Williams & Fudge, Lying about date of first contact, Anyone have any experience?

I got a phone call this morning from a debt collector at Williams & Fudge. I got a letter in the mail from them last Friday in reference to a relatively small student loan I had taken out years ago with Citibank. They were offering to settle at 85%.

Up until last week I had never heard a peep from these people. Not via mail, not via phone, not at all.

So when the phone rang and the caller ID showed Williams & Fudge I decided to answer and see what we could do about breaking up the settlement offer into 3 or 4 payments, provided they responded to the DV letter I sent off yesterday.

I asked the lady on the phone about splitting up the settlement into 3 or 4 payments. She said that isn't possible as the amount is due by the 30th or she's sending it back to AIG (not Citibank, are those two companies linked?) with the recommendation to sue.

I told her that's ridiculous considering I hadn't even heard of this company until I got a letter on Friday. She said that the company gives her 1 month from the date the account is placed with her, to collect, or else she has to send it back. She swears she's had the account since the beginning of September. I asked her if she's had the account for over a month already, shouldn't her time be up, like she stated it would be? Then I asked if she's had it so long, why am I just now being contacted.

She flat out called me a liar. She said she mailed a letter on Sept. 16th, which I never got. Then she said that she called at least 10 times already and started rattling off individual dates. I told her I've never received a phone call from Williams & Fudge. I asked if they call from blocked numbers, because I do not answer calls from blocked numbers.

She swore they don't call from blocked numbers and that she's left several messages. She said that I have until the 30th to come up with the funds. I calmly told her that was not possible.

Then she changed her tune and said as long as I keep in touch with her she will "gift" me with another week. Well, how mighty nice. Lol. I told her I was sending a DV letter and that I was NOT refusing to pay. I informed her again that the first contact I've ever had with this company was the letter on Friday. She claimed again that she mailed a letter on Sept. 16th. She told me the letters are in plain looking envelopes and that I may have tossed it out thinking it was a credit card offer.

I informed her that I never, EVER toss my mail without opening it. She got flustered and asked when I could pay. I told her that after I received my DV that I would be happy to set something up and that I would have to speak with my husband as well.

Then she asked for my husbands name. I told her that's irrelevant because he isn't on my Citibank loan. She finally got mad that I was acting so calmly and told me I better contact her this evening or else she'll send my account back to AIG first thing Friday morning with a note that I am refusing to pay, uncooperative, and should be sued.

I kept my calm and told her if she felt she needed to do that, then fine. But I reinforced AGAIN, that I was not refusing to pay. After I said that she hung up on me.

So, I wanted to see if her claims about leaving me voicemails were true....

Thankfully, Comcast stores my voicemails online. I just went through every last one, listening for a message from them. Not a single message.

My question is this.... I sent out my DV letter yesterday. But can they claim that they sent me a letter on 9/16 when I know I didn't receive it? Because if they can, then my 30 days to dispute were already up by the middle of this month. Long before I was truly contacted by them.

I just want to make sure they can't go to AIG, Citibank, or a Judge and say "We sent it on the 16th... must have got lost in the mail... her 30 days to send in a DV were up by the middle of October and we didn't get the DV until the end.."

Anyone else ever deal with them or have any advice?