Complaint Review: IC Systems - St. Paul Minnesota

Lynda,

What happened to you is reprehensible, and IC System should be held accountable.  I applaud your efforts to do just that.  In your situation, I would not come to the defense of ICS.  I would stand with you.  They clearly broke the law, harassed you and invaded your privacy.  Your state separates responsibility, so they should not have pursued you. 

Candida's situation is different.  She lives in a community property state.  She is responsible for the debt (if it is valid).  They may call until they contact her according to the law.  They may not share info (or even hint that they are collectors) until they can verify they are talking to the right person.  In other words, as far as I can tell, they are following the law in her case (even if they did not in yours).  So I would simply caution her that it is unwise to deal with them in the same way you would.  You were right to seek legal counsel and fight them at every turn.  I think that her situation would be better handled with the easier option of a written dispute.  If that does not result in her favor, then she should take more drastic options. 

The timing of this is awful.  I can only imagine how hard it would be to have her late husband's name thrown around in this way.  But the solution is easy.  Write a letter.  Check the credit report to be safe.  ICS will likely leave her alone, especially since the original debtor is deceased. 

Candida, I do hope your family is able to weather this well.  Best Regards.

Kevin
Iron River, MI

Kevin, I appreciate that you no longer work for those scumsuckers, but IC Systems are full of abusive bastards that not only abuse debtors and violate the FDCPA, but they aloso violate the HIPAA laws as well.  Can you say lawsuit?

In 1995 when my mother passed away after a long illness, IC Systems tried to collect a debt from my father that she supposedly ran up.  Never mind the fact that the debt was in her name only, she died without a will, which meant no estate, and we lived in New York, which IS AN EQUITABLE RELIEF STATE!  That means my father WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE for her debt.  It sure didn't stop IC Systems from verbally abusing him, calling her a bum and a deadbeat and even saying she cheated on him, which she never did in 31 years of marriage!  This was said to a grieving widower!

Fourteen years later, those scumsucking ex-colleagues of yours try to come after me because my insurance company supposedly didn't pay a bill from a workplace accident in 2007 that nearly cost me my life.  Rather than honor my request for time to get the explanation of benefots from the insurance company's archives since 2007 records are NOT on the computer, those scumsucking ex-colleagues of yours call my father-in-law and disclose my business to him, saying that they were debt collectors calling about a medical bill from 2007 and that they wanted to talk to my husband because I was not being reasonable.  Never mind that simply calling my father-in-law when they already have my number was violation number onhe of the FDCPA.  Violations numbers two and three were asking to speak to my husband about an alleged debt that was not in his name (I still live in NY, which means he is NOT RESPONSIBLE for debts I incur in my name only) and disclosing any information to my father-in-law.  Then to drive the knife deeper, IC Systems violated my HIPAA rights by disclosing the nature of the debt as medical.  My medical bills are NONE OF ANYONE'S BUSINESS BUT MINE!

I have referred this matter to an attorney, as I will not get mad.  I will get paid!

Lynda,

If you read the original report, you will notice that Candida has written from Sacramento, CA...a community property state. 

If the debt is valid (and I doubt it is) then she will need to pay. 

Despite the "scumsucking" characteristics of some debt collectors, even most IC System collectors were patient with a family who just lost a loved one.  When I worked there, if a debtor had passed away, I would simply offer my condolences and politely ask for a copy of the death certificate (since we actually did have people feign death to avoid paying legitimate debt).  I would ask if the family had any intention to pay off the account.  If they said no, I would note that the debtor was deceased and end the call. 

I would spare Candida the trouble of seeking a lawyer if she doesn't have to...and she doesn't have to.  All she needs to do is dispute the claim in writing.  If IC System is mistaken, then they will cease collection efforts.  If her credit has been affected, then it can be corrected if the dispute results in her favor. 

Let me also say this.  The difficulty collectors may experience due to the law is no excuse for unprofessional behavior.  The way some collectors treated debtors was one of the several reasons I left this company and this profession. 

I am so sorry for your loss.

Did your husband have a will?  If he did, then the debt belongs to the estate.  If that is the case, then IC Systems has the right to ask you for payment, as you are the executor being the spouse.

