Hi, I recently had a medical procedure done and the pathology company had me sign an agreement. Even before they sent me a bill I received an SMS saying that since payment had not been made they would hand the matter to a debt collector.
The company seems to sell all debt to a factoring collector. Then I received a call from the collection agency (VeriCheck) and enquired what the amount was. I immediately made a payment. However, there seems to be a "debt collector fee" that I either didn't see/wasn't informed about (more likely).
The debt collector then called my work (even though they had a cell number for me and had previously contacted me on my cell phone). I wasn't in, so they left a message giving (1) the name of their company and saying to my colleague that (2) their call was about my account with the medical company.
When I got into the office, everyone was telling me how not paying my bills is something that doesn't look good for my job/work prospects. I felt that this was a violation of their code of conduct. When they did reach me again I explained how upset I am and how damaging their behaviour could be.
Their response is that they did not specifically identify themselves as a debt collector so they had not breached their code of conduct. I think this is a silly argument. If a company with the name "VeriCheck" calls about your account with X company, certainly there is sufficient insinuation about the nature of the call.
I was of the mind to report this matter to the Council for Debt Collectors but didn't find them registered and I was unable to find a business address for them. It's a small amount at dispute but I don't think they should get away with the reputational damage they have caused.
I received several SMSs about being handed over to an attorney. I welcomed that because then I would, for the first time, have something in writing about just who VeriCheck is and be able to complain to the Council. Today I received via email a "final demand" letter and it appears that VeriCheck is a trading name for a registered VeriCred Collections Pty Ltd.
Is that email valid? Do I have grounds for a complaint to the Council? What should I do next? I can afford the amount but the principle of the matter concerns me.
The company seems to sell all debt to a factoring collector. Then I received a call from the collection agency (VeriCheck) and enquired what the amount was. I immediately made a payment. However, there seems to be a "debt collector fee" that I either didn't see/wasn't informed about (more likely).
The debt collector then called my work (even though they had a cell number for me and had previously contacted me on my cell phone). I wasn't in, so they left a message giving (1) the name of their company and saying to my colleague that (2) their call was about my account with the medical company.
When I got into the office, everyone was telling me how not paying my bills is something that doesn't look good for my job/work prospects. I felt that this was a violation of their code of conduct. When they did reach me again I explained how upset I am and how damaging their behaviour could be.
Their response is that they did not specifically identify themselves as a debt collector so they had not breached their code of conduct. I think this is a silly argument. If a company with the name "VeriCheck" calls about your account with X company, certainly there is sufficient insinuation about the nature of the call.
I was of the mind to report this matter to the Council for Debt Collectors but didn't find them registered and I was unable to find a business address for them. It's a small amount at dispute but I don't think they should get away with the reputational damage they have caused.
I received several SMSs about being handed over to an attorney. I welcomed that because then I would, for the first time, have something in writing about just who VeriCheck is and be able to complain to the Council. Today I received via email a "final demand" letter and it appears that VeriCheck is a trading name for a registered VeriCred Collections Pty Ltd.
Is that email valid? Do I have grounds for a complaint to the Council? What should I do next? I can afford the amount but the principle of the matter concerns me.
