they donot do this completely within the 30 days, it must be deleted by law.\n\nGood luck....I hope this helps you.
482755
Yes, I have helped many, many people do this.  First know that the bureau must verify any debt you dispute.  If they can not verify it, it must be deleted.  They have 30 days to do this.\n\nWith 7 years in the credit business, I recommend disputing them all at the same time, as you will likely need to go through several rounds of letters to get what you want done. If something is blatently wrong with your credit report, call the bureau after they write back and refuse to remove it. Go up the food chain until a manager agrees to remove or amend the incorrect info on the spot. Don't buy into their speach about re-disputing it - but make sure you have provided the information necessary by mail already to correct the error. It will not help you to insist on something being removed if you have not provided verificaiton on why.\n\nWhen you mail in the dispute letter, mail in as much information as possible with it. If your verification is a bankruptcy, send in all the pages to your petition and tab the important pages for them to review.\n\nAlso mail in a copy of an electric bill and a copy of your ID to avoid any delays. See the FTC web's site for your specific rights with collectors and debt reporting:\n\nhttp://www.ftc.gov/\n\nIf your problem is directly with the creditors, write to them ONE time. If they do not remove incorrect information, write to your state's attorney general's office and the FTC. This will get you the results you seek if you are in the right.\n\nIf this is a collection agency problem, write to the same people plus the ACA at www.acainternational.org. Collection agencies are generally slime, so know your rights before you call them. See your rights here:\n\nhttp://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit/index.html\n\nIf you have legit items that are bad, dispute them also. If they can not be verified, they must be deleted. It is not your responsibility to prove they are inaccurate, it is the credit bureaus who must demonstrate they are.\n\nHope this helps!
310740
The advice to call the FTC, or your Representative or Senator....please don't waste your time.  What a crappy bit of advice!\n\nNot sure what the insurance company is doing, start by calling them and get info.\n\nBut you did say you have proof the bill was paid, so lets go along that angle.  Paul M is correct, you simply need to read the Fair Debt Collections Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.\n\nFollow my instructions....I've played this game before and it will work for you.\n\nSend a "demand to validate" letter to the collection agency.  Use the sample letter below.  By law, they have 30 days to send you proof that you owe this debt.  That includes contracts, bills, receipts, and everything used to calculate what they claim you owe.  Also include a cease and desist notation in the letter so they stop calling you and bothering you.\n\nSend a letter detailing your dispute to the credit reporting agencies that are listing this debt.  By law, they must investigate this.\n\nIf the collection agent does not validate this debt, send a copy of the VOD to the credit agency, along with another demand to remove the listing.  \n\nIf they still do not remove this listing, you have an excellent small claims suit against both of them for listing unvalidated debts on your credit report.  You can sue them for $1000 each, and you WILL win.  I've done it, it works!\n\nContact me if you need any help or advice.