Robin Wiener is cutting back on her monthly expenses as she retires. When her Internet provider, Frontier, couldn’t offer her a better rate, she took her business elsewhere.
“Anything you can save is better than nothing, especially when it comes to retirement,” she said.
Frontier instructed Wiener to return the equipment by mail. But then she said she didn’t receive it and charged her $100. Wiener said he tracked the package and Frontier also confirmed the mistake.
“Then they said, ‘Oh, we got it,’ and you can leave now and we’ll take care of this,” she said.
But it wasn’t that easy. Frontier sent Wiener another bill, which she again disputed and considered resolved. But that wasn’t the case. Frontier then sent Weiner to collect the debt.
“I was freaking out, because I had worked hard to build up good credit, and I didn’t want it to be a stigma against me,” she said.
But it was. Weiner said his own credit score dropped by 50 points. She spent months going back and forth between her Frontier and her debt collectors to clear it up. But no luck.
“Those six months, and how much time I spent on it, it was a feeling that was neglected, that someone didn’t stand up and say, ‘Why, why can’t we do this?’ I couldn’t believe it, right?” she said.
Wiener finally turned to the I-Team for help. We contacted Frontier and they took care of everything right away. The charges stopped, the debt collector stopped calling, and Weiner’s credit score returned to normal. The I-Team asked Frontier to explain what happened and why, but did not receive a response.
“I hope these companies change and improve their business practices, because that’s not fair or right,” Wiener said.
Melinda Opperman, nonprofit consumer credit counselor credit.org, said there are many people like Weiner who are burdened with unpaid debts. She has some advice if this happens to you.
First, dispute the debt in writing within 30 days.
“In California, there’s a cutout at the bottom of the notice and you send it back for more information or to dispute the debt,” she said.
The debt collector has five days to prove that you owe the debt. Mr. Opperman said over and over again that it couldn’t be done – there was an honest mix-up – and the problem was resolved. However, if it persists, the debt collector will need to report to the credit bureaus that you are disputing the debt.
Opperman said debt collectors are also trying to collect on time-bound debts, or old debts that no longer need to be paid. If this happens, Opperman suggested contacting a credit counselor and not providing any information to debt collectors.
“If they pay or promise to pay, it could be like a new debt and start over time,” she says.
Finally, if you are sued for a debt you did not owe, go to court. That way, debt collectors won’t garnish your paycheck or bank account.
“Go to court. You’ll be surprised at how friendly and helpful the court will be in listening to your side of the story. It’s a service you’ve never received, and probably the goods you received.” But it was flawed,” she said.
Wiener is glad everything is working out and hopes other consumers will stand up for themselves.
“Don’t give up. Don’t pay debts you don’t owe,” she said.
