Hollywood Video

I received a notice from West Bay saying that I owed $27 for late fees from five movies rented in 2009.

I managed one of two locations in Fullerton, CA for four years. Employees had to have their debt (if they had any) paid before being allowed to rent again. It was company policy. Three of my debts are from March and two are from October. Were they late? Possibly. Did I pay them? I absolutely had to have paid the March debts in order to have even rented the October ones. My store closed at the end of November that year. I know that my employee rental account was up to date when the store shut down.

Do not pay anything if you receive a notice. Call the FTC and/or your state's attorney general. This is completely fraudulent; a total scam. I am so highly irritated on behalf of not just myself, but former employees who have received notices as well as customers who I became friendly with.

On February 10, 2012, I received a phone call from Universal Fidelity LP saying that I owe $32.32 to Hollywood Video. The charge was supposedly for "some videos" in 2009. They could not tell me the location of the store or give me any proof of rental. I challenged them to show proof of account ownership and receipts for the charges or for any fees incurred. They said they could not provide any. We do not owe any late fees to any Hollywood Video store. This charge is groundless and sounds like a scam.

On 2/9/12 I received a letter from West Bay Acquisition, LLC out of Rhode Island stating that I owe for two DVD rentals. First of all, I cancelled my membership with Hollywood Video prior to the release of the movies listed; secondly, I've never even seen these movies; and thirdly, I had no balance left at all with Hollywood Video. They went out of business in my city in 2007 and I rented movies from Blockbuster Video only after that! The bogus bill says I rented them in 2009--the store was closed! I am very concerned that a fraudulent group running a scam has gotten hold of my information and would like them investigated. Thank you.

I am just now receiving a notice that I owe $136.87 to Hollywood Video from 2009. It is saying I have 11 late movies. I returned all these movies on time, furthermore, if I had not, I would have received notice 3 years ago when the store was still open. When I called the number to see what this was about, they "offered to reduce the payment in half" to take care of this bill. That's when I knew this was a hoax. I do not want this to go against my credit for late fees that are not mine. I know there are other people out there that this has happened to as well. I would like this removed from my credit. I do not owe this amount for late fees.

I just received a collection letter from A.R.M. Solutions in Camarillo stating that I owe $51.91 for late fees from back in 2009. I, too, am outraged by this "scam" and I am reporting it to the FTC. I wrote out my dispute letter this evening. Good luck to all of you who are also going through this frustration. These people are crooks!

I am receiving collections notice from ARM solutions about a past account with Hollywood Video. Our account was in good standing when the local store closed. The collections company does not answer calls, and has failed to provide documentation that debt is actually owed. This is a fraudulent attempt to collect money based on poor accounting practices, and corporate greed.

A.R.M. Solutions in Camarillo, CA sent me a collection notice stating I owe $88.24 in late fees for 6 DVD's I rented in 2009. As people suggested here, I filed a complaint with the CA Attorney General and sent ARM a debt dispute/validation letter. The AG sent me a letter stating they forwarded my complaint to ARM and ARM sent them a letter back saying, I had "verified" the debt "prior to their involvement" and that their records match what was provided to them by their client.

Also says that "they have ceased their efforts on this matter and forwarded to our client for review". What the does that mean? That they are no longer trying to collect on fraudulent charges? If any lawyer has the time or knowledge to go after these collection companies, saying they represent Hollywood Video and trying to collect across the states from what must be thousands of us, please, step up and help!

I can't believe, with all the companies (phone, internet, insurance, cable, etc) that we have to keep track of in our lives and deal with crappy customer service, we now have to waste our very little time to fight fictitious charges from collection agencies that threaten to fraudulently report to the credit agencies. I am absolutely enraged by this. Please people, take a minute to report this to your respective Attorney Generals and you lawyers out there, go after these collection agencies. I will be happy to be a part of that lawsuit.

This a follow-up to a previous posting. Everyone who has gotten a collection letter from Universal Fidelity LP or any other collection agency relating to Hollywood Video needs to check out this Stipulation and Agreed Order filed 5/6/2011. (Case ** Doc **) Among other things, it seems to provide assurance than none of these collection efforts can result in a negative report to a credit reporting agency--a bit of comfort in all this mess. Also, it provides the name of the Trustee and the name and address of the person to contact at Hollywood Video if you need a person to complain to.

http://**

I received the same letter from Universal. This is very disturbing, considering I had a pass and making monthly payment with no late fees. They said I owe $346.07 for 18 video and game rentals from August through December 2009. Prior to HV's demise, I was a customer since 1988, renting from one of their first stores here in Oregon.

I received a collections letter (demand for payment) from A.R.M. Solutions for "Legal Successor of Hollywood Video." I disputed the claim and filed complaints with AG for California and for Oregon.

I received a letter on 1/24 from Universal Fidelity, LP, regarding a debt they say I owe for $43.68 on 4 videos, from 2009. I don't owe this. I have done research, and come up with **. This document is complicated, but I believe it says that as of 5/2011, they can no longer attempt to collect. I am going to document everything I do with the agency. First, I will call, and then I will report to the Attorney General. As you can see at the bottom of the document, all the Attorney Generals, after the complaints, took action against the company.

If anyone is a lawyer, and can explain the exact details of the settlement, please post. Also, note that Hollywood video/Movie Gallery has an address in Tigard, Oregon, and the man is Mr. Ryan ** for HV/MG. If you do send a letter requesting validation, make sure you get the right address, and that is not going to be a PO box. You want a proof of delivery with a signature. You can't get that at a PO box. Search the internet, the address for Universal Fidelity is listed, and the address listed in the document I mentioned above in Tigard, Oregon, may or may not be relevant. I think it may have been against other debt collectors, but says that any future debt collectors are bound by the bankruptcy stipulation as well. Good luck. Give us an update.

I received a notice on 1-24-2012 from Universal Fidelity, LP of Houston, TX, dated 1-9-12. The notice says that I owe $105.30 to "Legal Successor of Hollywood Video". The charges are from 1-30-09 to 4-28-09. Please. 3-year old 'debt' and I am in collections for it and I never received any notice. How on earth were additional charges made if there were existing late fees? Who is the scammer? Hollywood Video? 'Legal Successor of Hollywood Video'? Or Universal Fidelity, LP? I was not able to talk with anyone at the phone number on the notice, just a continual ringing and recording. How many innocent and honest people will just pay these fees? How is my credit going to be impacted? 3 years of outstanding debt that isn't even real? What can be done?

If you have received a collection letter from Universal Fidelity LP representing "Legal Successor of Hollywood Video" for unsubstantiated (and potentially bogus) past charges from Hollywood Video, please call your local Attorney General's office and file a complaint. They are receiving complaints, but the volume must be in the hundreds for them to pursue any action. Colorado's has three as of today and they need more. Also, please call the FTC at 877-FTC-HELP and file a complaint. They also need to hear from many consumers to investigate and possibly file a class action lawsuit against these people. Also, file a report online at ** and watch their website for developments.

I received a letter on 1-24-12 that stated I had an outstanding fee of $89.92 for two video games and two movies. This is completely not the case because at one point I was a member of a program that allowed you to rent up to two movies and one video game or two video games at a time and there were no late fees. This is completely ridiculous and there are numerous other news reports and people writing in to different websites stating that they believe this is all a scam. I will be fighting this. And if they don't agree to get rid of the charges after I call, the next call will be my lawyer!

We were sent a bill for $91.98 for videos on our account with Hollywood which were returned on time and not late. We do not have these videos and we do not owe the amount in question. This is a fraudulent scheme by a collection company with no morals or basis for a collection of debt.

I received a bill from Universal Fidelity on 1-24-12 saying that I owed $19.16 for 2 movies that I never rented on 9-01-2009. This was obviously fraud, so I called them at 1-281-647-4100. I talked with Anna R. who had a very heavy Indian accent and said she was out of Houston Texas and that Hollywood Video was in bankruptcy and their dept was given to a company, then another and then another until it eventually ended up with Universal Fidelity. I told her I was going to report her and she seemed frustrated.

She mentioned Hollywood Video had passed along many delinquent account names and they have found that folks did not owe what HV said they owed and many had not even done business with HV before. She removed me from their list and contact HV about me not owing them anything. She said everything was fine. I still get a gut feeling this is a scam and they are taking money from people wrongly.

I received a letter from Universal Fidelity, LP/Legal successor of Hollywood Video today for some bogus late fee bill. These alleged late fees were dated three years ago and amounted to $230.57. This should be criminal in the current economic climate and with all the bank fraud and scandals in our financial systems. I had an account with Hollywood Video and it was a package deal on rentals. We paid monthly in order to have rentals on a needed basis. This will be sent to my Congressman today with a nice letter expressing my dismay and concern for such Illegal and unethical practices.

I too received a similar letter from Universal Fidelity on 1-24-12 claiming they are collecting for the Legal Successor of Hollywood Video. They claim I owe $195.13 for rentals from 2/09 through 2/10. I know I don't have a balance with Hollywood Video because I used to pay monthly for their Power Play program with no late fees. Hollywood Video would not let me continually rent out 18 different games/movies if I had a balance like that. It has to be a scam. Beware.

