Asset Acceptance review: Fraud and scam 6

I've had a 'past due amount' of $157 and paid $30 of it. It was a phone bill from 6 years ago. They've recently contacted me ON A DAILY BASIS about this 'problem' and continue to leave messages on my cell. It's not on my credit report, and SBC has told me that it has been closed. HELP!

I was living in Ohio from 1990 to 2000. I had a home phone bill I disputed back in July 2000 which I did not pay. It amounted to like $4000. In August 2000 I was transferred out of the country for work and I gave them my new overseas address. The last bill I paid was July 2000 still on dispute. The phone company did send me the bills for a 3 months but I told them it was disputed and then they stopped. In December 2002 I received a letter from CBA telling me that the debt was referred to them.

I wrote back asking for verification but they did not send back anything. They posted the following in my credit history : Date Opened 12/2002 and the same date for Date Reported. I just kept quiet. I had left my address for my credit cards at a friends address in another state.

In 2003 I noticed that they posted the following after selling the debt to Asset Acceptance. Date Opened 08/2003 and Date Reported 06/2004. Credit acceptance called my friend's place asking for me but he told them I do not live there. I did not hear from them till today.

I moved back to the States and got a place in Kentucky as a student. I have no property and no loans. I rent from a friend. I only have a checking and saving account and that also with little money. I am on a scholarship.

Today I got a call on my cell phone. I didn't take the call but they told me in the voicemail they were asset acceptance debt collectors. The last time I paid any bill for this account was July 2000 before it went into collections. Can they do anything?

I think the Statue of Limitation for Kentucky is 5 years and Ohio is 6 years for open accounts. (Is it 6 years for Ohio?) Does phone bills fall under open-account category for both states?

It's just over 6 years and they called today. What should I do next time they call? Can they seize money from my bank account? Both savings and checking accounts?

What do I do when they call me again? What do I say? What direction do I go in? I don't have much money. I'm just a student. Help please!

I work for Asset Acceptance.

Everyone has a wrong aspect of this company. There are a few things everyone should know about "unpaid bills".

1) They do not go away. Just because they are past stat for your state and off your credit report, don't mean the responsibility to pay them dissapears.

2) With that being said, we call customers who have had accounts opened and stopped paying in 1988. It's a sense of responsibility.

3) Interest incurred on the account is interest that was indicated on the original agreement and terms. If you stop paying your bill, interet begins to add to it. Asset Acceptance will purchase debt from places like Chase or Wells Fargo 2-5 years after the last payment. What the original creditor does before we get the debt is out of our control, but they charge interest monthly. Then we get the account. Most accounts come with bad addresses, bad phone numbers, and we have to find this information. Some accounts, we find it in a few months and are able to contact the customer. Some, it takes over a year to get a reliable location on the consumer. My only comment on interet is, if you kept up on unpaid bills, it wouldn't be a surprise.

4) Slamming the phone on us, yelling at us, cussing us out and lieing to us by saying it isnt yours doesn't make it better. Asset Acceptance is a publicly traded company, with an A+ rating on the BBB, as well as is on the stock market. We treat each customer in our system with the respect they deserve. We do not assume because your in our system, your a low life, but everyone hangs up on us and no one gives us a chance to speak. Consider listening to a debt collector next time they call you. Sure, we're trying to get you to pay, but listen good, because we're trying to ### your current situation and help you get the account resolved.

5) DO NOT GET DEBT COUNSELORS OR DEBT CONSOLIDATION LOANS WITH THESE COMPANIES ON TV! You pay these people to call us up and say "The balance is $1, 000? I can pay $400 now to close the account". YOU CAN DO THIS! You can settle your account, you don't need a third-party!

Here is a thought... All these collection agencies, debt buyers, creditors... should consider that some people come on hard times and fall behind (especially in this day and age) and it is hard to face the fact, that because you fell behind (and tried to talk to the original creditor) who could have cared less... and when you think you can get back up on your feet...

Not only did the original creditor list a negative report, there is now a collection listed for another negative report. It can add up fast! Seven years (or longer if they try to re-age the report) and we thought we could get back on our feet and start paying debts, only to realize doesn't matter (as far as your credit) you can pay the debts... But still negative for 7 years!

Why not offer (up front) to delete the credit report from the credit bureaus upon settlement or negotiate for payment in full for deletion? PAY & DELETE? At least for the valid debts. There are group meetings in Florida on credit repair and debt and most of the people would jump through hoops to pay the debts to get them cleared completely out of their credit reports. But feel if collection agencies, debt buyers & creditors are going to keep them from cleaning up their credit reports and starting fresh to get back on their feet, why bother... either they pay small amounts to chip away at it, or just let it run it's course and age out.

Sure, if you have debt, take care of it (if you can) but many had problems in life that put them in that place and when they think they can get back on track... you offer nothing to give them incentive (other than a settlement for less and keep it on the credit reports, instead of deleting it)

Just a thought... there is a collection agency in Louisiana who began offering PAY & DELETE and their accounts began to settle 70% more than before they offered it, up front.
They increased client accounts double what they had prior to the PAY & DELETE method of settling accounts in full or a negotiated settlement.

Sounds like some agencies have found a "win, win" for everyone. Maybe it will catch on.

Asset Acceptance is a group of vultures that are totally ignorant cold so called humans who are just stupid.

My daughter was paid Asset Acceptance payments from Jan 2009 monthly till Aug. 2015..she owed them $2700. from a Sears Credit Card they purchased..In Aug. 2015 she received SSI disability.. She still owed $550. We sent in a hardship letter then. I wrote down it was accepted, but have no proof. We could not reach anyone by phone..The news reported something illegal about them at the time..So I thought that's why we couldn't reach them...Now after 6 years they went to court, which she was not notified till after..They now want $3000. I tried to talk with them to no avail..She lives on $794. SSI..Mental diagnose..I am her POA..I don't know what to do..She has her own home and could put a Lean on it..I offered to pay the $550...they said no..She could admit the debt and make puts again..After getting $2150. they want another $3000...I asked why they didn't contact in2015, 16, 17, 18, 19, .. Till now...Answer didn't have a viable phone number..They are legal thieves..bottom of the barrel...Any advice would be appreciated.. Thank you