Multiple Collection Agencies for the same account?
Date: Thu, 11/03/2011 - 07:59
We moved twice in the last few years and I received a letter in the mail from a collection agency for a debt that I didn't even know I had. The debt is from AZ and we haven't lived there in over 3yrs and this is the first I've heard about it.
First I received a letter from Progressive Financial saying the original creditor and creditor was from COX Arizona. (Must be from my last bill when I moved. They also have the last four digits of my cox account number on the statement)
Then I got a letter from the Law Office of Joe Pezzuto LLC. And they have the creditor as CACH, LLC and the orginal is METRIS? I've never heard from CACH or METRIS at all. The two letters have different amounts. I also have some company calling from 1-800-377-7789.
I want to pay the debit but I have no idea who actually owns the account.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Call the original creditor and ask them who has the account. W
Call the original creditor and ask them who has the account.
What makes you think these two accounts are the same - if they're 2 different collectors and they have 2 different original creditors listed?
I assumed it was for the same debt, since the letters came a few
I assumed it was for the same debt, since the letters came a few weeks from each other. Both the agencies are from the Phoenix area and the totals are about a $20 difference. I haven't heard from any debt collectors in years and I have no idea what CACH LLC or METRIS is.
I suggest you check with Cox to see who they sold (or assigned)
I suggest you check with Cox to see who they sold (or assigned) your account to.
CACH is a bottom-feeding, well known, junk debt buyer and they are ruthless. I suggest you send them a letter requesting they validate the debt, since you know nothing of it.
Your best option is to talk to the creditor about the debt. If t
Your best option is to talk to the creditor about the debt. If they are able to tell you about the collection agency to whom they had handed over the collections, you can then trace the second collection down the line (if the debt was handed over to another collection agency by the first one) and get to the root of the problem.
Other than this, you can also send debt validation letters to the collection agencies in order to find out which is the agency that actually holds the account. However, you should know that you are required to send the validation letter within 30 days from the first attempt of collections.
As I read your post, I see issues related to who was the orginal
As I read your post, I see issues related to who was the orginal creditor, who now owns the debt, and what role does the current debt collector have.
With regard to the original creditor, the debt collector is only obligated under FDCAP 809(a) to notify you, in their collection (dunning) notice, of the name of party to whom the debt is owed. If it is not the OC, they dont have to identify the OC. If you dont recognize the party identified in their dunning notice, then FDCPA 809(b) provides you the ability to request the name and address of the original creditor as part of your DV request, thus enabling you to identify the origin of the debt. That must be specifically requested in your DV letter.
When the debt collector sends you a dunning notice, it identifies for you, at least at that point in time, whether they own the debt. If they are collecting for another party, they must identify that party.
The owner of the debt has the option of attempting to collect their debt themselves, or employing a debt collector to assist in that attempt. If the owner of the debt was previously only an assigned debt collector, but is now the owner of the debt, you have two potential parties to deal with.
The OC is then totally out of the picture.
DV the current debt collector, and as part of your DV request, include a specific request that they name the original creditor and the party who now owns the debt. Those are both entitlements of FDCPA 809(a) and (b).
The prior reporting by debt collector 1 is separate from that of debt collector 2, and nothing prohibits either or both from reporting their legitimate status and activities to the CRA. What cannot happen is the concurrent reporting of only authorized collection status during the same period. So you need to know the current status of each.