Like all the other postings I've read, I, too, received a letter with big letters "Confidential Message" from Universal Fidelity, L.P. stating that I owe for 13 videos from Hollywood Video in which I know 100% I returned to them. Give me a break. I don't have 13 Hollywood videos laying around my house, not even one. These people are saying I owe them $119.75. Do they think I am just going to pay this balance without requesting any sort of documentation to prove that I did not return these videos especially after 2-3 years.

I have a hunch that as Hollywood Video was collapsing, someone got a hold of private consumer information which showed videos rented by these consumers and decided they would take the last 15 or so rentals and try and threaten the consumer with a scary collection letter in the hopes we would just pay to get rid of it and not defend ourselves. I have put a call in to the Attorney General for Consumer Affairs and my local action news team. Also, when you call the number on the letter, they don't answer. It keeps saying, "This call is monitored for quality control," then it rings again. No one ever answers because this isn't a real company collecting. It's probably individuals with a huge scam going on.

We received a bill from them for $194.22 regarding movie rentals between 2/09 and 7/09. I called and was told these were late fees for all these movies and that they would settle for $97.11. We paid all of our late fees. She asked how we would since their accounts were frozen in 2009. We are not at fault if Hollywood is shady and run by shady people who take our money and then say he haven't paid anything. No wonder Hollywood Video went under. We are disputing this of course.

I received a bill from Universal Fidelity for $449.61 in late fees and not returning DVDs from 2010. Some of these titles I never even rented. The store closed down in 2010. I guess it is their way to try and scam people out of money. There are so many people all over the U.S. that this is happening to. This is such a scam. I say class action suit!

Let's sue the collection company. They are clearly just going over company records and making up these bills. I personally could be one of our best proof people, I have a credit score over 700. I paid my bills on time for over 30 years, over $4000.00 a month.

There is no way that we wouldn't pay our bill to Hollywood Video. These dates are three years old. I am a better person than they are making me look like.

Today, I received a letter from Universal Fidelity, LP asking me to pay a past due debt for the now defunct Hollywood Video. The debts are allegedly from rentals made in 2009. To my knowledge, I was always current with my rentals. After all, I had a monthly subscription. This is the first I have heard of the debt, and now it is in collections. The bill is inaccurate and I am victim of their failure. Reading other posts on the web proves I am not the only one, and supposedly HV was ordered to stop collections. They are unethical.

I just a bill from Universal Fidelity for $62.12 for rentals from 2009 and 2010. I do not owe this money. I feel like this a fraud and, looking at the other complaints, an attempt to intimidate people into paying money that they do not owe. A collection agency has the responsibility to verify debts. Perhaps, we all need to look into a class action suit.

I received a notice form Universal Fidelity, and it is nothing but a scam. I always paid any late fees that I had at Hollywood Video. There is no way that Hollywood Video would have let me continue to rent videos if I had a late fee or if I did not return a movie, as what they are claiming. They have 2 different dates 01/23/09 and 09/19/09.

I received a letter in the mail from West Bay Acquisitions, LLC stating that I owe the legal successor of Hollywood Video $54.84 in late fees from 3 years ago. I don't remember renting the videos in question and disputed their validity. They offered to settle the amount due for around $20.00 and I told them I did not have $54 in late fees over 2 years and I'm not paying. Is this some kind of a scam? I don't know what else to do now. Do I contact a lawyer about this claim? I did file a complaint with the BBB in Wisconsin about these allegations.

I got a notice for Universal Fidelity, LP (out of Texas) claiming that we owe $43.11 for rentals back in November 2009 and March 2010. My husband called today and they said they'd settle for $20 to close out these charges. He asked for documentation that supports these charges, which they did not have any. We're disputing these charges and will not pay them anything at this time. I have also filed a complaint with the Texas Better Business Bureau. I think this is a scam based on very similar articles I've seen on the internet. I'm also considering writing the Attorney General and King5 news for further investigation.

I received a letter from Universal Fidelity LP claiming to be the "legal successor" to Hollywood Video. They sent me a bill for $114.49 for video rentals dating from 2009. What a crock! This is a complete scam! I owe none of the claimed debt, yet they say they will submit this bill for collection. What can one do?

I received a letter dated 01/13/2012 from West Bay Acquisitions, LLC claiming that I owe $44.88 with a list of 8 DVDs that I allegedly didn't return. What doesn't line up with this claim is that there are dates listed in July of 2009 followed by dates in September, November and December of 2009. According to the policy of Hollywood Video, they wouldn't have allowed me to continue to check out DVDs if I hadn't returned the ones I had checked out before. I'm extremely meticulous about my credit score and bills, so I know for a fact this is erroneous. In addition, I don't own any of these movies in my DVD collection which I would had I never returned them!

I may or may not have rented these movies, but the dates were all rental dates in 2009! Why am I getting a bill now for these obviously old rentals, from a store that has gone out of business. Whenever I rented a movie, I paid my bill in full. I went back, and saw on my bank statements that I have multiple payments over this time frame, to Hollywood video. This is obviously a scam. After doing research on the Internet, this is a fraudulent attempt to get money from people. I sat down and wrote a letter of dispute, but after looking at the internet, decided to call.

What a joke. I said, I was disputing this claim, when I paid my bill, I paid it in full. Okay, the lady says, "please send a letter and we will remove it". I said I would. I asked for a letter stating my account was closed, and she stated back "we don't do that!". So I asked, "you send a bill when something is due, I dispute it, you close it, but you won't send a letter stating it is closed". She repeated, "no, we don't do that." What a scam. I am not paying for this claim. I will be checking my credit report soon too!

I received a letter in the mail from ARM Solutions collection agency, claiming that I owe the "Legal Successor of Hollywood Video" $78.24. They listed eight movie titles that "contributed to this debt". I am not certain if they are claiming these had late fees associated with them, or if I never returned the movies. Either way, I have never rented any of the movies listed from Hollywood video, let alone heard of them! Their claims are fraudulent, and I am concerned that they will affect my credit.

I received a bill from Universal Fidelity, LP which claims I owe $45.40 in fees dating back to April 2009. Many of the movies have never even been watched or rented. No one answered the phone when I called. Seems like a scam.

I received a letter from "West Bay Acquisitions" dated 01/06/2012 stating I had unspecific charges relating from video game rentals. Looks like everyone else. I also was part of their Power Play so this is total rubbish. I am contacting the BBB in Minnesota. West Bay Acquisitions does not have a working telephone system either; every option hangs up on the consumer.

On December 27, 2011, I received a notice from ARM Solutions Collection firm stating that I owed $85.87 in debt for videos rented in November 2009. There had been no notices of late fees since that time and the request for payment is a scam. I tried talking with ARM representative on two separate attempts and tried to get detail information on the claim. Each time they hung up on me as they could not answer the questions on where this was generated from.

They are claiming they have no information but bill is due from me. This is totally unjustified and false claim to get money I do not owe. There has been zero indication from Hollywood Video that I was ever late in returning the movies between November 2009 and January 2012. I am submitting a response back in writing denying the payment and claiming that the request for past due money is false.

I received a letter in the mail from A.R.M Solutions collection agency claiming that I owe the "Legal Successor of Hollywood Video" $78.24. They list eight movie titles that "contributed to this debt." I am not certain if they are claiming these had late fees associated with them or if I never returned the movie. Either way, I have never rented any of the movies listed from Hollywood video, let alone heard of them! Their claims are fraudulent and I am concerned that they will affect my credit.

Our family was on the monthly service plan (Power Play or something like that), and that meant no late fees, ever. We got a letter in late December 2011 from West Bay Acquisitions telling us that we owe $82.09 for late fees. What a scam! We signed up for Power Play precisely because it avoided late fees. This is a pathetic attempt to bully people into coughing up money they do not owe.

I'm contacting the BBB and every other entity I can think of and inform them of this. I called the number on the "bill" and spoke with a guy (whose name I couldn't get). I told him this was a load of cow pie and he very quickly responded that my name was being removed from their databank and would be sent back to the creditor. I asked how I was to proceed, and his answer was, "I don't know". Scam!

I received multiple phone calls from Arm Solutions representing Hollywood Video in Dec. 2011, three from David ** and one from Rosemarie ** stating I owed $39.98 in late fees from Hollywood Video in Los Gatos, Ca dated 10-27-2009. David said he sent me a bill, but must have had the wrong address. I gave him my second address, and he sent me a bill. I asked what dates I returned the movies, he didn't know that. I asked him my address on file. He said the new address erased that one. I asked how they came up with 39.98. He said $19.99 per item. I asked him how frequently I rented movies, he didn't have that info either. All along I was suspicious and looked online which empowered me to talk with them today. I told them they are involved in illegal activities, and their scam is all over the internet. If my credit rating is affected, they'd be in big trouble. David replied, so this is in dispute then. I will remove this charge and have a wonderful day!

Organization called A.R.M. Solutions claiming to be the legal successor to Hollywood Video is attempting to fraudulently collect an alleged past due dept from me. If you live in California, please go the California Attorney General's website and file a formal complaint online - http://***. I spoke to them and they are aware of the issue and are gathering complaints to further their investigation towards taking legal action. Please don't hesitate to make your claim so the AG's office has as much evidence as possible.

I received a letter stating I owe $82.85 for overdue late fees for three as far back as 2009. I know I do not owe this amount. Who do I contact so this does not go on our credit rating?

It's the same as everyone else. I got a letter in the mail saying I owed $113.72 for late charges. I read online at KGW.com that if anyone has problems and has since gotten a letter (since the May 2011 class action lawsuit ruling) to contact the Oregon Department of Justice.

