Everything I've found doing some dicking around with Google agrees with gregorio.

Tomorrow I'm going to call the apartment complex and see if their system can confirm a) the date the payment was received on their end and b) provide proof of that. I'm going to try to remain civil but the urge to rip someone a new one is going to be strong. I mean the reason I left that place was general mismanagement and incompetence so I guess it's hard to be surprised they turned me in for a paid debt but goddamn. Anyway hopefully they'll send email and hard copy proof the debt is paid for my records.

I'll also type up a formal letter of dispute and send it off (certified and with receipt confirmation) no later than Friday. Hopefully that will be the end of it since when they attempt to verify the debt it should come back as paid, because it was paid, the ******ed ****s.

Definitely don't ignore it. Can't believe that many people are actually giving that advice.

this exact thing happened to me. must be standard practice for shady apartment places. the place i was at was a dump. this was in vegas.

first i had to go back to the apts with a copy of the endorsed and cashed final check i wrote them. i had them write me a letter confirming i don't owe them any money.

they gave me the address of the collection company, which turned out to be wrong.

after i tracked down the physical location of the collection company, which was hard, i showed up to their office with the check and letter.

they agreed that i didn't owe any money and promised not to respond when i dispute the debt on my credit report. they gave me instructions on how to dispute it which turned out to be incorrect. i had to figure out how to do it on my own.

eventually it did go away. good luck, be tenacious and prepared.

Would throw it in trash instantly, and if it ever hits credit report immediately fight it

might cost more time in the long run but im a gambler after all

Fortunately this being the Internet age I already have proof I paid in the form of screenshots of my accounts. I'll print hard copies tomorrow and contact the complex for confirmation of payment from their end, which hopefully won't be hard to get via email right away with hard copy to follow. If they balk or give me the runaround I'll camp out on their ****ing doorstep for when they open on Saturday. I'm stubborn as hell about this sort of thing, especially when I know I'm in the right.

Hopefully the collection agency are not a-holes. The one I dealt with was. Completely uncooperative. I wasn't expecting much from the credit repair outfit. They all seem so scammy with the ads and spam emails. But these guys worked. Hopefully you won't need anything like that.

Call them. Describe the situation. The reaction will be that they won't believe you and ask for the proof of payment. Mail a copy of it to them. I wouldn't bother to do it with this certified mail. Then call again in few days and ask them if they received it. Keep all originals. Document your calls: date, time, with whom you have spoken and short result.

After that you can actually forget about it. I would check once in a while your credit reports. If there is anything wrong in them threaten this collection agency with law suit.


I dealt extensively with collections. One thing you just shouldn't do, is throw this mail in the trash and hope the situation will just disappear. Because it won't and the trouble will grow if you try it.

Not sure if the consequences vary by state, but I ignored collections when they came after me about a bogus parking ticket, and my credit is still ~800 (with a foreclosure to boot).

Cfpb.gov has sample dispute letters and other good guidelines for dealing with debt collectors. Definitely,send them a letter saying you:

1. have paid the debt and it is not valid, and that you dispute it
2. Tell them to attempt to verify the debt and to send you all documentation of its validity in writing if they believe it is valid.
3. Tell them not to report it to any agency.

All communication with them should be in writing. Do not ignore the letter. I doubt they would bother with a disputed 13 dollar debt even if it were valid.

Did you ever get your deposit or, in the alternative, an itemized list of why they withheld it?

If you haven't run your credit reports this year, do that and make sure this thing isn't on there.

If you already have run your reports this year or you run them and this thing isn't on them, then send both the collections agency and the apartment complex's management company a letter similar to what gregorio posted including proof of payment. Make sure there is a way to prove the letter was delivered (e.g., priority mail, delivery confirmation, registered mail, etc.). Be very clear in your demand that they provide proof of the debt. [EDIT to add: keep copies of the letters you send.]

If it does show up on your credit report, then read this...

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/3...story-1633825/

...and PM me.

Grovel before the feet of Tbabs. Obviously, being an ex-top rated employee of a collection agency, he has "connections."

Thanks for that Rapini.

Call to the apartment complex went shocking well. After they seemed confused, because, and I quote, "we don't send accounts to a collection agency for $12.86," the manager emailed me my account history showing zero balance and agreed to snail mail me a hard copy as well. She said if anything else came up to call her directly. The bill was paid on their end on August 15th, no question about it.

I'm starting to be hopeful that once I mail the dispute letter that will be the end of it, since at that time they are obligated to either provide proof of the debt or cease all contact (by law), and it looks like any attempt by them to confirm the debt will result in a response from the apartment company of the debt being zero.

Interestingly enough, the account history I received today shows they only deducted $40 from my deposit to replace a damaged blind, no other cleaning or repair damages were charged. So they didn't gouge me on that end. Still, if it weren't for that charge, I'd have gotten a small amount back instead.

I like the fact that you are willing to fight this $12.86 to the death "on principle", but at the same time, when you left, " I expected I wouldn't see my deposit but didn't really care.".

The key is to keep it off of the report in the first place...this requires getting a dispute filed with the third-party entity within the initial 30 days.

It is next to impossible to unwind all of the adverse action that can occur once a collection hits an otherwise spotless credit report. Lines won't magically be reopened that got closed nor will they magically increase after being chopped to just above the balance (if a balance was being carried).

OP needs to exert their rights under both State AND federal law.

creditboards.com has lots of information and sample 'drop dead' letters.

"Interestingly enough, the account history I received today shows they only deducted $40 from my deposit to replace a damaged blind"

You should tell them the blinds you usually deal with are either 5 dollars or 10 dollars.


Haha, poker dealer jokes are great amirite?

I just sort of assumed they'd nickel and dime me on clean up or minor repairs. They didn't, but the place was just a step or two up from a hole in the wall, and I was glad enough to get out of there that the deposit was the last thing on my mind.

Funny.

throwing any letter from a collection agency in the trash is absurdly horrible advice. You think its too annoying to deal with now, wait until it impacts your credit.

Sucks RJ, would almost be better if they were trying to rip you off for a few hundo, going through this for some happy meals just makes it worse, lol

well, actually the FOAD is saved for post-SOL matters...but yeah, CB is pretty much the 2+2 of the credit forums...

I'm optimistic that disputing the debt will be the end of it. Because, you know, the apartment complex themselves confirms there is no debt and the manager wasn't sure how this happened in the first place (incompetence, ldo). So I'll probably pay more to send the letter than the debt is even for, but if the collection agency follows the law it should never be reported to any credit agency and it'll just be a minor headache.

I respect you as much as anyone here Alobar, but still think the trash is a good option. Then you marry someone with good credit and have her take out all loans individually. Live in a communal property state and it's still 1/2 yours. ez game.


ETA:
I know it wasn't bought individually (but with a bunch of other debt) but I am still wondering what $12.86 worth of debt sells for

I take it back. This def the best play

Technically though, FTOS clearly is for MUTL and also the STTF of LRFH.

It is a misconception that all debt resulting in a letter from a third-party has been sold. There is far more contingency paper than there is purchased paper.

As to the question on purchase pricing, that actually depends on the volume and age of the paper. It is the paper outside of litigation SOL that sells for literally a penny or two on the dollar. Fresh paper is rarely sold but when it DOES get sold, it is not much of a discount...

Source? Lots of fresh paper gets sold and it trades at a significant discount, though still much more expensive than the out of statute stuff.