Also, was the debt solely in his name?  If so, and you live in an equitable relief state like New York, then ROMAN AND KEVIN ARE BOTH WRONG!  One spouse's debt does not become the other's debt upon death unless one of two conditions are met.

  1. You live in a community property state, such as Arizona, California, Idaho,         Louisiana, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Washington or Wisconsin.  All of the other states are equitable relief states,which means debts in the nameof one spouse REMAIN the responsibility of that spouse AND ONLY THAT SPOUSE. 

  2. Your husband had a a will,which establishes an estate.

Unless either of those conditions are met, IC Systems is really out of luck.  The debt is not your responsibility.

In 1995 when my mother passed away, these creeps tried to go after my father for a debt my mother ran up.  Since New York is an equitable relief state and she died without a will, there was no estate.  As a result, those bottom feeding scumsuckers at IC Systems were up the creek without a paddle.

Good luck and once again, I am sorry for your loss. 

With the exception of assuming that you are rude...Roman is correct about many things. 1. Collectors may call you as many times as they wish in a day until they actually speak to you. The caveat is that they may not call with such frequency that would harass you. 2. Asking a collection agency to "cease communication" does not settle the issue. It only requires them to stop contacting you via mail or phone. 3. The FDCPA does make it difficult for collectors to do their job. They cannot identify themselves as collectors unless they can verify they are speaking to someone authorized to handle the debt. If you do not identify yourself, they will not reveal the purpose of their call. On the other hand, the law makes it hard for the person being called because most businesses can simply greet you with their name and purpose. So you're not rude, Candida. It's perfectly understandable that you would not speak to someone not willing to identify him/herself. 4. If you want to dispute the claim in writing, just write a letter stating that you are disputing the debt. Call IC System, give them your name. Let them verify who you are by checking your address. Ask for the account # about which they have been calling. Inform the collector that you will dispute this claim in writing. Politely say goodbye and end the call. Then write a letter to IC System simply stating that you are disputing account #_______. They will not (by law) contact you again until they can furnish proof that you owe on the debt (except to say that they received your dispute letter). 5. Roman is correct that married couples assume eachother's debts. If an account was in your husband's name, you are still responsible if it is a valid debt. If IC System can furnish proof that you owe on this account, you should expect to pay it. I still think this is probably an old debt that was written off years ago. It will probably turn out to be nothing. So go ahead and dispute the debt and see where it goes, or just request that they stop calling you. Good Luck, Kevin Iron River, MI

Always tell you to pay a bill that may or may not be yours. Since you have heard nothing about this debt by now - they probably have the wrong person, - PROBLEM IS THEY DON'T CARE! ALL DEBTS ARE SETTLED IN PROBATE AFTER A DEATH. If the creditor did not get bills in BEFORE probate - they have no legal right to try and collect. its too late. I know as I have been through estate probates with both my parents and father in -law. TO THE OP - GO TO www.budhibbs.com ASAP. READ DEALING WITH COLLECTORS 101. YOU WILL GET GOOD LEGAL ADVICE AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LIES FROM PEOPLE LIKE ROMAN..

First off lets straighten something out. Scrap what the other guy said because that wont settle anything because your credit will continue being damaged and the debt will move to another comany. Now that's out of the way, when you marry someone you share everything! Even debt! Your deceased husband (I am sorry for your loss) did accrue some form of debt and though he passed you are still tied to that debt, regardless. Now, the reason you probably don't know what bill they are calling about is due to a rudeness on your part, which many people have when it comes to paying a bill. So get past that, say your his wife and in charge of his estate (which I assume is true). After that you will find out what bill they are calling for. You say they have increased calling? That's because you have a confirmed # and you refuse to speak to them. They may call as many times a day as they want, unless they speak to you! That's the key. Once they speak to you and run through the mini-miranda and discuss the debt they wont call for at least 3 days. I suggest talking to them and working something out. If you don't, the debt will eventually leave their office but will just go to another company.. which will most likely be a debt purchasing company in which they are much more cruel and annoying. Take my advice or not, I just thought I would offer my advice/opinion.

