Complaint Review: BMG Music And NCS

Wow. I almost felt good for this NCS employee... Then I realize how they put me and others I know through Hell by NOT doing any of this until I sued them up and down and won. Anyone else like a shot at these guys. This agency must go away along with many others. Join us on the new site in addition to this one at www.onenationunites.com and fight back in as many ways possible.

You may or may not accept my advice I am simply relaying to you all the information I have gathered. I also have some insider privaleges and I am able to tell you exactly what you need to do, and how you need to approach NCS if you are wanting the quickest most efficient results/feedback.

I see the situation from both sides. If I were a consumer with something on my credit and hadn't yet recieved a notice from the creditor OR NCS I would be worried and maybe upset! However just the other day I talked to a consumer who had a collection with NCS from a long time ago but didn't know anything about it, she had moved adresses and hadn't recieved the initial letter NCS had mailed. After talking with a rep. and hearing a breakdown of the bill she had questions that I see posted on the web all the time, and that were easily answered.

--Will NCS delete if I PIF?
--Will NCS clear it off my credit completely?
--How long will this take?

These were questions that were all answered easily and she was able to clear the mess up quickly.

I can honstly tell you that I am not trying to misinform, lie or persuade you to pay. I have simply been clarifying certian terms and procedures and have tried to outline your options:
-requesting validation
-submitting a dispute
-payment in full
-settlement
-cease & desist
-filing a complaint

NCS is a legitimate business and they are currently expanding as they pick up more and more clients. Although collections has a bad reputation, it is a business just like any other business. If they (NCS) break the law they will be fined and eventually go out of business, so this is not an option. Especially considering how much goverment watch and regulation is focused solely on CA's.

NCS is however trying to improve thier collections process. We will be opening up the lines of communication with consumers so that you may be better informed and less anxious or upset about the sometimes stressful situation.That is what Bridget & Lisa will be responsible for, getting the word out there.

NCS does not scam consumers. They aren't just picking a name out of a hat and calling that person and asking them for money. When another company has a large amount of unpaid accounts and they're struggling with revenue they outsource collections to an agency like NCS. NCS takes the information they are given

I repeat:
Takes the information they are given

and procedes to
1.) Update the outdated information
2.) Investiagte the accounts
3.) Collect on the accounts


It is always your choice to pay or not to pay: To pay your taxes to pay your bills, whatever it may be. There are obviously certain consequences if you do not pay your bills. Collections is one of those consequences. We wil not harras or bully you, but the debt will be pursued consistently.

Disputes and complaints are not ignored however due to the volume of letters that NCS recieves daily it takes some time. Our Dispute Department has up to 30 days to respond to each dispute from the day it is recieved.

BELOW is some of the best advice I can give you, this is a completely objective list --- with no motivation to serve the interests of NCS but rather to let you know what NCS will accept, what NCS will reject, the type of timeframes you till be looking at, and I will adress the main problems that consumers are having.

*Ask for validation within the 30 days you are given ( NCS will send you validation of the debt no problem) but if you are dealing with any CA always ask for validation in case they are not legitimate and can not provide validation.

*Investigate the account
- Validation provides you with an itemized account of the items you are being charged for...do you have these items
- Have you ever been a victim of Identity theft
- Have you ever filed bankruptcy
-Check out the original creditor, if they are a company you are unfamiliar with see if they are a carrier for a company you DO do business with ( Ex: Sage Telecom--provider for AT&T) or (Columbia House--merged with BMG)

*Ask questions to your account manager at NCS..if you are unhappy with your service at NCS some people request a cease and desist or hire an attorney to represent them.

* Know your rights

* Be patient

* Sumit a dispute THE CORRECT WAY
-must be a written dispute
-provide PROOF, documents, dates, whatever you have (in writting) that will support your dispute...Unfortunatly if you simply state that the account is not your debt but can not provide any proof then the debt will be validated and will still stand in your name

*IF YOU HAVE THIS PROOF submit this DIRECTLY to NCS and your account will be closed!!! We see people with legitimate proof who file a dispute with parties other than NCS. This is only makes the process longer for you, we want to let you know that we can handle this for you no problem.

*It is legal for NCS to report to your credit. You may or may not have been contacted by the original creditor for attempts to receive payment before they handed over the account to a 3rd party collections agency. It is frustrating to find something on your credit report without any warning HOWEVER once the account is handed down to a collections agency (the last step) they have the right to report it to the Credit Bureau without notification (With the exceptions of 3 states).

National Credit Solutions gained credit reporting capabilities after the company was audited and fulfilled the requirements set by Credit Bureau. Unlike other agencies NCS contacts the credit bureau every Friday for the quickest possible updates to your credit. Whether you establish payment in full, a payment plan, a settlement, or have the account closed there is a difference in each option and how it affects your credit report. If you have any questions or would like to make an agreement that best suits your situation please call into the office at 1-800-384-0585 and have your account number ready.

*Any additional late fees that have accumulated on your account depend on two things. These fees will vary according to the contract that you entered into with the original creditor at the time of your transaction. Varying state regulations also dictate what kind of fees and collections are permissible. If you have any questions about your account you may call National Credit Solutions at 1-800-384-0508 and ask for a breakdown of your charges.

