Ok, so I got a creditor letter today from First Data Merchant Services or rather from a debt collection agency in their employ. In this non-descript letter it states that I owe a small sum that was not paid.Ok, it's one thing to get a notice like this, but there is no further information on what this even relates to.

Further I don't do business with First Data or as it turns out I haven't been doing business with this company for well over 8 years. So I call the lawyer's office that apparently serves as the credit collection agency (lawyers offices getting desperate?). Besides the fact that this lawyer firm was rude as hell, they could offer no further information other than that this debt goes back to ... 1996.

WTF? How bad does a banks records have to be to have an outstanding debt for 8 years?

Now, it's quite possible that there is an outstanding debt on my part. This isn't the first time I've seen something like this. I had the same sort of shit happen with Wells Fargo Merchant services about a year ago. Usually this occurs if you close a merchant account and there end up being contested/fraud transactions that need to get credited against the account. When the account is closed the bank apparently loses the right to access your account to take out any refunds.

As I said it's possible, but here's what I don't get: I'm not one to run off from money I owe and I'll be glad to pay off whatever I owe. However, this episode really pissed me off for a number of reasons. First the bank obviously has the records to contact me and to collect the money directly. if there was an outstanding debt why was I never notified of this? it's not like I moved or mail doesn't follow me? How about at the time when the account closed? Nooooo... that would be too easy and logical. This has happened twice now - I guess I can look forward to this with a third merchant provider I quit a few months ago. I'll probably hear from them in 2010.

Instead, the first that I heard of both of these incidents is from a credit collection agency with rude agents threatening to trash my credit.Worse, you can't get any freakin' information out of the collection agency. If i was dealing with the bank there might  be a chance they could give some real information about the transaction that went bad, so at least I could trace it back to an order and customer. Now the bank came after me for  a charge they decided to give back to the customer. Would you as a business try to collect the money from the customer or ask them to return your product - after 8 years? I don't think so.

But the collection agency doesn't know squat and conveniently they can't get more information. I guess they just expect you to see the letter, quiver in fear and write a check. But that's ridiculous on a transaction that is 8 years old. 8 frickin' years!!! And I should pay this on good faith? For all I know the lawer's office or even First Data could be making up a credit that was never issued. Even if it could be traced and turned out wrong.

I don't even have records that go that far back. What really eats me at this is that I was with this provider for a fair amount of time and they made a shitload of money from this merchant account. While giving away money is not one of a bank's purposes in life.

Sounds like a phishing scheme to me. People will just pay.

So screw 'em. I'm not paying this bill. I'm sick of dealing with the bumblings of a financial institution that can't get its shit in order. I'll deal with the credit issues if it comes to that...