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  • Report:  #440979

Complaint Review: Merchants' Credit Guide Co. - Chicago Illinois

Reported By:
- Easton, Pennsylvania,
Submitted:
Updated:

Merchants' Credit Guide Co.
223 W Jackson Blvd Chicago, 60606 Illinois, U.S.A.
Phone:
888-294-4134
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
This company has been calling repeatedly, not saying anything, but just calling and hanging up on a continual basis. You can hear the person breathing on the line.

I have asked the person to stop calling and when I do they just hang up.

Then a couple of days ago I got a letter from them attempting to collect on a time barred debt. What gets me, is I went through a very traumatic incident and was unable to work. I paid for their unemployment insurance which paid the cc company. The card limit was only 600.00. Now they are asking for $3,483.46.

How can this be.

The statute of limitations ran out over 3 years ago. They say they are collecting for PINNACLE CREDIT SERVICES, and the orginal creditor is Providian National Bank.

Providian is out of business. They have been out for several years and I know that any money sent in would not go to Providian.

What should I do?

I read on another site, not to even acknowledge the company because you could mistakenly restart the SOL clock.

They have demanded in the letter that I send them my bank account information and they will debit my account for a one time payment of 870.87 or 3 payments of 1741.73 or I can tell them what I can afford to pay each month and they will only debit that amount from my bank account each month until the entire 3,400+ dollars is paid in full.

They also have an office listed in PA now,

PO box 1259

Oaks PA 19456

I don't think I owe this money. I paid for the disability insurance on the card and feel that I am being harassed by the breather calls and the letter demanding bank information.

Teri

Easton, Pennsylvania

U.S.A.


3 Updates & Rebuttals

Steph

Minor Hill,
Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Do not give them any bank imformation

#2Consumer Comment

Wed, April 15, 2009

What ever you do . Do not give them any bank account #s . If they ask for it refuse to give it these SOBs will rip you off. When I have folks like that ask me for that imformation I refuse to give it. I tell them I want it i writing.If they refuse I don't answer the phone when they call. If I do not know the # that calls my cell I do not answer it.


Steph

Minor Hill,
Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Do not give them any bank imformation

#3Consumer Comment

Wed, April 15, 2009

What ever you do . Do not give them any bank account #s . If they ask for it refuse to give it these SOBs will rip you off. When I have folks like that ask me for that imformation I refuse to give it. I tell them I want it i writing.If they refuse I don't answer the phone when they call. If I do not know the # that calls my cell I do not answer it.


Kevin

Cottage Grove,
Minnesota,
U.S.A.
Stop...take a breath...and write a letter.

#4Consumer Suggestion

Sat, April 11, 2009

Hi Teri, I did not work for the company in question, but I was a collector at one time. The solution to your problem is easier than you think. Just write a letter. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act allows you to dispute the debt in writing. All you need to do is write a letter to MCG informing them that you are disputing the debt (include your name and whatever account number they give you and perhaps a copy of the letter they sent...nothing else). I recommend that you send it via certified mail. This will not undo the statute of limitations. It will do the opposite. Once they receive your letter, the collectors must send you validation (proof) that you owe on this debt. If they cannot do this, they must stop collection efforts. Furthermore, they are not allowed to contact you until they can validate the debt (except to say that they have received your dispute). If they can never furnish proof, then they can never try to collect on the debt. One more thing, just to be fair, about the statute of limitations. When the SoL expires, the collectors are forbidden from doing any further credit reporting, or taking any other action like wage garnishment or the like. The SoL does not prohibit the collector from merely trying to collect on the debt by writing or calling. I don't like it either, but that's the law. Many of the companies are just junk debt collectors, and you probably have nothing to worry about. It wouldn't hurt, though, to check your credit reports just to be safe. Good luck. Kevin Iron River, MI

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