Universal Subscription Agency Is their collection agency credible I was scammed, and don't want my credit ruined by these people~! Las Vegas Nevada

Like everyone, I admit that I was dumb enough to give into their stupid sales pitch, and I am truly regretting my lapse of judgement right now. I am a college student in Tennessee that was home on break, and after I had already handed over the check (which was for a "donation subscription" to a children's hospital), I was asking the guy at my door about the college he claimed to go to (UAH). He also claimed he graduated from Huntsville High the same year as my sister. So, I figured that Huntsville High is small and he probablly knew alot of the same people that I do, but he was very vague and sketchy about his answers to all the questions I would ask him. This left me with a really uneasy feeling, and I immediately cancelled the check and sent a letter to the subscription agency as the back of the reciept instructed me to do. A few months pass and I assume everything is taken care of and they recieved the letter, etc. Last week I recieved a letter from their collection agency informing me that I have to pay $54 for the magazine subscription in addition to a $30 bounced check fee. This is ridiculous! I not only don't have enough money to pay for this scam, but I feel like I've been cheated and they are lying to me about never recieving my letter.

So, my ultimate question for anyone that has undergone a similar situation is whether their collection agency actually has the power to report you to the state (given the bad BBB rating of Universal Subscription, the fact that the credit agency didn't have a license in 2005, etc...) I personally think the best way to fight this scam would be to simply not pay them.... but I'm young and I don't want my credit ruined at such an early age... Please, if you've refused to pay, let me know what has happened to you and whether they will actually ruin your credit!

Jessica
Huntsville, Alabama
U.S.A.