Hollywood Video fraud/scam! If you received a collection letter from any collection agency for any amount due to delinquent videos, do not send money! Hackers have gained access to old/closed accounts and are trying to defraud previous customers. The amounts are usually small so that you may think, "Oh well, I'll pay them so it won't affect my credit." This is a scare tactic. The fact in the matter is, even if there were any delinquent fees outstanding, bankruptcy laws protect the business for any losses when the case is discharged. I recommend to check your credit to see that nothing negative was inputted regarding this scam. If so, the credit bureaus should be well aware of this scam by now.

On 12/23/11 I received a letter from A.R.M solutions informing me that my account from Hollywood Video has been sent to them for collections due to its severe past due status. Dates that show are 5/7/10, 4/11/10 and 4/16/10. I called the collection agency and they said they are collecting past due late fees. However, they could not tell me when the movies were returned. I spoke to Raymond ** who was extremely rude. The fees I owe are $109.95. But he said if I pay now it will be 50% only. I guess someone wants commission real bad. How is this legal? Since I never once received anything from Hollywood Video to show proof of when the movies were returned and that I owe them money. I do remember the movies but don't recall returning them late. And if I did, I never received or was told I owed them late fees till now.

I have received a collection letter from West Bay Acquisitions, LLC out of Cranston, RI. The letter indicated that I failed to return three DVD movies originally rented March of 2010 and the letter states that I owe $56.28. I did rent these movies, but they were returned on time as always and now, almost two years later, they want to try and get money out of Hollywood's former customers. These stores are gone and we have no way to prove our case. These collection efforts are clearly fraudulent and future efforts to collect need to be stopped.

I received a bill claiming I owe past late fees from 2009 to Hollywood video. This is absolutely false. My account was up to date, and I never received any late notice from Hollywood video, after canceling my subscription. How is this possible? After 3 years, they claim that I owe them money, which I don't? This doesn't seem legal. How can they claim I owe this? They say I have 30 days to contact them (their phone is out of service), or I am agreeing that their claim is correct. This seems totally illegal! What's stopping any company from doing the same thing, by making false claims against consumers, and then threatening to hold their credit hostage, if they don't get paid.

I received a fraudulent collections letter from West Bay Acquisitions, LLC earlier this week claiming that I owe $90.15 in late fees for 10 games rented at Hollywood Video over a 7 month period. My account was current when Hollywood Video suddenly closed. I'll be writing the collection agency next week. However, like you, I've been bothered that they want us to proof we don't owe the money rather than providing proof that we do and that our credit reports are being held hostage.

Here are a couple of things that might help. First, many of you are being asked to pay on several past due charges. Hollywood Video's own rental policies would not have allowed you to rack up late fees over a period of months. If you're late, beyond a few dollars, you pay up before you rent again.

Something else that might help is the link below to an article below from KGW.com in Portland, or about Hollywood Video's agreement to stop this kind of stuff back in May. Here's the link: http://**

Here's a paragraph from the story:

"Today Attorneys General from 50 states settled with Hollywood Video to repair any negative impacts to customers' credit from collection agencies reporting they did not pay. Hollywood officials also agreed to quit charging customers both for movies they did not return and late fees on those same movies."

Good luck everybody!

I received a collection notice from West Bay Acquisitions for a debt that I settled in the store, before it closed. I am currently researching the bankruptcy proceedings for Movie Gallery/Hollywood Video. I found an interesting settlement with several District Attorneys relating to Movie Gallery/Hollywood Video's chapter 11 proceedings that may prove helpful to some of you, as well as myself.

I am going to send a copy, along with my dispute of the debt, and if I don't get validation of this debt, then I will contact my District Attorney for an investigation into the trustee's account, as this document claims I have the right to do. Reference it yourself to see if this applies to your circumstances in your own state. I am in California. If anyone finds any fault in my interpretation of this document, please let me know.

On 12/16/11 I received a letter in the mail from A.R.M. Solutions stating that I owe $129.30 for movies and games we rented in late 2009 to early 2010. Some we did rent and others I've never heard of. When Hollywood Video went out of business we stopped by before the actual closing to ensure we did not have anything late fees, which were $0. I do not want to have a faulty report submitted to credit agencies for something I did not have. I believe this is a scam, but I get no answer when I call the number provided (**). I'm prompted to leave a message and someone will "call me back". What do I do?

I received a fraudulent debt collector mail on 12/15/11, from West Bay Acquisition LLC, on behalf of Hollywood Video, claiming that I owe $52.11 for 4 movies I rented from 2009-2010. Hollywood Video has been out of business for a long time. In addition, movie rental companies always have customers' credit cards information on file for late fees, movies that are not returned, etc. Why would they not charge it on the account that they claimed I have with Hollywood Video, but send a bill 3 years later, by some unknown company? Hollywood Video never once contacted me regarding any sort of billing or collection. I do not owe anything to them, nor would I ever let a small amount, like $52.11, to go into collection. I'm reporting this to the FTC Consumer Protection, BBB, and the credit bureaus.

I received a letter from West Bay Acquisitions. The letter indicated that I owed $40.41 to Hollywood Video. I know that all the movies I rented, I returned before they were due. I believe this is a scam and do not know what to do now.

I was a customer of Hollywood Video in Chico, CA, and enjoyed renting videos at my neighborhood store, and was disappointed when they closed. On 12/14/2011, I received a letter from West Bay Acquisitions, LLC in Rhode Island, stating that I owed late fees of $53.86 on 5 videos, rented between 6/2009 and 1/2010. While the titles are those that my family would have rented, it is impossible that I owe late fees on the videos. I returned our videos on time, and if, for some reason I didn't, any late charges were always paid at the next visit, so the chances of having late fees on 5 titles is not possible. We visited the store, just prior to their closing to insure that we had no outstanding charges, and to voice our sadness about the closure. We'd come to know several of the employees well.

When I called West Bay Acquisitions, I request an itemized print out of my Hollywood account and I was promptly told that they did not have access to that information. When asked who I should contact to obtain that information, the representative, Sandy, told me he had "no idea". From reading the other entries on this site, I know I am not the only one who is outraged by this. I am hoping to receive some guidance as to how others have handled this scam. I plan to write a letter to West Bay Acquisitions, informing them that I have no intention of paying the fraudulent charges. I have worked hard to maintain a good credit rating, and don't want to see a fraudulent claim from a collections agency ruin it.

A few days ago, I received a letter from West Bay Acquisitions stating that I owed $71.80 for 5 DVDs. We live within walking distance of the Hollywood Video and always kept our account current. I know when they closed that we had a $0.00 balance. I called the collection agency and told them that I would not be paying this fee and that I would be contacting the BBB and any consumer advocate group I could to report this scam. As I was the 5th person on hold, I'm pretty sure they're receiving lots of calls from people who are disputing this charge. I hope nobody falls prone to this sham!

My husband received a notice stating he owes $60 for a video game that was never returned to Hollywood Video back in 2009. I was outraged when the letter came from West Bay Collections stating his credit would be hurt if not paid. Not just that, but the fact that I have called numerous times to speak with someone and it just rings and rings then goes right back to the main menu. Am I supposed to just pay for something I know for a fact we returned two years ago? Not happy at all!

I also received a false collection bill from West Bay Acquisitions, LLC agency stating I owe $73.36 from rentals from 2009-2010, which not true. I kept my account clear always, I even had a monthly plan where Hollywood Video would withdraw for my rental rates from my bank card account. Also, when they were closing, I had to call the company for credit left in my account after closing. They refunded in a gift card sent to me in the mail. Why do these companies try to scam old customers and ruin their hard earned credit ratings that people have earned for years? I'm going to dispute the agency and write a letter. I am not paying a bill I don't owe!

Billing from West Bay Acquisitions, LLC regarding three (3) DVDs I had rented from the Menifee, CA Hollywood Video store. These DVDs were indeed, returned to the store and on time. This is an example of poor recording keeping at the Menifee store. I have requested a copy of my complete rental record from Hollywood Video.

I just received a bill form West Bay Acquisitions, LLC about charges from various dates in 2009 for a total of $65.57, and the dates are spread throughout the year. These charges are completely false. First of all, I always paid any late charges when due and second, since when would a video store keep letting you rent if you owed them money from previous dates?

I received a threatening notice today, December 9th 2011, from West Bay Acquisitions, Rhode Island, stating that I owed them $46.42. The notice identifies seven Hollywood Video DVD rentals from February 9th to October 13th 2009. The notice does not state what the fees are for and there is no accompanying billing information.

I am certain I did not owe Hollywood Video a single cent when they shuttered their local store without notice. I recalled being very much inconvenienced by having to drive across town to return a couple of DVDs at one of their other stores. I am very concerned as I read these other complaints; I pulled my credit score last week and it was 787. I work to maintain my excellent credit score and I will be absolutely furious if this company attempts to mar my credit or blackmail me into paying a fee I do not owe.

I went to refinance my house, and was told that I have collections on it, from Hollywood Video. I contacted National Credit Solutions, and was told that I did not return a video on time, and that I owed $132.00. I remember that I did return it on time, and told them I did. ,They said I did not. I asked them to prove that I did not, and they could not come up with information. They stated that they did not have that. Pretty interesting that they can convict, but cannot prove. I joined that month to month club. Worst thing I could have ever done, and this is what happened. I understand this is a place to complain, but how do we fix it? If anyone knows, they need to post, so we can take future steps to resolve.

