request payment invoice after 15 years???

[craneman]

What is the name of your state? Michigan

I received last february a letter from a collection agency requesting me to pay 106.64$ to Charter communication for service in 1991!!! That was the first attempt to contact me. I am not difficult to track down because I do not move very often. I always pay ALL my bills and do not remember any unpaid bill from 15 years ago (who will???). I contact Charter communications. They first told me the bill was for unpaid service in 2003 for a address I was not living at. After further research, they told me that was a bill for service in 1991 for the same adress (which I lived at the time). I am furious about this attempt. Charter Communications want me to write a letter to the collection agency to ask proof about thid unpaid bill. Well, everybody can produce me a bill from 15 years ago and call it good?? Like I ALREADY SAID I ALWAYS PAY EVERY BILL ON TIME. What do I need to do? Do i need to write a letter to this agency? Can they damage my credit score? Can I ignore these letters? Thanks for your professional advice

 

[tromba1]

Whether or not you actually owe the money is irrelevant. The statute of limitations has long expired.

WRITE them a letter with 4 simple statements.

1. You do not owe this money.
2. The statute of limitations has expired.
3. If you are ever contacted again, you will consider the contact as harassment and will seek relief under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.
4. You will seek legal remedies should your credit record be damaged in any way.

 

[craneman]

thanks tromba1

Dear, dear Tromba1,

thank you so much for your quick and informative reply. I will send them a letter tomorrow following your advice. I can't thank you enough.

craneman

Whether or not you actually owe the money is irrelevant. The statute of limitations has long expired.

WRITE them a letter with 4 simple statements.

1. You do not owe this money.
2. The statute of limitations has expired.
3. If you are ever contacted again, you will consider the contact as harassment and will seek relief under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.
4. You will seek legal remedies should your credit record be damaged in any way.

 

[Ladynred]

Make sure you send that letter CERTIFIED, Return Reciept requested so you have PROOF that it was recieved and when. Keep copies of everything, you never know when you may need it again.

 

[justalayman]

Whether or not you actually owe the money is irrelevant. The statute of limitations has long expired.

WRITE them a letter with 4 simple statements.

1. You do not owe this money.
2. The statute of limitations has expired.
3. If you are ever contacted again, you will consider the contact as harassment and will seek relief under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.
4. You will seek legal remedies should your credit record be damaged in any way.

There is a little problem with this advice. Read many of the other posts (especially debtcollector's posts) The SOL can be used as an affirmative defense to a debt but it does not preclude a debtor from legally suing for the debt.

 

[Ladynred]

The DEBTOR can sue all he/she wants

While the SOL is not a bar to collection activiites, or a lawsuit, for something this OLD it has to be a real bottom-feeding collection agency who bought the debt for 10 cents ! Chances are pretty good that a cease and desist letter will make them take a hike.

 

[justalayman]

The DEBTOR can sue all he/she wants

While the SOL is not a bar to collection activiites, or a lawsuit, for something this OLD it has to be a real bottom-feeding collection agency who bought the debt for 10 cents ! Chances are pretty good that a cease and desist letter will make them take a hike.

Granted and I agree that they probably won't sue and should not win but they can continue to try to collect, contrary to what many people believe.

The fact is, unless the debt is disputed, it is accepted as a valid debt. The debt can and will continue to be reported on their CR (legally) until it is statutorily required to be dropped, in contrast to tromba1's post.

The OP should take the steps to dispute the debt and then require it to be removed from their CR. If they don't, they face the challenge of being harassed until the cows come home. This way they don't face those "little surprises" when they apply for a mortgage or other loan.

And the way the world is, there are plenty of those "bottom feeders" "carping" around.

 

[Ladynred]

The debt can and will continue to be reported on their CR (legally) until it is statutorily required to be dropped,

There is absolutely NO WAY that a 15 year old debt should be on the OP's reports and if it IS on there I'd be heading for a lawyers office to sue them for it. No collection can outlive the obsolescence of the ORIGINAL debt. If this old debt has been put on the OP's reports then it has been illegally re-aged and I'd have their butts in a sling for it.