Palisades collection-Consumer complaints and tips to deal with the CA

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My husband & I are also dealing with Palisades. I disputed their charges in May 2005 via certified mail. (In my letter I requested that they provide me with monthly statements showing where the charges were incurred in addition to the original signed contract.) In June 2005, they sent me a letter confirming my request and stated that they have requested these documents from AT&T & it might take up to 90 days for them to recieve that information. In March 2006, we finally receive an April 2001 bill for $162.72 and an Oct 2001 bill for $.25. This doesn't seem to add up to the $569.18 they are claiming that I owe. (Still no signed contract has been provided.) At this point, I'm throwing my hands in the air and contacting an attorney.

By the way, AT&T has been absolutely no help in our situation. It's been hard to get a straight answer from anyone involoved in this whole ordeal. Good luck to everyone out there fighting this same battle.

SS, have you checked the SOL of your state? I'm sure your attorney will definitely look after this issue. Keep us informed.

I've received a notice from Palisades Collection and am in the process of submitting a validation letter. Do I need to send that letter to AT&T or to Palisades?

Request for validation is to be sent to collection agency. Don't forget to make it certified.

I just checked my credit report for the first time in my life and I had no idea what this collection notice was all about. I had AT&T about 4 years ago, and they sent me a bill for 500 dollars for calls I never made. I called them and they told me that it was all taken care of and I cancelled my service with the. So for 4 years I thought it was fine, until today and I found that they gave my account to these people who still claim that I owe 500 dollars for calls I never made! I'm so happy I found this forum, so that I could find the information that I need to fight this and get it taken off of my credit report. These people are nuts!

Who the heck are these people and where are they getting their inaccurate information from? How do you get rid of them?

Just filed online complaints with the Federal Trade Commission. Will now attempt to do same with our state's (PA) Attorney General. Thanks to all who posted here. This is nuts that ATT can conjure up an account, I dispute it and have it removed from my credit report, and now these people turn up out of nowhere and hassle me again. what a waste of time and energy!!!

Are they calling you or they are on your credit report too? You can use the response from credit bureaus that you received when you disputed the item earlier as evidence against them.

hi i recently checked my credit report and it says that i owe u guys money i would like to find out who do i talk 2 pay this collection

Rigo, this is debt consolidation care. You have to contact Pallisade to sort out the problem. Ask for validation. Send your debt validation request through certified mail with return receipt requested. You can also contact the original creditor to know if they can settle the account directly with you.

Update from last post, I wrote a request for validation to Pressler and Pressler. Here's a partial insert:


* * * * * *
I also sent a copy to Palisades. I received both return receipts dated April 10th. Today, April 20 I get a response from Pressler. A typed letter on their letter head. Stating:


(then shows a short statement of what was stated above.)

1)No response yet from Palisades
2)Pressler didnot contact original creditor for a signed contract (or copy of)
3)this letter looks as though they are setting up payment
4)Any suggestions on what my response should be Now?

Next, I'm sending (if I can find my paper work from that year) I had a fraud alert on my report which meant creditors were suppose to call me at the number I attached to the Fraud alert to verify with me if it was me before they do anything else. I also, have a letter from the FTC, when my case went on file with them. Question: the letter Pressler sent is this considered validated. Note: they sent nothing with my signature. Yet, Palisades is on my CR

dont_owe_no, have you posted here earlier? I cannot locate your post. It seems the account was with Palisades initially and then Pressler & Pressler contacted you for the same debt right? Are both of them appearing on your report? You can dispute it, one of them should be removed.

When did you send out the validation letter? If 30 days have been over already, send another letter and give them another 15 days to respond. Then ask credit bureau to remove the item b/c they failed to validate.

yeah posted on March 29th (bottom of page 3) Just that I had first received a letter from pressler and pressler. No that same account went through different collectors before Pallisades got Pressler involved. Pallisades is on my report. Before that it was NCO, I disputed they came off, Everything quiet down for a while then I noticed Pallisades. All claiming same debt. When I make a fuse with CR's they can't validate and it gets removed. Now CR stating Pallisaded verified this debt belongs to me. So I answered to PRessler with a Request for Val (seeing the CRA's gets something, where's my copy?) Anyways, now to step 2. I'm working on it.

palisades are terrible to deal with. does anyone know more about the statute of limitations in Maryland?