I just got a letter from a collection company for Hollywood Video; is this a joke? It says I owe money from 2010 for three movies. This is news to me, this is the first time they have contacted me in two years. I never rented these movies. This is a big fat scam. After seeing all the other messages I guess I am not alone. Someone needs to stop this. I think the media could cover this story.

I used to have a membership with Hollywood Video. I had a plan that gave me rentals on a month to month basis with no late fees. And I could check them out and return them up to 2 at a time. My account was always up to date. And prior to the month to month plan, I always paid any late fees immediately and never let them sit on account. Now I received a letter from West Bay Acquisitions, LLC stating that I owe $42.44 in fees for late returned videos. This is totally bogus and not possible. I asked for contact information to the company that is trying to collect after acquiring Hollywood Video. They refused to give us any information. If we can't contact them, how can we dispute it? They offered to reduce the amount we owe to $25, but why should we pay if we don't owe anything? We were told that it would stop creditors and the possibility of them damaging our credit. Is this a threat? Why should they be able to harm someone's credit when they can't even prove that we owe anything? It's because we don't.

I received a letter fro West Bay Acquisitions demanding late fees from 2009 in the amount of $133.54. I moved from the area and closed my account in 2010 and had no debt outstanding. I was scared by the letter since I have great credit and do not miss payments.

I am receiving calls from a collection agency stating that I owe money for a movie I checked out years ago. I definitely do not have any Hollywood Video movies and the local store closed several years ago.

I received a letter dated 9-19-2011, stating that I owe 19.99 for a movie not returned to a company ,Hollywood Video. I do not recall even renting this movie nor has a member of my family, plus it was so long ago who would remember that. I never received notice of a delinquent movie from Hollywood when the store was open. I refused to pay for something that I think is a scam.

I called the company to speak with a representative and it sent me to voicemail, stating no one was available to speak with me. I think this is a collection agency that has found a way to make a buck, thinking people will just pay them to avoid hurting their credit. This is wrong!

I received the first of two letters this week stating that on behalf of Hollywood Video, I had not returned movies from 2009 and owed a substantial amount for them. This is the first that I am hearing of any such outstanding debt conflict. I always returned my movies on time and continued to rent without issues. I contacted this company and informed them that this was an error. Basically, they offered me a deal to pay half. I told them that I would not pay for anything I did not owe and it's no wonder Hollywood Video went bankrupt! Poor management skills?

I filed a claim with the Attorney General and today, I received another letter from the same company with yet another request originating from a rental in 2008! Beware.

I received a debt collection bill in the mail dated 10 Oct 11 from A.R.M. Solutions located in Camarillo, CA stating that I owed $39.98 for 2 DVDs that I supposedly did not return from Feb 2009. First of all, our store closed in 2009. I not only returned the DVDs when they were due, I also paid over $50 in late fees they said I owed at the time. I tried to dispute it at the time but it was a lost case. I never received a phone call, letter or any other notifications prior to this bill. It says on the bill that previous efforts to obtain payment have been unsuccessful. As I mentioned, there have been no previous efforts to contact me. I have lived at the same address for over 23 years. I tried to phone them today and leave a message. It would not let me as their message box is full.

I received a letter in the mail from West Bay Acquisitions (which is a collection agency) claiming I owed $43.11 for 3 movies I rented from Hollywood Video in 2009. I remember renting this movies very clearly because it was the one and only time I ever used Hollywood Video. I signed up for a free membership and was told "no late fees". I returned my 3 movies a week or so late, and they told me I had to pay outrageous late fees for each movie for each day it was late. My boyfriend and I were very unhappy but we decided we'd just go ahead and pay them and never use their service again. We paid the $43 that night when we returned the movies and I never heard anything again from this company until I got a collection's letter.

I just received a collection letter today stating I owed over $150. They gave me a list of video games, some of which I never even rented. I always return my rentals, paid my debt and rented a new game. I was never made aware of any charges lingering on my account. The store I rented from would not let me rent unless I had a zero balance, so I don't understand where these charges are coming from. This is bogus! I have been working hard to repair my credit score and this company is going to destroy it for something that doesn't even exist!

Not only did I returned my games, I bought games from Game Crazy and had a wonderful rapport with the employees. I would rent a game and then return it, only to buy it eventually from their sister store Game Crazy. I cannot afford a lawyer, so what do I do? I feel like I am being swindled for money I cannot afford, being that I have been unemployed for over 2 years! I live in RI with the highest unemployment rate in the nation, so I feel like this is a fraud to collect anything they can from former members. It is not my fault that Hollywood video did not properly run their company and drove it into bankruptcy. Do I have to write a letter to the collection agency stating I want an audit of this account with all amounts attached to it? Any advice would be great. Thank you!

I found out that I was reported to the 3 major credit agencies for some sort of charge made with Hollywood Video in 2004 in the state of Washington. I had a California license with California address in 2004. How can I make a bill in Washington when residing at the time in California? I currently live in Washington, but not back then. I had never heard of Hollywood Video till it was going out of business. At no time was I sent a bill. Otherwise, I would have argued it sooner. I want my credit cleared.

I have A DOE clearance and when they did my background check, they found a charge of $219.00 on my credit. I paid my late fee and turned my card in because I had not rented the movies they charged the late fee for. I owed them nothing. Where do they come up with this stuff? Could one of their employees used my card after I turned it in? I know many times when I rented that people would forget their card and all they asked for was a phone number and no ID. If someone knew your number they could rent on your account. This was why I turned my card back in!

Like so many others, I too received a letter from National Credit Solutions saying I owed $103.50 for one late movie over a year and a half ago. Our local Hollywood Video had long since been closed. I called NCS confused what the charge could be for and spoke with an extremely rude representative who in the end hung up on me. She did, however, offer to close my case for a reduced payment of $40. I refused to pay for anything since I knew of nothing I ever owed to Hollywood Video, I never once received a bill or phone call from them.

I did resolve my issue by writing a letter to NCS requesting any and all information that pertained to the amount owed including all charges, payments and write-offs to my account since I was a member with Hollywood Video, which was several years. I had stated that many times I had returned a video to the store in the drop box, but when I went back in again to rent another one, I was told I had a late fee for the movie I had already returned. They would check the shelf to find it there in the store on the shelf because it was not scanned and returned before putting it back on the shelf. This happened to me several times. I'm guessing that is what the charge was for, for one late movie that inflated to the outrageous charge of over $100.00.

Needless to say, NCS was unable to come up with any of the paperwork for my account with Hollywood Video and they wrote a letter back to me saying that they were closing my account turned over to them. Do not let these collection services try to bully or scare you into paying any money at all to them, even at a reduced rate. Write a letter requesting as much information as possible, they have to provide that to you. It was worth my time spent.

I read my Transunion credit report to find I had a collection of $138.00 from Hollywood Video Store, dated 12/2010 from NCS. I know I don't owe this and have maybe rented 2 videos from that store in my lifetime. Going on your website I see that tons of complaints state the same thing. Charges are bogus. I never received any statement from NCS nor Hollywood Video ever about this payment owed.

I found out by refinancing my home that Hollywood video's collection agency has put a charge of 116 on my credit report. When the store closed 2-3 years ago in Alban, New York I know that I did not have any late fees. I also never received any letter from the collection agency and they stated that I received 6, never did I get anything.

I called and told them that I wanted a certified letter from them with the date, store location, what the charge was for sent to me within 5-10 business days. They stated they have that on their computer screen. I said that I wanted the letter. I also think that it is on only the transunion credit report, not on the other ones. I received last year all three credit reports and it wasn't on than, it just happened within a year.

I received a bill from National Credit Solutions saying that I owed $238 to Hollywood Video. I will say first that I owe no money whatsoever to Hollywood Video. I did have a membership when their store was open and I frequently rented videos from their store.

However, I was on a special plan that they offered where I paid a monthly fee, which was taken directly out of my checking account. I could rent any two movies at a time, keep them as long as I wanted, and rent more when I returned those movies. Late fees were not incurred with this plan, and there was never a month when they were not able to take payment out of my account.

When I rented videos, the employees never told me of any account balance, and I never received any correspondence from Hollywood Video of charges due. This 'debt' has been reported to the credit bureaus, and from what research I have done online, it seems that many others have been affected by this scam as well.

I am happy to see that someone is on to Hollywood Video. This place has pretty much done to me what looks like they have done to a lot of others. I received 2 separate, and ironically different, notices that I owed money to NCS - Hollywood Videos collection agency up until the past couple of days (I'll get to that in a minute). These notices said that I owed almost $500 in total between the 2 totals.

So, I call NCS and they tell me that I need to show proof and dispute it in writing. Lol! So, I am supposed to keep my records of renting Forrest Gump from 2 years ago just in case this kind of thing goes down. NCS told me yes, that's what I essentially needed to do. Luckily, I was on the little "no late fee" plan that they had in place and had record of them pulling money from my account. I sent a dispute letter into NCS and followed up with them. They told me today, Valentine's Day 2011, that they have sent all of their records and accounts back to Hollywood Video and are no longer working with them. I am really hoping this is true. If so, hats off to collection agency for making great move.

