Dell Financial Services Dell charged me & turned me over to collection without notification! Austin Texas

On May 24, 2008 I ordered $267.95 worth of parts from Dell. I gave them a credit card number to pay for the parts. In January 2009 (8 months later!) I received a collection notice from an outside collection agency for non-payment of my Dell account in the amount of $529.76. I had NEVER received a statement, billing notice, notice of collection or ANY type of correspondence from Dell Financial Services indicating that my CLOSED/PAID OFF Dell account had been charged!

I have spent over 4 hours on the phone with Dell Financial Services trying to resolve this issue. I have been lied to by 6 different DFS employees. They said after the first call that the matter was "under investigation" and I would get a call back within 24-48 hours.

After 8 full days, no call ever came. I have written a formal letter of complaint/dispute to Dell and have copied the Texas Attorney General on this letter. The point of this complaint is that NEVER, with any type of correspondence, was I notified by DFS that my account had been reopened and parts had been charged to it. NEVER! NEVER! NEVER NOTIFIED!

My otherwise above average credit report has now suffered a rather large blemish because of DFS.

I do not understand how businesses that practice this type of unethical, unprofessional, completely incompetent, inaccurate type of business/billing practices are allowed to remain open. Isn't there a law somewhere against this type of business practice?

Sandra
Edmond, Oklahoma
U.S.A.