I would like all of those individuals that would like to file a class action suit against Palisades Collection Agency for fraudulent claims effecting consumer credit. please contact Tom Messer at email address removed as per forum rules - Mike

justice1872

Statute of limitations in Maryland is 3 years from the date of last payment activity. Lots of complaints against Palisades are filed with the BBB as well the local AG's office.

Check your credit report and confirm when you last paid this account. If you have not made any payment within the 3 years period, the debt is out of the SOL period and you can't be forced to pay it. Send a letter in writing explaining the situation for valid proof.

Great thread. Thanks to all who have contributed thusfar.

I just got my credit reports for the first time in years as a result of major error at one of my Fidelity retirement accounts where a notebook PC got stolen and they bought everyone (1000s of people I'm sure) a free online account at Equifax.

I've got a Palisades amount too for $200 way back in 4/2000, and it has the mysterious "AT T" account number. I have no idea where it came from and I believe it must be false.

If I write them the above letter (thanks Roxette), and file disputes with all three credit agencies, is there anything else I have to do? Has anyone done this with success yet? Roughly how long should I give the process?

Thanks.
Matteo

Hi Matteo

You must write the letter to Palisades asking for the details of the accounts. Also, you can get the item verified by the credit bureau. If this is a legitimate debt, you will get the complete info from either of them or the credit bureau will remove the account from your file.

You have to give at least 30 days to see the effect in your file. Hopefully, you will get positive results after the investigation is done. Also, determine the SOL period after the account comes verified to you. Since the debt took place way back in the year 2000, you might not have made any payment from that period and as a result, the debt might have got out of the SOL period. If this happens, you won't be under any legal requirement to pay the account. You just need to send a letter to the company mentioning the expiry of the SOL period and you will be out of this mess. Let us know how things shape up.

Thanks for the response, John. Ironically, I got a letter in the mail in the afternoon on the day I wrote my first reply above. It was from TransUnion, and they had completed their dispute investigation that I requested. Sadly, they upheld it and stated that Palisades verified that it was my debt item. Two days later (today), I got a similar letter from Equifax basically stating the same thing. So, as far as the credit bureaus go, I think that none of us may get any help from them on this. The only good news is I think I am past the SOL period as you mentioned, and Transunion put a note on the Palisades item that the "estimated date that this item will be removed" will be 3/2007.

I'm beyond the rage point on this now, but I still think this is a huge scam. I'm going to just wait it out since I don't have any plans to buy a house or car in the near future that would require any sort of credit checks anyway. Given all the trouble this has caused, I'd almost pay the monehy to just be rid of it, but I'm not going to because I don't owe that money to anyone! It's wrong and I won't support their scam.

I did some more investigating on the internet and I found several other sites and people who seem to have been affected by a false AT&T Wireless company collection amount thrown at then in the 4/2000 timeframe. I'd post the link to a blogspot here, but I don't want the moderators to get mad at me.

Anyhow, the author of this blog has a pretty good theory. He said that when AT&T wireless was going under and being purchased in early 2000, they needed to divvy up their debt somewhere and they decided to pull the old customer records from years gone by and slap a small amount onto everyone to spread the debt around. This blogspot author owed the same amount I did and it was posted on the same date, 4/2000! I tend to believe his theory, because this would be a good way for AT&T to avoid bankruptcy and to hide all of their debt. If they had sent a letter to me at the time, I probably would have paid, but of course that was not their intent. Otherwise, their scam may have been noticed. I'm trying to remember, but I believe I was a customer of AT&T Wireless from 1992-1994 - most certainly not after 1995 though.