I sent records into NCS showing that I continued to rent from them well after the date of the supposed overdue fees. It's pretty clear at that point that Hollywood Video is trying to ** people out of some money. My argument was that if I were incurring hundreds of dollars, then they would not continue to rent to me throughout, and I had records that I paid for videos I rented. When the store closed in my town, I had a balance of zero. Then 2 years later, this weird stuff starts happening.

It's really sad that a company takes this kind of measure to make up for losses - illegal measures no less. I sincerely hope that someone on top can get this company and expose this. If it does not get exposed, I fear that other businesses will use this move in the future on innocent people, like myself, who do not deserve to be ** like this. To the folks engineering this scam over at Hollywood Video I say, "Sorry about your epic loss to the cable/digital downloading market. Man up and move on. Stop wasting your time and life on trying to gather money that ain't yours!"

I recently received a bogus collection agency claim from National Credit Solutions saying that I owe Hollywood Video a past due amount of $130.41. This is the first time that I have ever heard that this local business (now closed) felt that I owed them any money. I had a free membership and occasionally rented movies from them, which I always returned and was never informed otherwise, until now. I am very concerned about how this unjustified and apparently inept business practice may negatively affect my credit score as I begin to purchase a home in the upcoming months. Please advise.

I contacted National Credit Solutions LLC and the lady was rude and 1st said this was for a late charge. Then when I tried to explain I didn't have any unpaid balance she said I signed a contract and was liable for any charges occurred by fraud if anyone other than I or family used my account. The store closed over one year ago and now they say I owe this. She said I have to prove I had a zero balance. When I said I would have to contact an attorney she said she was going to turn it over to the credit bureaus that day 2-4-2011. The letter I received said I have 30 days from receipt of the letter to send a letter disputing this claim before they turn it into credit reporting agencies. This is robbery, fraud and a scam of consumers.

I was always a customer with Hollywood Video ever since 1996 when I was employed by them. Even after I left the company and found new employment, I rented loyally from them. Then again in 2006, I moved to Topeka and found employment at the 29th and Fairlawn Store. I worked there for about a year and a half and quit, leaving on good terms with the management.

I always rented and just went in there to say hi to everyone working there. Then I was offered another job by Hollywood Video on the other side of town, requesting help in closing down the store because of bankruptcy. Because of that, I made sure all my late fees were taken care of. I worked and helped close the store down. I sold movies and helped sell everything not cemented into the floor. I and several of my fellow co-workers feel scammed by this collection. All we did was to represent this company, even when they would change the rental policy to get every possible cent from their customers. Like adding different rental programs so the customer can rent fewer movies and fewer games for a greater price. I believe this kind customer service was the reason why Netflix and Redbox took off.

But between me and my other two co-workers, we owe them well over $1,000 dollars in charges. After pulling such a low blow like this on former employees, it makes me wonder what other kinds of silent scams went unnoticed by employees and customers.

I rented a couple of times from the local store and always returned my videos on time. I remember specifically driving to the mall area to make sure these were turned in on time. I never received any notification of late charges. Now National Credit Solutions has posted an amount of $156.00 (they say $156.71) as a collection notice on my credit report. They say they are working for Credit Collection Services. And how am I supposed to prove I turned movies in on time?

I am stressed that I have to deal with this issue. I am having to spend hours researching on the internet and calling these people. My credit is being affected. I am stressed and anxious about this whole matter and can't believe it can happen in the USA. What a scam!

I recently received an alert from my credit protection agency that a negative information had been placed on my credit report. When I contacted the number provided to National Debt Solutions, they stated it was from Hollywood Video in the amount of $110 for a movie I returned over 5 days late. She said I had paid the late fees, but the agreement I signed, apparently 10 years before when I became a member, stated that if a movie was over 5 days late they could charge me the cost of it plus incur late fee charges.

I have never had anything negative on my credit, so I paid them to have it removed. Then I read the complaints on this site and realized there were other ways I should have handled it and not pay for something I did not owe. It sounds like they are just pulling anything they can from anywhere they can. This is unfair, I just wish I had been smarter and not paid it. They are bullying people with their credit reports! I also filed a report with the Federal Trade Commission.

I was denied credit, and I ordered a copy of my credit report. National Credit Solutions (NCS) reported that I owed Hollywood Video $207. I called NCS and was advised I was being charged for the same video game twice as well as late fees. I explained that I always returned rented items and was on a monthly program that charged my credit card monthly to avoid late fees.

There is no way I owe anything. I would never jeopardize my credit for something like this. She said I had to prove that I returned the items. But how do you get proof when you use the drop boxes and after-hours box. Video stores never give receipts when you return movies. I also asked why I hadn't received a phone call or any letters, and she said they didn't have to send anything. They can just put it on your credit report.

My credit file has been tarnished by this, and I am on a mission to clear my name.This is just wrong. I've worked so hard to keep good credit, and overnight, it's ruined. Feels like I've been punched in the stomach.

They have filed a collection account against me saying that I owe them $153 for late fees from 2 movies back in March 2009. I did not have any unpaid fees with Hollywood Video nor was I ever notified of any fees.

I too am a victim of Hollywood Video's scam to get money from former customers. I do not owe any money but they say since I don't have proof that I don't, I owe money. What kind of business practice is that? Especially for over one and a half years since this late fee wasn't paid. And we all know that you can't rent any videos if you didn't pay the late fee. Of course, they said I should have gotten a receipt (and saved it), so that's my fault. As suggested, I have contacted the Attorney General, a local TV station to try to broadcast this scam, the FTC is next and I will send a letter to the debt collectors for all my records. I am not paying for something that I don't owe.

What do I do? I have filed disputes with the credit reporting agencies, contacted NCS and Misty from there when I disclosed my name and complaint.

Actually asked me, "If you have any proof you don't owe the money." I said what? Do you have proof I owe the money? She laughed at me and said yes. I said that she had to send it to me and that it was illegal for them to just report on my CR without notifying me first. So if I did owe someone money, it could be handled properly and taken care of! I am trying to rebuild here and get a house and now look what some scam does! I don't have any documents stating I owe money. Don't they have to notify you in writing of owing money and notice to send to CR agencies? Please help! I already reported to credit report. I am not kidding nor exaggerating that it lowered my credit score 51 points! Thus far I have spent hours on the phone and internet searching for resolutions and help and mailing the credit bureaus!

As of November 2010 my credit report indicates that Hollywood video has charged me over $200 in late fees for rented videos. Before this store closed, I made sure that all my fees had been paid! My balance was 0. This is a scam! And now it's on my credit report!

A friend said she found out she had a collection notice from Hollywood Video. She said I should check since I used them as well. I have checked my credit report and have a collection filed against me from Hollywood Video. I was not told I had any amount due, was not notified that I had any amount due, and now it is on my credit report. I don't know how to contact them to have it removed.

A car purchase caused a Ford dealership to check on two credit bureaus to validate my income/credit. Seems that Hollywood Video 'red flagged' on bureau stating I owed them about $32. This is not true. When this company was still in business, they told me I owed them money about a year ago. I disputed their claim (face-to-face) and told them the delinquent charge appeared to be my one of my adult sons who did not live with me then. They apologized and said they'd clear/forgive the account. Never heard another thing about his until the car purchase.

Hollywood Video went out of business and reported me to National Creit Solutions for owing 190.00? I have not heard from Hollywood video or this Collection Agency. I found out because I was monitoring my credit report and on 11/21/2010 this popped on my credit report and effective my credit score by 42 points. I have called NCS and they are only taking VM's, so I have left several messages, filed a complaint with the FTC and now here!

I was in the middle of a refinance on my home and when the last credit check was done this week, my bank found I was in collections as of 11/10/2010 from Hollywood Video, owing $115.75. My credit score had taken a 140+ point hit and they dropped my loan immediately. I called the collection agency listed on my report. National Credit Solutions out of OK, they stated that I owed that amount for a video rented and returned late from Sept 2009!

I had never received a bill, never told I had a late fee when I rented through the closing of the store nor did I ever receive notice that I was being sent to collections or had a debt owed. I was told by NCS that by law no one has to inform me prior to sending me to collections and destroying my credit. I still have not received any notice other than me seeing it on a credit report!

Hastefully, I paid it as the rep told me that if I did they would take it off and my bank would see it by weeks end, however, the bank refuses to continue with the loan and after speaking with two other banks, they will not touch me. Prior to this, my credit score exceeded 800! I cannot believe us consumers cannot be protected by these acts. I was also told that it was my fault for not obtaining a receipt when returning videos and for using a drop box. I closed all video accounts the very next day.

The Credit Bureau Central tells me that I owe them $108.94. I said, "for what?" They said that I had not returned a video, plus late charges, which neve happened. Now, I have this charge in my credit report. I was going to pay the charge so it would be off my record, but i decided not to. To top it off, they went out of business.

I just received notice that there are Wii Games and movies with unpaid late fees. The only notice I received was an alert from my credit monitoring agency. I was paid in full before the store closed. I even returned a Wii game that they said didn't show in our account even though I knew we had rented the week they were closing. I personally went in to make sure everything was paid in full. I was told I had five late Wii games. I never rented more that two at a time and always paid cash for any late fees before I rented anymore. I was never told of these outstanding movies. Nor, have I ever received prior notification verbally or written.

