I just got a letter stating that I owe money on a defunct company’s (Hollywood Video) legal successor. The legal successor is not named in the letter which is from Universal Fidelity, LP which appears to be a debt collection agency.
I was under the impression that my account was zero at the time they went out of business in our neighborhood. In fact, I remember paying for the amount due with an additional amount for their vacuum cleaner (they sold off everything). The dates on the dvds/games are from late 2009 to early 2010.
I called them yesterday and after waiting over 30 minutes on hold reached a person. She asked for the claim number, asked me to hold, and left me on for another 20 minutes. I couldn’t wait longer so hung up. Today I called again, on hold 10 minutes, spoke to a representative who asked for the claim number, then disconnected me.
What should I do? Continue to call? It’s long distence & not a toll free number. Also, what should I request as far as paperwork goes? I’ve got the old check but it’s for an amount of a few charges plus what the vacuum cost. I don’t want to worry about this on my credit report.
How much are they saying you owe? How much is the old check you have for?
As long as the check is for more than the amount they say you owe I would write them a letter stating the series of events along with a copy of the check and then send it certified mail.
Keep a copy of the receipt, then ignore them. Keep all the records and if something shows up on your credit report, report it as an error with all of your documentation.
Rationally you are correct. However, back in my twenties I got into a debt problem, took a while to pay off & a lot more money in interest & fees than just paying up front would have. Since then I’ve been a bit paranoid about debt. Which is generally a good thing to be but it does make me anxious when there’s a hint of problem.
I’m mostly looking for a way to legally throw the ball to them as far as proof goes which would keep them from filing anything that could effect my credit.;
If you have their address, write them a letter and copy your state’s AG office telling them to leave you alone; that you don’t owe any money. Mr. Boozilu did that and we never heard from the collection agency again.
Thx all for replies. I’ve sent copy of check with request for bill details. Also, noted some incidents online, including lawsuit against previous hollywood video debt collector for unfair practices, & will send letter to state (mine & Texas). thx again
Also, if you didn’t already, I wouldn’t mention the vacuum cleaner thing. That extra amount might be enough to put you over what they seem to think you owe. Who cares if you never actually owed anything as long as you can convince them that you don’t now.
I don’t know if the thread is a zombie but the debt is.
I received a letter a few days ago from the same company notifying me I owed late fees to Hollywood Video from 2009. Apparently, this company has mailed out a huge number of these letters and most people claim the debts are not owed or they never even rented from Hollywood Video.
A Google search turns up a few sites where consumers have claimed this is a scam (e.g.):
The company seems to be legit but it also seems that they might be sending out notices hoping to get whatever they can, whether the debt is legit or not.
I’m pretty sure I don’t owe any late fees but it has been almost four years.
What would be the repercussions of ignoring them? What are the chance a dispute letter would make it go away?
Anybody can sue anybody for anything at any time. (“Sue the Pope for Bastardy” was the classic expression - in light of more recent events, we may need a new “would never have happened” scenario).
Anybody can send anybody a letter saying they are owed money (Demand Child Support from the Pope?).
Send a letter specifically denying the debt, just to cover your ass - an unchallenged claim may gather credibility for being unchallenged,
IANAL, IANYL, IANALLTPIYJ.
“Here’s the key takeaway from Sullivan’s investigation: if a collector tries to convince you that they can wreck your credit over the Hollywood Video collection notice, they’re lying. If you do find one of these notices on your credit report, the agency is breaking the law. The companies that purchased these debts aren’t allowed to do that. The Hollywood Video bankruptcy trustee made an agreement with all of the country’s attorneys general that these old debts could be collected on, but would not be reported to credit bureaus.”
It’s essentially a scam - I don’t know if their record keeping is shitty or they are intentionally just claiming everyone owes money. Which is to say, they legitimately represent the bankrupt hollywood video’s debts, but the debt they claim you owe is probably crap.
They sent me a letter as well probably 3 or 4 months ago, and I just ignored it (since per the consent decree with the state’s attorney generals, they may not add it to your credit report).
Edit to add, and I know my debt is bull - I never had a late fee with hollywood video at all, and they are claiming an item was “never returned”.