I'm very disappointed that the credit bureaus haven't seen this scam yet since it seems there are a lot of people affected. However, I think this is just one of thousands of similar scams that I think the credit world is fraught with. I do not want to write to Palisades since I've seen too many people write that they got no help from them, and I do not want to invite further scams and possible identity theft. So, so I may let sleeping dogs lie.

I wish I could succeed and share that so others may benefit, but I'm going to wave the white flag on this one. The evil out there is just too strong to overcome.

Hi Matteo

It's just one more year for the Palisades account to be off from your file if it doesn't cost you much. When the bureaus responded to your dispute, did they send the general statement saying that the item has been verified by the company and proves to be correct? If you request, you can always ask them to give the explanation. There are federal laws to support your claim and a credit bureau can also be filed a lawsuit for keep incorrect information in the report without legitimate proof. Though, you will have to take legal help in doing this.

The stay of this Palisades account in your credit report cannot get longer unless you show any kind of payment in between. It will be helpful if you can knock the company or the bureau instead of hurting your file for a year

I got a copy of my credit report and saw this collections, the first I'd ever seen or heard of it. I've written many times and they have never responded. The credit agancies say they have investegated and left the collections on. It is with AT&T for 2005 and I haven't been with AT&T since 2002, I have copies of all my final bills, my last one for $49 which shows paid on their own paperwork. I don't know about this $400 collections and no one will even tell me what it is. cgreenstone @ msn . com

Hi cgreenstone

Have you read the post of Matteo above. You will get some useful information in it. As per the FCRA laws, the credit bureau is required to keep the accurate information in your credit file. If they have conducted the investigation, they should be able to give the results also.

Send a letter again requesting for the results of the investigation done. If required, you can send your copies of proof to them. If nothing works as per expectations, you can add a 100 word statement in your credit file. This statement will explain the facts to your future creditors and you won't see your credit being hurt.

To my surprice my credit report was hit by this company claiming I owed an old AT&T wireless bill.(dropped my score by 60 points)

This bill was paid in Aug 2004 when it was with another agency CBCS. I Called CBCS and asked for a letter stating the account was paid which they sent(they also told me they are getting a lot of similar phone calls). I faxed it to Palisades and now they are claiming the account # dosen't match.

CBCS's letter uses their own account # and does not reference the AT&T #. They are telling me they can't generate a letter referencing the AT&T #. (can you beleive that?)

When I call cingular and ask for help they tell me it is out of their hands.

It is amazing the attitudes I am running into and I can't believe this is all legal.

Well we will find out because the letters will be going out the the FTC, BBB and Consumer affairs.

I will also look into sending a letter the state attourny generals office.


TC

I had an AT&T account for wireless internet, I bought the unlimited surfing for $75 and then the bill came for $475 and when I reached nowhere with AT&T and closed the account in January 2004! I had no problem paying the $75, but that was not the deal! I checked my CR a month ago and found that Palisade has placed a negative (Collection) on all 3 reporting bureaus and that the account was started as of December 2005 (alsmost 2 years after I closed the account), not to mention I never heard of them during these 2 years! I am also travelling overseas and can't find Palisades anywhere on the net or directories. Any advise is appreicated. Cheers..AK

Hi AK

It seems that Palisades is now largely reporting incorrect entries in the consumers' files. Call Palisades at 201-567-5648 and ask them to remove this incorrect item in your file. If it is legitimate, they should give you the details of it in writing.

If you don't hear from them within a short time, write a letter to the bureau disputing the item. Show proof that you requested Palisades for verification but they were unable to provide it. Send your letters through certified mail with return receipt requested. Document everything for records.

hey i just notice this company on my credit report and sad 2 say i am a vicitm of identify theft and im only 24. so im getting ev

Angela,

Have you placed a fraud alert in your file with the credit bureaus? If not, you must do it so that no other suspicious accounts show up in your file.

Meanwhile, you should dispute this account with the CRA. They must investigate the item and remove it from your file or mark it as disputed.

