8 Year Old Phone Bill

[Nyboy]

I just got a call I am sure is from out of the country. The man with a very heavy accent was reading a script. He is trying to collect a delt, of $187 everytime i asked a question he had to start script from beginning. He finally said it was from Verizon i told him that verizon is my carrier and my account is paid up. He then said bill was from 2009. I thought after 7 years time has run out on collection

 

[aftermidnight]

Sounds like a scam to me, or your carrier is not very good with their paper work.

This happened to me once, kept getting a bill for an overdue account, I phoned and said this was paid on time, they said just forget about it. The next month the same thing, charged again with interest, they said forget about it. Again, I got another call and they were getting a little snotty about it. I said I have the paid bill right in my hand, they said send it in so we can verify, A long pause...I was saying some very choice words. Once I calmed down I said no way, when and if I happen to be going your way I'll bring it in so you can verify. I actually had to do this before they would leave me alone. The bill was only around $18, but hey, it was the principle of the thing. I was right they were wrong, didn't even get an apology, just a shrug of the shoulders.

Have to watch your long distance ones too, another time my provider kept saying I had made a lengthy call to someone in Alaska, I don't even know anyone in Alaska. 'But this call was made from your number', they were adamant about this. I then asked who was this person I was supposed to have called, they wouldn't tell me, this was the last I heard about it. Don't have a problems with them anymore.

Annette

 

[Nyboy]

If I thought I really owed the money I would pay it. I have a problem with a stranger calling me and saying I oue money from 8 years ago.

 

[flowerbug]

I just got a call I am sure is from out of the country. The man with a very heavy accent was reading a script. He is trying to collect a delt, of $187 everytime i asked a question he had to start script from beginning. He finally said it was from Verizon i told him that verizon is my carrier and my account is paid up. He then said bill was from 2009. I thought after 7 years time has run out on collection

i never give out any information to anyone on the phone without a lot more proof of identity. there are just too many scammers out there now trying to get at accounts.

i hang up without saying anything other than "hello" to anyone that sounds like someone working in a room of other people on the phone. telemarketing/etc. we are on the do not call list so they shouldn't be calling anyways.

the more you say on the phone if they are recording they can now take any single word and use that as a basis of authorization. if you say "yes" anywhere in there. so, like i say, i don't say much at all.

 

[catjac1975]

I just got a call I am sure is from out of the country. The man with a very heavy accent was reading a script. He is trying to collect a delt, of $187 everytime i asked a question he had to start script from beginning. He finally said it was from Verizon i told him that verizon is my carrier and my account is paid up. He then said bill was from 2009. I thought after 7 years time has run out on collection

I had someone call about an old , small pone bill. I told them I never had that company.. His nasty reply was, "Why not just take care of this before it goes on your credit report." Told him I was not paying something that was not mine. He never called back.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I sometimes say more than I should. If it is a robocall I just hang up. If it is a human I might be nice and say we do not accept telephone solicitations, can you please take us off of your call list. If they become annoying and keep calling I might ask if their mommy knows what they are doing, trying to scam old people, would she be proud of you? On occasion I might say I want to speak to a supervisor so I can ask them why the do not call list doesn't apply to them. They generally hang up but that doesn't stop them form calling back, sometimes in just a few hours.

My wife blocks the phone number these calls come from on her smart phone but it doesn't take them long to switch to a different phone number. We don't have that capacity on our landline. With them switching phone numbers all the time the effectiveness of blocking is pretty limited anyway.

Yes Alex, this is a scam. They probably want you to pay by credit card or check so they can get your information. They are probably after a lot more than $187. If there were any validity to this they'd send something in writing.

 

[Smart Red]

If I thought I really owed the money I would pay it. I have a problem with a stranger calling me and saying I oue money from 8 years ago.

I once got a collection letter saying I owed the local power company several hundred dollars. I went directly to the collection company offering to pay the bill if they could verify it was mine.

Strangely, (?) their computers were down, but they would still take my money. I went to the power company to find the bill was for a property I didn't even own. It seemed the person making out bills had the unpaid one slip up so my name on my bill was showing at the bottom. Voila! I was named on the erroneous bill sent to collections.

Those collection dudes were rude. Glad I don't have to deal with them.

 

[Smart Red]

Yes, Nyboy, in general bills over 7 years old are not viable, but what is often done is that a third party collection company will buy unpaid bills at 5-7 years for pennies on the dollar. The bill is now 'new' to them and the 7 year limit is started over.

If one gets an attorney the bill is quickly dropped, but often people will pay just to have the 'new' debt removed from credit records. These companies can report outdated bills to credit companies as 'new' debts owed to them.

 

[Nyboy]

Wow that is so wrong. hiring lawyer would cost much more then debt

 

[Smart Red]

The companies will often go 'fishing', that is send dunning letters to everyone with the same name hoping that one or more of them will pay up. Shameful. Many times the bill comes to someone caring for or handling the estate of a loved one. Knowing nothing of the bills, it gets paid.

The company would never think to send back payments from others having the same name -- indeed they often refer the bill to the credit companies for everyone with the same name, hoping for several people to pay.

Should be a law!