*After NCS sends you validation of the debt they are not further required to prove any of the details of your original transaction with the creditor. Validation includes an itemized statement of your transaction, contact information of the original creditor, and your last known billing address. Even if you didn't actually receive the product you were charged for that is an issue that needs to be taken up with the original creditor. When the agency receives accounts from the original creditor they trust that the accounts are correct and valid. Due to the large amount of accounts some errors and cases of identity theft may occur. In these situations the burden of providing proof lies with consumer. You must submit substantial evidence to NCS that proves that this debt is not yours, an example of this would be submitting identity theft policy reports and the official affidavit.

*There is a difference between filing a dispute and a complaint. If you feel that the debt is not rightfully yours send in a written dispute and submit proof accordingly to the NCS office. If you have experienced harassment or witnessed any unlawful business practices there are a number of places you can submit a complaint. However, filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, Better Business Bureau, your Attorney General, or on the ACA International website does not close the account.
We will respond to any complaints filed through these organizations and provide validation. We pride ourselves on maintaining a healthy relationship with the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission and wish to defend our reputation and handle any and all complaints in a timely and professional manner.

*If you have moved and currently have a new address it helps to call in and correct the information so you can receive any reminders for payments, receipts, or notifications concerning your account. You should have received an initial letter 5 days after any contact with NCS informing you of your balance and your rights. If you have found something on your credit report and haven't received a notice from NCS yet please contact our office so that we can get you the information you need as quickly as possible.

*If you contact NCS and make a request for payment in full (PIF) your account will be closed and the Credit Bureau will be contacted. We will request that the collection be deleted from your credit report entirely. NCS reports to the Credit Bureau with any updates to your credit every Friday. This ensures quicker updates than many other agencies out there. All that NCS can do however is notify the Credit Bureau and after that it is their obligation to make any changes as they see fit. The time that it takes to see any immediate results or removal varies.

*If you are seeing the date of December 2008 this is when National Credit Solutions received your actual account, this is NOT the date that indicates when the actual transaction occurred NOR does this date effect the fall-off date of the collection on your credit. The fall-off date for the collection on your credit is seven years from the last activity on the account. Your credit report will have this date listed. NCS does not re-age any accounts or manipulate any information illegally. NCS operates in compliance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). We are licensed and working continuously to adhere to different stipulations that vary from state to state. We follow a strict code of ethics and treat every one of our consumers respectfully.

*There are some consequences that come from leaving a collection report on your credit and waiting for 7 years for it to fall off. These consequences include but are not limited to drastic changes in your credit score, high interest rates, high insurance premiums, and difficulty acquiring loans or purchasing a house or car and may affect job eligibility. For more information on Your Rights: Credit Reporting & Credit Reports & Scoring visit http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/credit.shtm

This information is not to be construed as legal advice. Legal advice must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. Every effort has been made to assure that this information is correct and up-to-date. This is not a full and exhaustive explanation of the law nor should it be used as or considered legal council.

Because I am advising you to contact NCS I must state by law:
National Credit Solutions is a debt collection company. This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides that a debt collector may not use any false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of debt. Section 807 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides that "false, deceptive, or misleading representation" includes the failure to disclose the mini Miranda in the oral or written communication with the consumer and in addition to this within five days after first contact, the debt collector must send a written notice advising the consumer of the amount of money owed; the name of the creditor to whom the money is owed; and the actions which the consumer may take if the consumer believes that he, or she, does not owe the money.

Thank you for your patience and I hope that I was able to help you in some way. Dealing with debt can be scary or unpleasant but NCS can help. We strive to make the payment process as easy and quick as possible for you. Getting your debt resolved and keeping you satisfied is our first priority.

NCS will be launching a new consumer friendly website in the near future. We are working on opening up the lines of communication to better inform consumers who are going through the collections process.

For anyone who has been reading any NCS bloggs and has questions I would love to help you and walk you through the process; however you need to contact the office so we can speak in person. To ensure compliance with federal laws pertaining to debt collection, we are unable to correspond electronically. The reason I can not give you any assistance via email is due to third-party disclosure (someone might read the email and NCS is held liable for the unauthorized disclosure of collections activities to an outside party) We want to help you, but we also want to do everything according to the law. Please feel free to call the office at 1-800- 384-0585 I have listed our hours below.

11am- 8pm Monday
11am- 6pm Tuesday
11am- 9pm Wednesday
11am- 8pm Thursday
11am- 5pm Friday
Central Standard time

We had the same problem and experienced the same thing. We sued, won and made them cry all in 2 months time. I went to their center of operations. Found out through the local Sherriff's office that they like to lock the door when they suspect process servers and angry people coming. I had our process server show up as a UPS guy. LOL. I even travelled there and got through the door. They were a bunch of 18-22 year old kids running the place. I witnessed about 26 violations by listening to their agents on the phones and how they addressed me. We got them in court, had them pay restitution and fines to us and the courts, and made them remove all unfounded reports from the CRAs. Go get em. Smack back down. :-)

There are other complaints on this very site about the same issue, search for "National Credit Solutions BMG". Also, on (((Redacted)))there are many claims similar to yours. When you see that "Bridget" gives consumers adcvice regarding NCS, keep in mind that she represents NCS and simply wants you to see payment as your only option with no regard for validating this debt. When you see that "Lisa19072" responds to consumers on complaintsboard.com this is the same person representing NCS and trying to convince you that payment of this alleged debt is the only solution.

If they can convince you to pay without regard for verification, this is the only way they can make money. They are not "here to help" as Bridget or Lisa19072 claim, they are HERE TO COLLECT, no matter what.

CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.