Cable scam? What do you think?

[preciousjeni]

Let me share with you the insanity that took hold yesterday...

I used to live in Athens, GA. I now live in Nyack, NY. The final move-out date from Athens (after which I never lived there again) was July 2004.

When I moved, I cut off all utilities and such and paid off any balances.

Yesterday, my father checked my "billing address" which is a P.O. Box in Georgia that I use as my mail headquarters (he checks it daily) and found a collections notice associated with a cable account I had in Athens. The company is "Charter Communications."

This collections notice states that I owe $104.03 and that the account is negatively affecting my credit.

Here's the kicker...

The account was sent to the collections agency at the end of 2005. And the home address for the account??? It was a location where I have NEVER LIVED.

Account Info (each one has a separate account number):

ACCOUNT 1
-------------------------------------------------------------
280 XX Drive (Athens, GA)
*This is my real account and real address.

Start Date: 8/3/03
End Date: 7/27/04

Status: Voluntary Disconnect by customer; good standing
-------------------------------------------------------------

ACCOUNT 2
-------------------------------------------------------------
260 XX Drive (Athens, GA)
*This is the account they pinned on me where I never lived.

Start Date: 8/1/2003
End Date: 9/17/2003

(YES, that's SIX WEEKS)

Status: Cut-off by company; delinquent ($104.03)
-------------------------------------------------------------

Both accounts are listed under my social security number and my name. So, I spent the majority of yesterday on the phone with the cable company and the collections agency. I had to get my father involved since he's actually IN Georgia and I'm not.

They told me all kinds of crazy stuff. Near the end of the day, I finally got to talk to a woman at the cable company who actually listened to me and saw what I was talking about. She's the one who gave me all the above information about dates and such (no one else would release that info to me!)

My father is going into the local Athens cable office today to set them straight. I had to send a note with my signature giving him permission to access my account - the note has all my info including phone number in case they have an issue.

Here's what I think happened:

The people in 260 XX Drive had a delinquent account for a couple years. The cable company wanted its money. So, they made a little typographical "mistake" and put the account under the name of a customer who never missed a payment and paid in full at the end of the service. It's easy to see how similar "260" and "280" are. They could just say it was a mistake.

And, I'm thinking that they figured after the two years (Mind you, they don't "keep accounting records" past six months! So, I couldn't do any investigating even if I wanted to!) they could harass me to the point that I would just give them some money to leave me alone.

I suppose they didn't expect that I would cause such a ruckus! Best believe I WILL be going to my landlord (who owns both 260 and 280) and getting evidence that I never lived at 260. For heaven's sake, I never SET FOOT on that address!

So, tell me, what do y'all think?