Received letter from Palisades re. validation of debt. They mentioned a debt from AT&T Wireless from 2000. I never had any contract nor service from AT&T. Will the validation include a paper where I supposedly signed or was charged? How do I stop getting a series of statements saying that I owe but no proof?

Hi Daniel

Palisades has validated the debt you requested for. After reviewing the details, you found an account with AT&T you never had. This brings you to dispute the information with the collection agency.

A collection agency should cover the following details in a debt validation request. Have a look at the page below:

http://www.debtconsolidationcare.com/validation.html

You can still dispute on the information provided by the collection agency if found incorrect.

i dont know who these people are and since my dad and i share the same last name, they call him, often. have not been with at&t in 5 years, and it was a wireless acct, that i had closed with no outstanding debt. can i get them to stop calling my dad?

Pcheck

Palisades is collecting for the account with AT&T. Send a debt validation letter to their mailing address. Have the details of the account in writing. If they don't do it, report them to the credit bureau. They will investigate the matter with the collection agency. You can also file your complaints with the FTC, BBB and the attorney general office in your state.

I agree with you TC, I cannot believe this is all legal. Like me, however, you're going to have to move on and forget about it. The fight may not be worth it. That's up to you, though.

Bottom line, this isn't legal, and it's so widespread that no one can stop it. Legal action would require lawyers and lots of money, and the people behind it all know that. I believe the collection agencies are just the pawns in this game. It's the AT&Ts of the world that hire other companies to reduce their debt by distributing small sums of money around various collection agencies to make themselves look good on paper. The collection agencies will back them up 100% too, since they're obviously making money off the deal, albeit illegitimate. $200 spread amongst 10000 people from all corners of the country who know nothing about this or about each other will go almost completely unnoticed; that's a quick and easy $2 million for the company bank account...or perhaps the embezzeling executives.

Probability says you will likely only be hit once or maybe twice by something like this in your lifetime, so don't worry about it anymore. It's not worth the stress. Your $400 10-fold would quickly be gobbled up by any lawyer assigned to the case, and in the end you may feel you have your integrity back and your 60 credit points, but you'll actually have spent more money and the problem will still be out there.

I like that everyone is trying to help everyone else out with the limited legal knowledge they have- but there is a really easy way to avoid dealing w/ Palisades and Pressler- PAY YOUR BILLS. The reason the amount you get sued for is so high is becasue you think you can dogdge debt for years and years without consequence. By the time Pressler sues you, you are years delinquent- and, wait for it- INTEREST! What you also don't seem to realize is that AT&T and others are not scamming you- they realize that you are a non-paying party and sell the debt you owe at a fraction of what they are entitled to from you. These companies realize they will not get paid short of suing and are not willing to do that- they just sell the debt and take what they can get. Also- the time to request validation of debt is 30 days after you are advised of the debt. If you ask for validation after you have been served with the cummons and complaint not only are you not entitled to validation, you need to come up with an affirmative defense and file an answer with the courts- good luck, because you most likely didn't pay a bill and now its biting you in the ass. hope this helps.

Do you have their address and phone number to find out what a debt is for ?
Thanks.
M

mhauser call Palisades at 201-567-5648 and inquire about the accounts.

Unfortunately, on my credit report I have Palisades and AT & T Wirelss listed on my credit report and don't know who I should pay to get it cleared off my report. Supposedly, it has been charged off by Palisades with Experian but AT & T Wirelss is still listed as active with TransUnion so I don't know what to do.

How do I get my accounts numbers without disclosing my SSN??

Talk to the original company with whom you have the accounts. They will help you with the details

Here's my situation... I had a 1 year contract with Worldcom Wireless in 2002, Worldcom went bankrupt and apparently passed my account to AT&T. Now this is a breach in contract and therefore my account should end right? I'm positive there is no signed contract with AT&T and through this forum I am attempting to dispute the validity of this charge. In the mean time my credit is sh*t and it solely due to this garbage. I'm paying because my contract was broken-doesn't make sense. So if this is familiar and anyone has some advice please let me know. I just got a letter back from Palisades saying this could take 90 days from May 15,2006 to get my info. on the account. I need to know what the next step is after that...