Furthermore, I had an automatic charge of $15.00 per month being charged to my credit card and I was in the local store prior to its closing. I was told that I did not have an outstanding balance and that the $15 per month charge would stop. I have been told by National Credit Solutions that this will go against my credit unless I pay $374 in full. I asked for Hollywood records, but because they went out of business I need to show receipts.

I have been in total disbelief over this. I was so appalled I about the debt collection agency. I thought it was a scam. I'm so glad I checked the internet and there are so many complaints. I have never had anything to go to a collection agency. I have outstanding credit and always paid everything on time. I am appalled that Hollywood Video is getting away this.

As of November 10th, Hollywood Video has sent me to a collections agency (National Credit Solutions) because they say I owe $99.00 in late charges. I found this out by accident while trying to secure a loan for a new home, much to my embarrassment. I called National Credit Solutions and they told me I failed to pay $24 in late fees on the movie "Role Models" back in 2009. This is untrue, as I absolutely, positively paid Hollywood Video the $24 even though I shouldn't have. I remember this incident very well because my sister had inadvertently dropped this movie off at Blockbuster Video by mistake. When I next went to Hollywood Video to rent a movie, they informed me that I owed them $24. They broke it down as $9 for the late fee and $15 as a fee for sending an employee over to Blockbuster (only about 3 miles away) to retrieve it.

Of course they waited a few days to go get it; hence the $9 late fee. I countered by saying that they had my phone number on file, so why not call me? I would have been happy to go get it myself. The girl behind the counter gives me a blank stare, then looks at her computer screen and says, "It says here our manager tried to call you."

Now, I have had the same cell number for many, many years and have always gotten my messages, so I asked her if I could see her computer screen to check the number. She said no and hit a bunch of buttons very quickly. I asked to speak with the manager and she said he wouldn't be in until Thursday at 11 am (this was a Monday). Finally, I just wanted to forget the whole thing, so I paid her the $24.00. I never went back to see the manager, which in hindsight was a huge mistake.

That's what I get for being a pushover and not complaining. So, now we fast forward to the present. I'm buying a house and am sitting at the mortgage broker's office. She runs my credit history, which up until now was impeccable. I actually had one score above 800 and two 790's, which totally amazed my last real estate agent. Well, the broker gets the credit printout, looks at me and says, "You're in collections for video late fees?" That's the strangest thing I've seen in a while.

I was floored and embarrassed. Not only that, but my credit rating at one company plummeted all the way down to 663! Now I am at risk of losing a good loan opportunity and maybe even a chance at buying the house I want. All because Hollywood Video wants me to pay their bogus late fees for a second time! National Credit Solutions says that there is nothing I can do except pay the $99 since Hollywood video is out of business. There is nobody to call and double check on this error. It's just my word against theirs. I'm furious! Something needs to be done about this scam, but it seems that the consumer is powerless here. If I could, I would sue them for falsely ruining my credit score. This has caused severe damage to my credit score and possible loss of home buying opportunities.

I have rented videos from this location for a couple of years and have never had a problem in returning videos late or incurring late fees, ever! Suddenly, they go out of business, I believe, some time in September 2009. I haven't heard from them since, until November 22, 2010 when I received an alert on my credit report from Trans Union, indicating that they reported me as bad debt for not paying late fees on 4 videos totaling $156.91. This is the first that I've ever heard about owing late fees.

I called the collection agency "National Credit Solutions" and spoke to **. He told me that they just recently went through elaborate training from Hollywood Video and learned about how to respond to the disputes from those he is trying to collect from. My complaint and response is exactly what they told him customers would say.

I asked him why I never received a notice of any kind indicating that I owed this money. He told me that they didn't have to. I signed the agreement when I initially signed up for membership agreeing to pay these late fees. I asked him to send me some paper work detailing their claim. He told me that he wasn't required to send me anything. He told me that I returned 4 videos late and he told me that it was either returned on August 23 or 24.

I asked him how they can determine specifically how much I owe them but not specifically know which day I returned the videos. He said that the time frame was all he had. He then asked me if I was going to pay the $156.91. I told him no. He then proceeded to tell me that if I am not paying these late fees, he is not required to continue the conversation. Then he hung up on me.

We are purchasing a new home and I checked my fico scores to make sure everything was in line. Shockingly my fico scores had dropped by over 50 points each in a very short period of time. A collection from Hollywood video appeared in the amount of $201. I called National Credit Solutions, the collection agency, and told them I had absolutely no knowledge of this debt. I had never been mailed a bill. I had never been mailed a collection letter. No one contacted me in any way. I have lived at the same address for seven years. The NCS representative, Mackenzie, told me I had not returned three videos from 9/09 and that in order to have this completely removed from my credit I would need to pay the debt within seven days or it would appear on my credit permanently.

I happened to check my credit report and in October 2010, there was a collection company with a $107 balance. I called the collection agency and they said that it was from Hollywood Video and in October 2009, I returned a movie ten days late therefore there were late fees, restocking fees and the cost of the movie and they added up to $107. I have never received any notification from Hollywood Video that I was late or owed any type of fees. I'm not even sure I returned it late.They refused to give me any notices, breakdowns or anything related to the debt. I just don't understand how I owe $107 for a movie that they confirm that I returned. The local store is out of business, their website is down and I cannot find a phone number or a person to talk to within the Hollywood Video business.

I was alerted today (11/22/2010) by my credit monitoring service that a negative item had been placed on my credit record. I reviewed the information and ended up contacting National Credit Services to discuss why this was on my record. Elizabeth explained that this was for a DVD (The Soloist) that had not been returned. I explained that the DVD had been returned, though not to the original rental location because that location had been closed. I have emailed Hollywood Video at the email address listed on the webpage to see if they can correct this error.

I received an alert from USAA credit monitoring. I contacted the company listed on my credit report, which stated that I owed $530 and that my account was in collections. I spoke with Elizabeth from National Credit Solutions. She said that the debt is from videos either not returned or for late fees not paid from Hollywood Video between the dates of February 24, 2009 through January 2010. She said that the only way to have it removed is to provide proof that the movies were returned on time or that the fees were paid. I told her that I always returned any movies/games we rented and paid late fees when I returned the movie.

I also told her that I stopped using the drop box after receiving a phone call once that I had not returned a movie when I knew I had. After the phone call, I drove down to Hollywood video and asked for the SKU number of the missing movie. I checked the shelf inside the store and alerted the staff that they had never checked the movie in. After that point, I always stood in line to wait for my movies to be checked in before I left. Elizabeth told me that I would have to provide the receipts from Hollywood Video.

I told her that the store closed months ago and that I do not have receipts from February 2009 as it is November 22, 2010 now. The phone call ended with me telling her that I would be disputing the charge through the credit bureau for investigation. I have no letter from them or anything. I asked her for a contact for Hollywood video so that I could get a statement of the charges. She said that she does not have any contact information from them.

Hollywood Video has a fraudulent $405 charge on my credit report through a collections agency called National Credit Solutions. I discovered this charge through an email alert that something negative was on my credit report. I saw $405 owed to National Credit Solutions. I called Experian to investigate. Per Experian, the charges are being collected on behalf of Hollywood Video. I do not owe Hollywood Video $405. I do not have any outstanding videos, fees, or bills. I made this clear to Experian. Experian put the charge in "dispute status" and told me that I needed to work this out with Hollywood Video and National Credit Solutions.

Hollywood Video is out of business and cannot be reached. I have attempted numerous times to contact the collections agency National Credit Solutions. Their 800 number is always busy. Nobody answers at their corporate office. I have spoken with Experian twice. In our first conversation, the agent told me that in the dispute process, the collections agency only has to show that this is really my account. The collections agency is not required to produce a bill. That means they don't have to prove I owe the money. Instead, I have to prove that I don't owe the money. This is extremely backwards. I read on a website that, per the FTC, I can send a certified letter demanding a list of charges. How can I do that when Hollywood Video is out of business? I would be most grateful for any assistance you can provide!

Hollywood Video has a fraudulent $405 charge on my credit report through a collections agency called National Credit Solutions. I discovered this charge through an email alert that something negative was on my credit report. I saw $405 owed to National Credit Solutions. I called Experian to investigate. Per Experian, the charges are being collected on behalf of Hollywood Video. I do not owe Hollywood Video $405. I do not have any outstanding videos, fees, or bills. I made this clear to Experian. Experian put the charge in "dispute status" and told me that I needed to work this out with Hollywood Video and National Credit Solutions. Hollywood Video is out of business and cannot be reached. I have attempted numerous times to contact the collections agency National Credit Solutions.

Their 800 number is always busy. Nobody answers at their corporate office. I have spoken with Experian twice. In our first conversation, the agent told me that in the dispute process, the collections agency only has to show that this is really my account. The collections agency is not required to produce a bill. That means they don't have to prove I owe the money. Instead, I have to prove that I don't owe the money. This is extremely backwards. I read on a website that, per the FTC, I can send a certified letter demanding a list of charges. How can I do that when Blockbuster is out of business? I would be most grateful for any assistance you can provide!

This company fraudulently reported false information to the credit bureaus and has taken no action to contact me regarding an account. I was never contacted by mail or telephone or even email that there was such a bill or debt in my name. I am suffering financially because it had an extremely negative impact on my credit. It dropped my score over 57 points! I have been denied a home loan with no knowledge of this account. This also prevents me from renewing my lease at my current residence and I will be faced with homelessness.

