B2B Collections

[Crispix]

What is the name of your state?This isn't a consumer issue, but seems like the best place to post:

I am a California LLC. We disputed an invoice from a predatory glass repair company three years ago following a break-in. (The police sent them over at the time. They claimed the building owner was responsible for the grossly inflated repair costs. We're just tenants.) They hired a collection agency but eventually gave up trying to collect. The amount they claimed is due is ~$1k.

Now, exactly three years later, I have received a 30-day letter from another collections agency for the alleged debt.

I sent the new collections agency a request for validation of the alleged debt and a copy of the agreement between them and the glass company. They have sent me copies of the originally-disputed invoice but have not provided any copies of the agreement between them and the glass company.

While I still dispute the amount due, I am willing to settle the claim, ideally for a lesser amount. There is more to the story here, but suffice it to say that I now agree that any payment due to this glass company is our responsibility and not the building owner's.

My questions . . . advice, please:

1. How do I tell if the Collections Agency has been contracted by the glass shop, or if this is just some old debt that they have purchased? If it's the latter, I'm not willing to pay. Our D&B rating is strong, and I'll just ignore them unless they really represent the glass company. I don't believe anything they say on the phone, and they have not sent proof.

2. Assuming the glass company is indeed behind all this, I'd like to negotiate a lessor amount if it will end this. Can I just sent the collections agency a check for, say, half and put on the check "cashing this check consistutes payment in full for any and all claims"? I'm guessing that's not the right way to go about it. What is?

3. My other option is to continue to ignore these letters and wait for the SOL in one more year. I don't see any downside other than being sued. In that case it will most likely be small claims court, and I'd be happy to present my case. If we lose, we pay. Am I missing anything here? Anything other than small claims court is very unlikely, right?

Based on my previous experiences, I think small claims could go either way -- this glass repair shop is predatory, but we may indeed owe some amount.

Thanks!