Creditor harrassment

[slk7578]

I have several questions regarding a situation I'm in. The short version is this: an advertising company contacted me to offer ad space at a local gym. They told me it would cost $38 a year. I agreed, signed a contract and sent it back to them. After they received the contract, they added a 6 in front of the 38 and started sending me bills for $638. After fighting for a year, they sent it to collections. I've now been fighting with them for a year and they've been told 5 times (2 x verbally, 3 x in writing) to stop contacting me. My account rep has been abusive, calls me derogatory names and has cursed at me. He has contacted me at least a dozen times since receiving the do not contact notice. Now they have turned my account over to a new rep.

So - my questions:
1. Does the do not contact notice apply to the representative or the company? Will I have to submit a do not contact notice to every employee?

2. What are my legal options? Do I wait for them to try and take me to court? Do I file against them now?

3. Am I entitled to monetary compensation for the time I've spent dealing with this? Can I sue for harrassment?

 

[Michael Wechsler]

I have several questions regarding a situation I'm in. The short version is this: an advertising company contacted me to offer ad space at a local gym. They told me it would cost $38 a year. I agreed, signed a contract and sent it back to them. After they received the contract, they added a 6 in front of the 38 and started sending me bills for $638. After fighting for a year, they sent it to collections. I've now been fighting with them for a year and they've been told 5 times (2 x verbally, 3 x in writing) to stop contacting me. My account rep has been abusive, calls me derogatory names and has cursed at me. He has contacted me at least a dozen times since receiving the do not contact notice. Now they have turned my account over to a new rep.

So - my questions:
1. Does the do not contact notice apply to the representative or the company? Will I have to submit a do not contact notice to every employee?

2. What are my legal options? Do I wait for them to try and take me to court? Do I file against them now?

3. Am I entitled to monetary compensation for the time I've spent dealing with this? Can I sue for harrassment?

I would send one more notice, written and sent certified return receipt, to both companies. Within that letter you should probably state (1) the debt is not valid and the contract was fraudulent and, (2) that prior attempts at collection were in violation of the Fair debt collection practices act (FDCPA) and that you will prosecute them and pursue all remedies available to you by law. In addition, you should probably report the advertising agency's conduct to the Better Business Bureau and state so in your letter. If that doesn't solve the problem then we can follow up with how to deal with the ongoing violations...

Good luck to you and sorry to hear about your difficult situation.