Like many of the people on this site, I reported earlier this month that I got a notice from CCS on behalf of Hollywood Video saying I owed money for a video that they say was not returned. I wrote to the State of Washington Attorney General explaining that this was a mistake and that numerous people were being erroneously charged for expenses that they did not truly incur. I was pleasantly surprised today to discover that Hollywood Video's legal office wrote back to the WA State Attorney General's Office stating that they would drop the claim and stop trying to contact me. The same thing may work for you too. Your State Attorney General's Office should know about this unethical business practice.

I feel so much better reading all these complaints; this is happening to me and it is a scam. I never kept any videos and always paid late fees. The collection company is calling me and I don't know what to do. I don't owe any money.

I received a notice in the mail from credit collection services stating that I owed $355.05 for past due movies from Hollywood video. I called them and asked for the list of movies I owed. There where nine movies/games I have never rented before. This is a scam! Hollywood video is out of business and now CCS is trying to scam you into paying a bill you do not owe. They are trying to profit off Hollywood Video's bankruptcy. I contacted the FTC and Consumer Protection and found this is a scam.

Over 80 people I have read have received this bogus bill. Do not pay this bill! You need to contact FTC and file a complaint which will protect you. They will threaten you with negative credit reports. They will try and settle with you for less then half of what you owe and people are paying it to save their credit. After little research, I found CCS already has history of this scam. Please report your fraud to the FTC at www.ftc.gov and with enough complaints they will investigate. Please do not get scammed and report this before anyone else gets scammed. The FTC was lots of help and will protect me against negative credit hits on my report.

I encountered the same ** notice from CCS saying that I owed $120.19. When I contacted CCS, they said it was for 2 unreturned movies and 2 unreturned games from Hollywood Video dating back to March 2010 plus late fees. Funny thing is I used to work at Hollywood Video and knew immediately this was bogus. The rep at CCS also offered to "settle" for just the late fees for somewhere in the neighborhood of $30-40. I told her no way I was paying one penny for this scam. I then proceeded to send a certified letter ($5.54) and demanded my rental history from March 2010 through the store closing date. I also demanded that they send me a rental history of the items they claimed were not returned. I stated in the letter that this would show that others had rented the 4 items after I returned them. I got notice that CCS had signed for my letter on Oct. 27th.

On November 1 (just 4 days later), I called CCS again and I was informed that my case was closed and that I owed nothing. Funny how quick they changed their tune. Obviously, backed into a corner, they could not produce any evidence since there is no evidence since this is a scam. Do not settle with these people if you feel you don't owe the money. Fight for evidence which they cannot produce. Do not send a penny.

Having been a customer of Hollywood Video for 3 to 4 years, I liked their policy of pay your late fees when you want and not having to pay them before your next rental. I also enjoyed purchasing their used games for a discounted price. When I found out that the company was closing in July 2010, I realized I was losing a great location for buying cheap used games. I did take advantage of their discounted movies and games the last few weeks they were open and even made sure I paid my remaining late fees in full which was around $30.

Now almost 4 months later, I got a letter in the mail from a collections agency called CCS, stating that they are collecting a debt owed to Hollywood Video in the amount of $402.12. This really confused me and I thought it was a mistake so I contacted CCS. and a collections agent informed me that it was for 10 games that I hadn't returned from September of 2009 through January of 2010. This made no sense to me since I have always returned my rentals, granted they may have been late, but they were always returned. And considering when I paid off my final late fees before the company shut down in my city, the manager nor any of the clerks ever mentioned or accused me of still having rentals out that were not yet returned.

I told this to the collection agent and also informed him of Hollywood's return policy which was told to me by their manager Cheryl: "If a rental is late and has not been returned yet, another rental cannot be rented until the late rental is brought back and checked in. The late charge does not have to be paid right away, and it can be re-checked out by the same person again, but it must be checked in first. "

Knowing this policy (which makes sense) you can understand my surprise when the collection agent told me that Hollywood not only let me check out one rental after I didn't bring the first one back, but a total of 10 all together with out even caring that from September through January I continually checked out rentals and never returned one. It sounds like Hollywood is just trying to get as much money as they can to pay off their debt whether it's owed or not. I refuse to pay a debt that is not valid nor owed just because the company went bankrupt.

To my surprise, I, too, received a collection notice from CCS saying that I owed $71.56. Something is not right here because first of all the store that we used to go to closed down permanently about a year and a half ago and I've never received any notices or calls from them regarding this past due amount. Also, we have never been late for a video return! I remember that the day we turned in our videos the store was closed and we thought it was strange because it was in the middle of the day, but we put our videos through the slot anyways so we wouldn't be counted late.

Well, come to find out that the store never reopened again. I called CCS to dispute the amount and she said that we had two videos from January 2009 (about a year and a half ago when they closed down!) that Hollywood Video claims were late so they are charging full price for each video and late fees. I told her that this collection sounded really strange to me and that she would probably be getting a lot of calls about it too, not realizing that the people from around the whole country are getting these notices from seeing all of the postings on this site!

She said that I could either settle the account for $15 or I could have the account closed and she would send the information back to Hollywood Video for further investigation. She could not guarantee that Hollywood Video would contact me and reassured me that I would not get reported to the credit bureau since she's actually closing the CCS account. I then went on Wikipedia and found out that Hollywood Video went bankrupt in August of 2010! The timing for this bogus collection notice makes perfect sense now. Hopefully, more people will complain about this. It's a total scam and it needs to stop!

Hello, I had the same experience as many of you and I wanted to say: there is something you can do! For those of you who received a notice in the mail, it actually says in fine print that you have 30 days to contact them in writing to dispute their claim.

Send them a letter asking for details about the alleged debt (things like store location, dates, times, titles of DVDs allegedly turned in late or not returned).It is their job to prove you owe them money. Not the other way around. Also, refer to the Fair Debt collection Practices Act and say that you would not like to be contacted again except with the information you requested and only by mail to an address you can specify. If they cannot produce sufficient proof you owe money with written records, then you do not have to pay them and they cannot report you to a credit company. There are laws to protect you against these things. Please take the time to look at the above site.

Make sure you send the letter via certified mail and get a receipt proving the agency received your letter. Good luck to all of you!

I received a warning notice from Credit Collection Services dated 10/18/10 saying I owed Hollywood Video $205.62. When I called them, they told me the charges were on late fees for 6 or 7 movies; I don't even recognize 2 as ones we have ever seen. When I asked how this was sent to them without me ever hearing it from Hollywood Video, they had no idea. She said she was sorry they never contacted me, but it was now in their hands. They said I could pay $75 to clear. I told the woman that I did not get paid for 2 weeks and could not pay. She was understanding and said she would talk to the manager to see what they could do. Less than 30 seconds later, she was back on the phone asking if there was anyone I could borrow money from. Because they would lower it to $42 if I could pay in a week, but there is a fee of $9.95 to process, totaling $51.95.

I am probably going to pay because I do not want this on my credit report. Although I truly believe we are being ripped off, I just don't want to risk it on my credit.

I was contacted by a company called CCS. I had never heard from them prior, nor had I ever been contacted by Hollywood Video. I have lived at the same residence for 10 years. Strange thing though, they read me my old address from 11 years ago when I called.

When I told them I did not live there anymore, they said, "Oh, okay, you owe us for the price of 4 movies that you did not return, plus late fees". All totaling over $100.00. She could not tell me what I owed until she had my new address and looked up my account at the store nearest me. Interesting? I explained that I did not have late fees. I was part of a club where there were no late fees.

Additionally, I did not keep 4 of their movies. How can I be charged late fees for movies you are supposedly charging me for because I kept? I swear this whole thing was a scam. They try to be super nice, unlike normal collectors I have heard. Strange thing, when I mentioned that I had perfect credit and I wanted to file a dispute, she quickly dropped my bill amount and said she would only charge me late fees.

What late fees? I was on a no-late fee plan! I was threatened at that point that if I did not pay over the phone and pay a convenience fee of about 10 bucks, they could not promise that they would not send negative info to the credit bureaus. Even if I was to send a check, they could not make any promises. This is not worth getting my credit ruined, so naturally I paid the idiots their money. Now, I am reading all this stuff and can not believe they are getting away with this. Someone please do something? Or advise?

In today's economic environment, I think they are taking advantage of their old customers just because they were not financially sound. I think that there should be something that we can do as consumers. I see out on the Web that there are a lot of individuals in the same situation. Is there anything that can be done?

I was just issued a threat from CCS that if I do not pay $91 for some unknown Hollywood video they say was returned late, they will damage my perfect credit score. I never even received a notice of a late fee. How can this be legal? You can just say that someone owes money with no evidence and send it to collections before even contacting the person. Why doesn't every business start making false claims to Credit Collection Services? Where is the consumer protection? How can this be anything but a scam?

I, like so many of you, have been scammed by Hollywood Video! We had the unlimited rental plan up until they closed. We returned all our movies and even bought a few at the close-out sale. Now I received a letter from CC for movies never returned that they so kindly settled for just the late fees. I had to pay because we are trying to refinance our home. I cant find any contact for them. We need to do something! This is horrible, they are getting away with this.

I received a notice today from a collection agency in the amount of $395.33, sent to the creditor by Hollywood Video for late fees and rentals. I did have an account with Hollywood Video and was enrolled in a program in which my bank account would be debited once a month, in order to have unlimited movie and game rental and that I would not have late fees. My account was in good standing and I have been incorrectly billed.

