For the past few months I have been receiving collection calls for the address that we used to rent. Duke energy has our new address on file.

Last month I got fed up with the calls and called in to their customer service dept and advised the rep that we no longer live at that address and they need to stop calling my cell phone and sending me texts. I was told the issue was corrected but this week I received two collection calls and a text threatening to cut off power.

I have not worked in collections for a few years but I thought once a third party told you it is a wrong number AND a cell phone you had to stop harassing them! I was told each call on a cell after being advised it was a wrong number could be a $1000 fine or something.

What is the best course of action? Call their C/S again and hope it works this time?

Page 16 of this manual discusses liability and may help you.

Tell them you absolutely refuse to pay and you just don't care if they cut the power off (at your old address.)

As painful as it is, you are probably better off digging into it and following it through to resolution. The last thing you want to deal with is them reporting it to your credit and selling the "debt" to a collection agency.

I realize you don't live there anymore, but I didn't see where you posted that you do or don't owe money.

My assumption is you don't.
I wonder if the new tenants were able to put it back in your name for a short time.

quote:

Originally posted by lbj:

I wonder if the new tenants were able to put it back in your name for a short time.

I would not doubt that at all, the water company did that to one of our rentals. They never turned off the water after we had it turned on between tenants for renovations.

Call the North Carolina Utilities Commission.

1-866-380-9816 or 919-733-9277. File a billing dispute.

I don't owe money. The account is not in my name and the recording is not asking for me. When I had them update their records I explained VERY clearly that I moved. They confirmed my new address, contact info and that I didn't have anything due in my name yet the collection calls continue.

Call and ask for a supervisor. Get their name and direct number and if you get another call you call them directly by name and ask for their boss and get their name and number. Repeat until calls stop.

The rep on the front line will tell you whatever you want to hear in order to get you off their line so they can get to their next call quicker. The supervisor will make sure it gets taken care of because they don't want the hassle or you calling back.

Will do. Duke Energy is disclosing this woman's name and that she is about to have her power cut off. They really need to work on their collection methods and privacy protocol. It would be cool if they left ME alone too.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I don't owe money. The account is not in my name and the recording is not asking for me. When I had them update their records I explained VERY clearly that I moved. They confirmed my new address, contact info and that I didn't have anything due in my name yet the collection calls continue.

I repeat my advice. Every state has different utility regulation but filing a dispute will usually halt any collection process. If the Company is making a mistake of some sort, they will want to correct it before the make a Company report to their state regulatory authority. If the company thinks its billing is correct they will have to prove your delinquecy or balance.
liability to what is considered a third (neutral) party.

Since the debt is someone else's, I wonder how they justify going after you.

Of course that is probably what you have been asking them.

The block function on phone calls and texts works wonders these days....

We endured several years of skip tracers attempting collection on a debt tied to our phone number. About every six months a new round of calls despite our notifying the caller that we were not the people they were calling (names were not even close) and requesting that they cease calling.

One evening I returned one call that was left on our voice mail. The gentleman that answered was an attorney. He explained how the process works, how the debts were bundled and sold off and how they attempt to collect. He did advise me to not reveal my name nor did he ask me for it. He reasoning was that somewhere, somehow someone would tag our name as having knowledge of the target's whereabouts. And why take the chance.

Next time I received a call the tracer got very pushy and demanded that I tell her who I was which I refused. She then got pretty mouthy and was pretty unladylike in her language to which I responded in a non gentlemanly manner. And then hung up on her.

Finally about five years ago the the calls came to a halt around the holidays. A "sweet little old lady" (?) called looking for her niece. We had a nice conversation. I informed her that we had been assigned this phone number about eight years previous and that we had been getting a lot of calls for the couple without elaborating. She replied that it had been several years since she talked to her niece and she really wanted to find her. I told her good luck, everybody that I talked to also wanted to find her and her husband....... , again without elaborating.

She thanked me for my time. I still think this was a plant to see if they could trick the errant couple to the phone.

Send them a registered letter covering what you talked to them about. Keep the copy and the acknowledgement that they received the letter.

Duke Energy is not violating any collection laws, in this instance they are the creditor, creditors are not subject to the FDCPA. That law covers third party which is defined as a company or person that is engaged in the recovery of debts for a creditor.

Duke is simply calling your number but that doesn't mean they are calling for you as the delinquent account holder, so unless the account is yours it's simply a wrong number call.

Call duke customer service, complain about the continued calls there is no reason to not to tell them your name to confirm its not your account, ask them to remove number from the account, email them too, and ask for a supervisor since it continues

Contact Duke's customer service department, tell them the facts and let them know the next time you hear from them again about this you will file a formal complaint with the state public utility commission. Then do it the next time they call. If it is like the other states I've worked in at utilities, Duke is required by law to address these complaints.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
We endured several years of skip tracers attempting collection on a debt tied to our phone number. ...

That sucks. I got assigned a new phone number for a work phone a couple years ago. I had only a few calls from a hospital and an ambulance service looking to collect before they gave up, or call block worked. I told them once each that I just got this number from the phone company and have no idea who had it before.

It was a small price to pay for getting away from the shitshow that was a number comprised of a pattern of 1's, 3's, and 6's. I got mis-dialed all the damn time. The calls after 11 PM often seemed to be related to unlicensed pharmaceutical sales by and for a certain urban demographic.

quote:

Originally posted by Nuclear:
Contact Duke's customer service department, tell them the facts and let them know the next time you hear from them again about this you will file a formal complaint with the state public utility commission. Then do it the next time they call. If it is like the other states I've worked in at utilities, Duke is required by law to address these complaints.

Don't bother with Customer Service, call the main number and ask for their legal department address. Then send them a letter. You will be amazed at the response. Throw in a gratuitous reference in the letter about the Fair Debt Collection Act.