OK...somebody help me out here.

[Swoopman]

Here's the deal. I owe Columbia House Music Club about $70 for some cds I got about 2 years ago. It was only $35, but they added some other late charges to it or something. Anyway, I would've paid 'em, but I don't have a job and I don't have any money. On the rare occasion that I do come across some, it usually goes for gas or food. I'm 18 now and was 16 when I got the cds. Now they've turned it over to a collection agency. My question is can this ruin my credit even though they never got a credit card number from me? Hell, they never even asked my age. Thx.

 

[BiggieN]

hmmm...you should've change the name on the account...and the address.

 

[yakko]

Yes it can and you deserve it.

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

I just saw something the other day on TV about minors entering into contracts. After you turn 18, you have an amount of time (I don't recall how much) to get out of the contract you entered into as a minor, but if you wait too long it will be a regular "adult" binding contract.

 

[Swoopman]

<< Yes it can and you deserve it. >>



Yes I do if it can, but how can it if they don't have a credit card number?

 

[BiggieN]

i thought that if you are a minor..your parents are liable for your actions....but don't quote me on that. jsut call them up and explain. i think the CR has the power to close your account with no penalties.

 

[HoopDogg]

do what I do

run!

 

[Viper GTS]

Swoopman...

It's based on your name &amp; social security number, not a credit card number.

As far as getting out of debt, it's only $70... Can't you pawn $70 worth of stuff?

Viper GTS

 

[Swoopman]

<< i thought that if you are a minor..your parents are liable for your actions....but don't quote me on that. jsut call them up and explain. i think the CR has the power to close your account with no penalties. >>



I don't want my parents to be penalized for my stupidity.



<< It's based on your name &amp; social security number, not a credit card number. >>



Ahh...thats no good.

 

[reitz]

Pay it, and pay it now, or you'll be &quot;paying&quot; for it for years to come. Sell some of your computer games, or whatever it takes. You really don't want a black mark on your credit report right after you turned 18 (Well, you never really want one, but it can really stop you from establishing credit early on). Trust me, due to a horrible situation I got into with some roommates/theives 2 years ago, my credit is ruined. I can't get a credit card, in-store financing, or any kind of loan, and it will be years before that changes.

You should still have a chance to pay the collection agency before the mark goes on your record. Pay it tomorrow!

 

[Russ]

Swoopman,

Setting aside for a moment that your action was that of a deadbeat, it is probably not that big a deal. The collection agency may not yet have even reported it to the credit bureaus. Did they tell you they have, or are they threatening to?

If they haven't, just pay the bill, and it won't show up. If they have already reported it, pay the bill, and it will show satisfied. It's a small debt incurred as a teenager. It's not going to ruin you.

Russ, NCNE

 

[Swoopman]

Russ,

They turned it over to the collection agency about a year ago. They sent one notice and that was the last I heard from them for about 3 or 4 months. Since then they send them about every month and a half. They've never said anything about reporting it to the credit bureaus or threatened to do so. I never really thought $70 was such a big deal.

 

[Ronstang]

Swoopman,

You don't have to pay it, you were a minor when you entered the contract and Columbia cannot hold you to it since it is illegal to enter into a contract with a minor. I have personally tested this with my girlfriends daughter. She recieved one of those &quot;record deals&quot;, get 10 CD's yada yada. Nowhere on the form was age asked for. My girlfriends 14 year old daughter filled out the card and sent it in. She recieved the CDs and my GF called the company and told them they had sent the CDs to a 14 year old. They cancelled any furhter obligation, apologised, and told her to enjoy the CDs. If their stupid enough to send those cards out and not verify age they deserve to get stung.

Have one of your parents call and explain that you were a minor and were not legaqlly able to enter the contract for the CDs. Since Columbia did not verify your age it's their problem!

 

[mztykal]

Swoopman,

See, I knew there was a reason I always used my brothers name on those forms! Oh well, just call and tell em what Ronstang said. They should let you off with at most a warning. Oh well, the stupid things us teenagers do for music. *sigh*

-Sean

 

[CrumCake]

I wonder if i was the one that wrapped them up and sent them to you. I used to get all kinds of letters from parents when i worked in the returns dept. saying that their kids are or were minors and they did not have permission to sign up. You were a minor when you signed up, so you win and we lose.

 

[Swoopman]

Kick Ass! Where's that number?...

 

[bigvince]

what you should do is just forget about it and in three or four years they will write it off as a loss, and as far as your credit is conserned i highly doubt that it would show up on a credit report, besides why aren't you just downloading music like everybody else, there's no chance of getting caught that way....



also if you really want to pay for it you can order more cd's under a diffrent name and adress get those cd's rip them on your computer then sell them to a resale shop like the disc-go-round or something like that, take the money and pay off the debt.

 

[Wangel]

Screw it!

I don't remember them ever asking for your social security number, and you probably didn't have a credit card at the time. All they have is probably your name, address, city, state, zip and perhaps phone. Not really enough. I would suggest that you just forget about it. With just this information, there is very little (besides sending you threatening letters) they can do. At a certain point they will write it off. I believe the point is 3 years. You are already 2/3's there.

 

[Swoopman]

Hehe...and I'm moving later this year! SCHWEET!!! Hehe...dumb bastards!

 

[Frenchie]

it is illegal to enter into a contract with a minor.

Sorry, but that is an incorrect statement of the law. Anyone can enter into a contract with a minor; it is not illegal. Unless the contract was for the purchase of necessities, the contract is voidable by the minor. If it is not voided by the minor before he reaches the age of majority, then he may be considired to have reaffirmed the contract. If reaffirmed, it is as if he, as an adult, entered into a binding contract.

Most major companies report to a credit reporting agency. When you get the chance, spend the $15 to get a copy of your credit report. If it's on there, pay it off asap. It will effect your ability to get credit later on in life. If it is not on there, then I would disregard it. Since it is such a small amount, it will not be sent to legal. It will be written off and the statute of limitations will be allowed to run.

 

[Pretender]

<< I owe Columbia House Music Club about $70 for some cds I got about 2 years ago >>

Thanks to napster and my CD burner, this should never be a problem for me