Book Club Collections

Hi,

I received a letter from a debt collection agency today about a book club that I joined in 2004. The issue is that I specifically remember returning the intro package to them and I never heard anything back from them. Then today all of a sudden I get a debt collection notice regarding that book club. The book club never sent me out any notices that they didn't receive the intro package back.

You would think that if there was a problem they would have contacted me back in 2004, but I haven't heard a thing from them until now when the debt collection agency is trying to collect.

What should I do?

This doesn't make sense. You JOINED, but returned the intro package ( i.e. NOT JOINED). When you join, they send you the requisite number of books to meet your agreement over a period of a few years or so. Did you ever receive ANY books? Are you being billed for unsubscribing before the end of the agreed-upon time? If you never received any more books, how is that considered joining? If you joined you SIGNED something agreeing to be a member and participate.

In any regard, if you wish to, simply tell the collection agency in writing that you dispute the debt. Or, easier yet, call the company and politely advise them that the books were returned on such and such a date. I cannot imagine it being worth the book companies time and effort to collect since that would cost them more than a few books.

Sorry for the confusion. No I did not receive any more books after returning the intro package. I thought all was settled. Then yesterday I get a collection notice stating that I owe $53.62. I called the book club and they said that I should contact the collection agency since they now owned the debt and tell them that the intro package was returned and that I do not owe anything. I am going to send a letter certified return receipt stating what the book club customer service rep said and that I owe nothing.

Thanks for responding!

I can't imagine that for fifty bucks, a company would go after you. Your telling the collection agency what the CS rep said isn't really worth anything. I would ask the book club to SEND you WRITTEN confirmation that the account is zero. Also, tell the collection agency in writing that you DISPUTE the debt. They are required, as a matter of law, to contact the collection agency and ASK for proof of the debt. When they do, they will ( hopefully ) be told the balance is zero--which is a lot more meaningful than YOU writing to them telling them what so and so said.

Good luck.

Hi,

I got a customer service rep to email me stating that I owed zero. I am going to print that out and mail it back to the collection agency certified return receipt. In the email it specifies that no further collection efforts are necessary and that the balance is zero. I am also going to send with that email a note requesting that the collection agency send to me in writing that this matter is closed and all collection efforts are ceased.

Thanks!