Hello Candida, My name is Kevin and I once worked for IC System. Stories like yours are one of the main reasons I quit. People who are part of the company's management (including the son of the owner) refused to stop their auto dialer from making calls to people with whom we had no business. To be fair, they have millions of accounts and phone numbers in their system. It's bound to happen that a few mistakes get made, but your frustration is quite warranted. There is a way, though to get them to stop calling. IC System's address is at the top of your report. Just write a letter to them telling them to "cease communication" to your address and phone number. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the law that governs the behavior of collectors) requires them to stop writing and calling, as long as the request is made in writing. Send it via certified mail so you can verify its delivery. Once the letter has been delivered, give them a day or two just to be nice. If the calls continue after that, call a lawyer or your local Attorney General. Chances are, they have an old invalid junk account that is 10 years old and was never actually an issue. Nevertheless - not to scare you, but just to be safe - it wouldn't hurt to check your credit reports. If you don't mind, please post an update later on to let us know if the calls stop. Good Luck, Kevin Iron River, MI

Hello Candida, My name is Kevin and I once worked for IC System. Stories like yours are one of the main reasons I quit. People who are part of the company's management (including the son of the owner) refused to stop their auto dialer from making calls to people with whom we had no business. To be fair, they have millions of accounts and phone numbers in their system. It's bound to happen that a few mistakes get made, but your frustration is quite warranted. There is a way, though to get them to stop calling. IC System's address is at the top of your report. Just write a letter to them telling them to "cease communication" to your address and phone number. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the law that governs the behavior of collectors) requires them to stop writing and calling, as long as the request is made in writing. Send it via certified mail so you can verify its delivery. Once the letter has been delivered, give them a day or two just to be nice. If the calls continue after that, call a lawyer or your local Attorney General. Chances are, they have an old invalid junk account that is 10 years old and was never actually an issue. Nevertheless - not to scare you, but just to be safe - it wouldn't hurt to check your credit reports. If you don't mind, please post an update later on to let us know if the calls stop. Good Luck, Kevin Iron River, MI

Hello Candida, My name is Kevin and I once worked for IC System. Stories like yours are one of the main reasons I quit. People who are part of the company's management (including the son of the owner) refused to stop their auto dialer from making calls to people with whom we had no business. To be fair, they have millions of accounts and phone numbers in their system. It's bound to happen that a few mistakes get made, but your frustration is quite warranted. There is a way, though to get them to stop calling. IC System's address is at the top of your report. Just write a letter to them telling them to "cease communication" to your address and phone number. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the law that governs the behavior of collectors) requires them to stop writing and calling, as long as the request is made in writing. Send it via certified mail so you can verify its delivery. Once the letter has been delivered, give them a day or two just to be nice. If the calls continue after that, call a lawyer or your local Attorney General. Chances are, they have an old invalid junk account that is 10 years old and was never actually an issue. Nevertheless - not to scare you, but just to be safe - it wouldn't hurt to check your credit reports. If you don't mind, please post an update later on to let us know if the calls stop. Good Luck, Kevin Iron River, MI

Hello Candida, My name is Kevin and I once worked for IC System. Stories like yours are one of the main reasons I quit. People who are part of the company's management (including the son of the owner) refused to stop their auto dialer from making calls to people with whom we had no business. To be fair, they have millions of accounts and phone numbers in their system. It's bound to happen that a few mistakes get made, but your frustration is quite warranted. There is a way, though to get them to stop calling. IC System's address is at the top of your report. Just write a letter to them telling them to "cease communication" to your address and phone number. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the law that governs the behavior of collectors) requires them to stop writing and calling, as long as the request is made in writing. Send it via certified mail so you can verify its delivery. Once the letter has been delivered, give them a day or two just to be nice. If the calls continue after that, call a lawyer or your local Attorney General. Chances are, they have an old invalid junk account that is 10 years old and was never actually an issue. Nevertheless - not to scare you, but just to be safe - it wouldn't hurt to check your credit reports. If you don't mind, please post an update later on to let us know if the calls stop. Good Luck, Kevin Iron River, MI