They have 30 days to validate the debt. If they don't they have to remove it.

you would have to do some research, but did Worldcom sell their wireless unit to AT&T? IF so your contract is simply transferred and still in effect.

It was the same when AT&T wireless was sold to Cingular, the AT&T contract are still in effect and enforceable.
You would need to ask your self:
Was your service discontinued with out you requesting so ?
Did the Bankruptcy Court (or other court of competent jurisdiction) order those contracts null and void?

Or did you just figure they were bankrupt, and so you went out and got a new phone without further thought on the matter. If your answer is the later, then most likely the debt is still valid.

Don't meant to take sides, but there are deeper issues in this one.

When a company you have a business relationship goes bankrupt, never assume your are released from your obligations as a result unless you are notified by either that company or a court of competent jurisdiction. Often they will sell accounts , contract, etc in order to generate cash to pay their own creditors Sometimes these sales are even done by order of the Court as a means to pay off other debts.

MattMan; here is the information you are probably looking for. Looks like you should have had a chance to get out of the deal, but maybe missed it.due to forum rules I cant make an active link, but cut and past this address into your browser.

forums.wirelessadvisor.com/wireless-news/36350-worldcom-transfers-wireless-customers.html

I also was contacted by this firm. And when i told them i had all my previous bill's and that thiers was wrong i was told owell pay it. Even when i challenged them to take me to court i even said please

These people (palisades) have been calling me for years about money that is said I owe for an At&t bill in 2000. I spoke with someone from Cellular one in 2000 (bought out by At&t) and agreed to pay what was owed and he said he had removed the fees from my account. I thought that was done. But Palisades is saying that I owe them $178. I asked for a validation, and they sent me parts of the bill from cellular one, but it has no mention of any payments I made or fees that were removed. It only shows July '99 bill, Dec '99 and then Feb '00. Again, no record of payments that were made. What can I do?

Hi Sasssy

Palisades is not making a genuine collection towards your account. They must have shown you the payments made in the past. Send your debt validation in writing through certified mail with return receipt requested. You will cover your base after the company has received your request. Keep the receipt of the certified mail in your records. You might need it sometime later to prove your actions.

Since we are all sharing our experience with Palisades Collection I thought I would share mine too. After receiving a notice of debt 9 months ago I asked for Palisades to send proof of the debt, they said I would get it within 90 days. 90 days ended 6 months ago! So now a few weeks ago I got a letter from Plaza Associates collection on behalf of Plaisades and ATT seeking payment on the same debt. So now I'm back with sending another letter.

I'm considering legal action to not go through a third round, any suggestions, advice, help?

Not to self advertise but I stated a blog on it (9 months ago) in case my situation might help others.

Link deleted as per forum rules - Mike

Dear Sir/Madam,
I want to pay my debt. Pleas, contact me at 917 803 ****. I am hours on the phone, can't reach you. Please call me.
Thanks,
Maria

Personal info removed for your safety - Mike

Maria

Call Palisade at 201-567-5648 and get the debt validated in writing. Check it thoroughly before you make a payment agreement. The CAs often get disputed accounts and thereafter enforce collections on it. Review your account for any errors and then make a payment proposal.

Hello,
I feel for you, I am dealing with these people also, Problem is I can find them nowhere. In 1999 my husband ordered a phone from AT&T, before it arrived I talked him out of taking it and the service so we refused it at the door from the delivery man. We got billed for a year for 305 dollars. After numerous phone calls I finally got someone who found the information that the phone was returned and we never had service. OK so then I start getting my credit reports and there is Palisades Collections LLC. So I dispute it on the report and it comes back that I owe the money according to Palisades. So back on the phone to Cingular (now). And they can't find any Palisades collection, no Palisades in directory assistance, no Palisades in Better Business Bureau, not even can the credit bureau give me their phone number. Does anyone know how to reach these people? What a bunch of bolognie! I am trying to refi my house and need this off my credit. If anyone has any information please let me know.
Thanks