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About 4-5 years ago I got a phone in my name for my dad because he had horrid credit and asked me to do it for him. The phone was for a business his friend owned fixing roofs after a recent hurricane. After 6 or 8 months business slowed down so my dad stopped doing the second job and no longer needed the phone. I canceled the contract and neglected to pay the fee. I'm not sure exactly how much time passed before I got a letter from a collection agency. I called the agency and settled with them for an amount a little smaller than I owed sprint ( I don't remember how much I settled for because it was 4+ years ago).
Since then, I've been with Verizon and T-mobile (completing both 2-year contracts). I was looking into getting and new phone and decided on Sprint because they have the best unlimited data plan and I get a good discount from them with the company I work for. When I went to the Sprint store to get it, I was told that there was an outstanding debt with them for $195. I called the number I was given and explained about paying a collection agency and the response was essentially "It doesn't matter if you paid a collection agency or not, you have to pay Sprint $195 dollars or you can't have an account."
I was under the impression that once a company sells a debt, it's illegal for them to collect on it a second time; double-dipping so to speak. What can I do? The person I talked to said there's no grey area... I pay or I don't get the phone.
I don't understand how a company can do this... If it's not resolved, I'll just never get a sprint phone for the rest of my life. Seems like a good way to lose customers. I would be inclined to pay, if it were some kind of down payment and goes toward my bill. But I'm not paying $195 just to pay another $200 for a phone and $40 for activation and ect...
SHORT STORY: Owed Sprint money 5 years ago, they sold it to a collection agency. I settled with the agency (for a little less than I owed) 4 years ago. Now sprint wants the same money they sold to the debt collector (and I payed) before they will give my a new account.
About 4-5 years ago I got a phone in my name for my dad because he had horrid credit and asked me to do it for him. The phone was for a business his friend owned fixing roofs after a recent hurricane. After 6 or 8 months business slowed down so my dad stopped doing the second job and no longer needed the phone. I canceled the contract and neglected to pay the fee. I'm not sure exactly how much time passed before I got a letter from a collection agency. I called the agency and settled with them for an amount a little smaller than I owed sprint ( I don't remember how much I settled for because it was 4+ years ago).
Since then, I've been with Verizon and T-mobile (completing both 2-year contracts). I was looking into getting and new phone and decided on Sprint because they have the best unlimited data plan and I get a good discount from them with the company I work for. When I went to the Sprint store to get it, I was told that there was an outstanding debt with them for $195. I called the number I was given and explained about paying a collection agency and the response was essentially "It doesn't matter if you paid a collection agency or not, you have to pay Sprint $195 dollars or you can't have an account."
I was under the impression that once a company sells a debt, it's illegal for them to collect on it a second time; double-dipping so to speak. What can I do? The person I talked to said there's no grey area... I pay or I don't get the phone.
I don't understand how a company can do this... If it's not resolved, I'll just never get a sprint phone for the rest of my life. Seems like a good way to lose customers. I would be inclined to pay, if it were some kind of down payment and goes toward my bill. But I'm not paying $195 just to pay another $200 for a phone and $40 for activation and ect...
SHORT STORY: Owed Sprint money 5 years ago, they sold it to a collection agency. I settled with the agency (for a little less than I owed) 4 years ago. Now sprint wants the same money they sold to the debt collector (and I payed) before they will give my a new account.
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