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 Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:19 am Subject: What a Nasty Letter for a $16.96 Debt! |
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A collection agency tried to collect a $16.96 debt with an letter that addressed its recipient with a four-letter word for excrement. "Dear S---," began the letter attempting to collect from an old record club membership. The word was spelled out in the letter, which arrived in an envelope addressed to "S--- Face."
"I've never seen anything quite so brazen," said attorney Kenneth Hiller.
He said his client plans to sue Nationwide Collections Inc. of Fort Pierce, Fla., next week.
Under U.S. law, debt collectors are not allowed to use profanity to collect a debt, Hiller said, nor are they supposed to threaten legal action over such a small amount.
Nationwide President Phillip McGarvey said the October 2007 letter was automatically generated after his company bought about 350,000 Columbia House accounts. "S--- Face" is the name under which the account was opened and the way the coupon to start the club was filled out, he said.
Hiller's client has signed an affidavit saying he never signed up for the music club membership under that name.
"It looks bad to the observer who is not familiar with the industry," acknowledged McGarvey, "but anybody who understands the volume would understand how this could happen. ...You've also got people filling in famous people's names."
apnews.myway.com/article/20080202/D8UHVJ300.html
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:36 am Subject: |
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Up until now I thought I had heard it all. Amazing!
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frogpatch
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| Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:52 am Subject: |
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Un-freaking-believable!!!
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Tellin' you all the zomby troof
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unclewulf
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Shazzers
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:58 am Subject: What? |
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While I'm amazed a letter went out like that, regardless whether from the CA or the OC, part of me finds it slightly amusing. I'd probably get a chuckle if a letter came to my home addressed to "S--- Face."
I could write on it "not at this address", returning it to the sender secure in the knowledge it really wasn't meant for me. Probably the previous occupant.
The funny thing is, the part about the coupon used to start the membership came filled out that way sure doesn't fly with me. Someone would have had to manually enter the information into their system and most software would/should screen out profanities, not letting them enter that as a name. Not to mention the person entering the information should have exercised "common sense", realizing it was a bogus name.
Geeez!
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FloridaRon
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 7:57 am Subject: |
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What a poor excuse by Mr. McGarvey! Does anyone in his company read english...especially profanity??? Come on you deserved to be sued....for stupidity alone!
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laura19544
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| Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:17 am Subject: Yikes! |
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OK, if it was the same record company I belong to? I hate to say it but probably no one there can read english. I heard they outsource a lot of its customer service type functions overseas.
And no, I'm not trying to be politically incorrect. I'm talking from personal experience. I did call their CS line once and got a "Fred" on the line that couldn't understand me, and I couldn't understand him. I am usually really good at understanding heavy accents, but had zero success that time.
That was a fun conversation, let me tell you.
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FloridaRon
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