run in with a debt company FYI

[Irish_Alley]

The beginning  of this week i tried to get a loan from my bank. done it before and paid off some companys that i owed some money to. well this time the lady who i always deal with said i have two hits on my credit report one from Verizon $150 and one from bmg. so i got a hold of verizon i thought they still owed me money but according to them they paid me that money back in 2008 and 2009 (bank back it up) so i just forgot and paid them off. then i had bmg music (the company that would sell you 12 cds for the price of one). called the debt collector, first guy was a deep voice male sounded black. i tell him about the hit he then ask for my ssn. i just laugh and said no, because that's probably why i have a hit with bmg. he then hangs up. a little confused i called back only to have the phone picked up and hung up again. i was starting to get a little ticked, this is effecting my credit and they treat me like im the bad guy. so i called back this time it sounded like a white guy with a soft voice (nerd) told him about the hit. he then ask for my name zip code and phone number, not wanting to give them my ssn i was happy to give them this, thought what could they do with this. he then covers the mic on the phone to talk to someone else about bmg. he then transfers me to another guy (indian) told him the same story he ask for name zip and phone number, i give it up. he then put me on hold for a couple minutes, come back and said im having trouble finding you. i then say try this address, gave him my old address when i lived with mom. he finds my then says "i need to verify you address, its john doe rd johnstown de" im a little confused at this point thinking how am i to verify this when he just told me it. so i said yes. he ask if i have an account number for him says it starts with a "5" tell him no (almost sound like he was phishing for any numbers on my report). he says you have a balance of $50.31 from bmg back in 2007. i then told him to my knowledge i never ordered anything from bmg. he then says "you might not have but someone in your family might have" he then said something fast and "if i pay it off now they will remove it from my credit history asap" i told him no. he then says "its only $50, he could understand if it was 9k. but its only $50 its in my best interest to pay it now. i said no because its like getting a speeding ticket and you weren't even driving. he said "if he was me he would pay it" i said no again, then told him im not trying to be ignorant with you but i didnt charge this so im not paying. and i would like to dispute it. he then said "ok, but what will happen is bmg will turn this into another collection agency and will raise their price. and I should just pay it now to remove it." i insisted no again, he then says "i'll tell you what, one time offer $30" i just laugh and said no again. he said he was going to start the mobile dispute clam and hangs up. couple things wrong with this, one why did only the first guy ask for my ssn, why was i hung up on 2 times after refusing to give my ssn, why did he threaten me with a higher bill. another thing the voices of the people the reason i noted their race was because of the tone. the black guy had a deep (intimidating) voice the white guy had a soft voice (of a friend) the indian well i couldnt understand him (there voice is kind of reassuring in away) and before all this i tried to get a hold of bmg only to find all numbers online dont work. so i emailed them, nothing returned. then after i called this debt collector i searched for bmg again and found a email

We'd like to tell you about some upcoming changes to your membership.

BMG Music Service is being discontinued as of June 30, 2009.
That doesn't mean your music savings are coming to an end. Your savings can continue with our other service, yourmusic.com, where shipping is always free and there are no automatic shipments.

Here’s some important information regarding your current account:

You will receive one more Featured Selection Announcement email from us.
You will still be able to shop at bmgmusic.com through May 31, 2009.
We have discontinued our Music Points program, effective January 31, 2009. You will be able to redeem your outstanding music points through April 30, 2009.
You'll have through May 31, 2009 to redeem certificates or free CDs you've earned.
Remember, you can still shop online at bmgmusic.com and take advantage of our great selection and prices until May 31, 2009. Please make sure you have signed up to receive emails from us so you don't miss out on special offers and important updates. Click here to sign up.

If you have any questions, you can call us at our Customer Service #: 1-888-443-8264 or email us at cs1@bmgmusicservice.com.

Sincerely,
The Membership Office

so how is bmg supposed to turn me into collections in 2012 after their doors shut in 2009. how/who am i supposed to fight this with?

then i got to thinking when i gave them my phone number its registered at my moms house back in 2007 same time when i got verizon, wonder if they are related?

i dont have a problem paying like i paid verizon after i was proven wrong by my bank, but im not going to trust some other company word.

[Irish_Alley]

something else you dont have to give anyone you ssn or any part of it. if they say its for insurance reasoning tell them you will get back to them. call you insurance company and talk to them, i know with mine i can use my employ id#. this came up when my wife needed dentist work and she asked for my ssn. i wouldn't do it i couldn't understand why they needed mine especially when i wasnt the one getting any work. their response was your the primary insurance holder its in your name so we need your info. i then said no to them and gave them my id#. you cant trust anyone, had verizon (i think, was years ago) call once they asked for 6 digits of my ssn, could be the first 6 or last 6. i question this she then said ohh its because they are more common now and they need more info. so i made up the first 2 and gave her the last 4. and she took it. if someone ask for anything be very skeptical of it. look what they did with my phone number they brought up my old address. granted it was currant but they think it is. i know anyone could look someone up one line its easy to stalk someone nowadays. even when i see people post a picture of their license plate, it just makes me think thats all they need. with that you can find where they live and everything even drive by their house and take a picture. and its the same deal with phone numbers or where you live. you can be found its easy

[bobcooter]

It's a scam. These lowlife guys scour around and find debt that you paid off years ago and try to collect on it hoping you forgot.  It happened to us and my wife told she would have out lawyer contact them to set up a payment schedule and they left us alone.

[alan311]

I went through something similar a few years back.  While it is not a quick fix, you can dispute the bad debt through the 3 major credit bureaus online.  Since you were denied credit, call the credit bureau that they used to check your credit and you van get a free credit report from that company.

You can also get a free credit report once a year from each of the big 3.  Once you have your reports, you just go online and dispute whichever items you do not agree with.  Under law, the company must research your dispute and if the company does not respond, it will automatically be removed from your credit report.

About 2 months later any bad debt that was not confirmed will be removed.