I have the same story as the other individuals have reported! Out of the blue, I received a letter informing me that I owe $341.77 in late fees! I called CCS and talked with a nice agent. He was willing to go down to $100 but I just know I wasn't late. I moved from the area where I used to rent back in April 2010 and settled up at the store. I was a regular customer. I know I didn't have any late fees! I am going to report this to the BBB.

I already shared my experience but I was reading through some older complaints and found the number for the Federal Trade Commission. Everybody here should call and give them your complaint! If you too are being scammed by false accusations of monies owed to Hollywood Video, please contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1- 877-382-4357 and file your complaint. It takes only a few minutes over the phone to file.

I'm glad to see that I am not the only one who received a notice from CCS regarding Hollywood video. They claim that I owe them $97.00 in unpaid late fees and not returned movies.

When I called CCS and asked them to explain to me why I'd owe such an outrageous amount to a video store they proceeded to name off multiple videos that I had not returned of had not paid late fees on in 2009. I explained to them that I always paid my late fees when I rented a new movie and that I had not received any notice of an overdue balance from Hollywood Video.

They immediately said they'd drop the total by 40% and asked me if I'd like to pay right then. I thought it sounded a little scam like and said, I'd call them back. I'm not sure what I should do since I believe I do not owe them money but if this ruins my credit score, I'm going to be **! Anyone have any ideas on what to do?

My experience is unfortunately similar to all the other posts. I had the plan that allows you to keep movies without late fee and also build up points. I never really rented enough movies and wound up building up an enormous reserve of credits that were unusable when they announced their bankruptcy and store closing. I contacted Hollywood video immediately at corporate and they told me my account was in good standing and would not receive any future monthly billings.

The local store clerk also told me to request corporate to provide me some form of purchase credit against possibly buying movies since they were beginning to liquidate the Austin stores. The local store clerk actually let me purchase approximately 50 movies with the credits I had built up and not used and said for the rest of my credits. I would have to wait for the corporate credit to show up. Approximately, 2 weeks later, I received the credits and bought four more movies.

This is ludicrous. I pay them money monthly, religiously for plan I never really used, They give me movies because they realize they owed me. My account was closed and I had a verbal guarantee from corporate. I was in good standing and not be charged any further monthly fees and then I get this collection notice completely out of the blue. This is corporate fraud on a grand scale and the administrators of the bankruptcy plan are likely behind it or at least well aware of it. They all need jail time for this. Attorneys stand up and take this case.

I received a collection letter after all Hollywood Video Stores closed for $290.08. False info. I did not return late and do not owe them videos. I rented there for years and years under a plan and I could only rent 3 at a time and return to re-rent. I always did that. I was friends with all the kids that worked there. I do not owe them anything. I never had more than 3 at a time out. And I returned them to get more.

I am appalled with this. Are they just trying to rip people off because they claimed bankruptcy? I would appreciate any suggestions to resolve this. I am paying them nothing. Thanks. They want to lower the amount and me to pay monthly. I'm not paying a thing.

I received an automated phone call telling me that I had a credit alert and must call right away to clear this up. I called in and found out that Hollywood Video had placed me up for collections for $168.31 on unpaid late fees. When I asked what late fees they listed things from back in 2009. I personally checked with the store to make sure my account was up to date before they closed their doors and went out of business. When I told CCS I had paid them they asked me to produce receipts. I asked who keeps receipts for late fees, or even movie rentals. I was then told to pay up.

If I did owe this money I could have and would have paid it, it is just the principle of the thing, I don't owe it. I also find it funny that I had no previous contact from Hollywood Video regarding this matter, for matters which supposedly occurred in 2009. The first I heard of this was when I received this automated phone call. If my credit is hurt by Hollywood Video and its ridiculous practices I will proceed with litigation.

I received a collection notice for Credit Collection Services on 10-27-10 for $137.66. When I called to tell them that I have always returned my items, paid my late fees, had my credit card on file as required by Hollywood Video and have been at the same address and phone number and have never heard a word about any late fees up until now, I was told I can pay $37.66 and they would settle for that and not turn me into the credit Bureau. Wow, was I hot! Do these people not hear correctly?

I do not owe money. I do not want my credit ruined by some down on its luck company taking advantage of good honest customers! I think someone sat down and masterminded this entire plan to gain some losses back and now all of us have to pay for things we never had anything to do with. OR certainly there has to be a computer error somehow and everyone was sent a total of all the late fees they had paid through the years only they want us to pay them all again? What in the world is going on here!

Everyone complain! It is the only way that we will have any way at winning in this situation. I refuse to pay fees that I do not owe. This is theft of the American public on a grand scale from what reports I am seeing. Time for a class action law suit and fast! Any good lawyers out there please apply!

It appears that I am not alone regarding Hollywood Video, a now bankrupt corporation. On October 27, 2010 I received notification from the Credit Collection Service that I owe $115.84 regarding a very long list of "late and non-returned videos," which I know have previously been returned to the Hollywood Video store here in Austin, TX.

I questioned the charge as I have not received any prior notification from Hollywood Video. Adding insult to injury, CCS offered me a onetime deal lower price "settlement" if I didn't dispute the charge and paid them at the time of my first call. I was not offered this "settlement" (basically admitting I was wrong without recourse) at a later date, after I had had the opportunity to contact Hollywood Video's corporate office.

I too have been "scammed" by Hollywood Video and received a bill from CCS in the amount of $101.67. When I contacted them I was told that it was for late fees and was being charged for each of the movies even though they told me that the movies were returned. When I questioned why I was being charged for movies that were returned they said that once over 10 days not only late charges are charged but also the cost of the video. The offered to reduce the fee down to $60 and gave me a week to decide.

I got to thinking and knew something was not right. One of the movies I was being charged $11.76 for late fees. The other 3 movies I was being charged $4.79 for late fees. For anyone that knows the fees $4.79 is for a 5 day rental. So if I was being charged $4.79 for 3 videos how does that make it over 10 days old? I got out my contract and read the terms and conditions. This is where you can get them! The terms and conditions states that you will be charged the fee of the video if the video is lost or after it has been 50 days and not returned. There's a big difference between 50 and 10 days. So this evening, I contacted CCS back and read this to them.

The lady (Debra) said she would reduce the settlement amount down to $21.00 which was less than the total late fees. Now since it has been over a yr and I no longer have the slip that shows I paid the late fees I am sucking it up and paying the $21.00 to be done with this. At that point they wanted to charge me a $9.95 "convenience fee" which I said sure why not more money but was told they would extend my settlement amount for 10 days to allow me to send in a check so that I did not have to pay the $9.95 fee. I gladly accepted I am not giving these people any more money than needed. I hope this info helps out everyone that is being hit w/ this same story that I was. Even if you don't have your contract the terms and conditions are still the same so make sure you tell them!

I just received the same notice in the mail saying I owed Hollywood Video $187.32 for late fees and unreturned DVD's and PS3 games. When I spoke to Credit Collection Services (the agency that sent the notice), they said I could settle for $40.00. I refuse to pay this as I canceled my account at Hollywood Video when I found out they were closing and my account was in good standing. I do not have any of the items they are claiming to charge me for. I believe that when store were closing employees did not diligently check people's returns back in and now we are being charged. Anyone (including employees) could have stolen these items and now we are all being charged money. Sounds like a scam. What do we do? I can't find anywhere to contact Hollywood Video!

My name is Shannon. I live in Oregon. I used to rent videos from Hollywood Video. The store I visited closed around January of 2010. A few days ago, I received a notice in the mail from CCS, claiming a debt I owe to HV. I called them for information, as I had not received any calls or letters telling me I had any late charges to my account at any point. They gave me a list of movies that HV claims I did not return starting in August to October of 2009. As common sense goes, most people would realize right there that you cannot rent additional movies after a certain point of not returning or not paying late fees. And yet, I had not received any calls or letters at any point.

I asked the CCS rep for a contact number to reach the HV corporate office. She said she did not have any contact info from them as they were out of business. They only communicated by their "electronic request". So where does the consumers' money go then? I got onto the internet to track numbers down. I found that their corporate office is called Movie Gallery, Inc. They have several offices, including one in Wilsonville, OR. Much closer than the one in Alabama! I got phone numbers for both. Also in my searching, I noticed hundreds of other people in forums and web pages describing the exact same problem I was having. Hollywood Video seemed to be sending notices to people claiming about 5-10 movies or games rented within a similar time period were either later or never returned. People were getting notices for hundreds of dollars and threats of negative reports on their credit within a month. Some are seeking legal action.

More searching provided the information that Sopris Capital Advisors based in New York are the financial go-to-guys for when Movie Gallery, Inc. filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy and tried to regroup. Not long after the business completely fell through and began shutting down the rental sites and filed chapter 11. I called all the phone numbers I could find from Hollywood Video up to Sopris Capital. Either the numbers were disconnected or reached a voicemail dead end. At Movie Gallery's corporate office in Wilsonville, the first number reached was the secretary and her voicemail was full. Imagine that. I dialed their code for a name directory and using a list of names of officers in the company, I tried extension after extension. After an hour, I got Wes **, Executive Vice President by accident. I told him briefly the situation and he told me he would transfer me to the collections department. He promptly hung up on me.

I kept trying and reached a woman by the name of Lynn **. I was so surprised to actually get someone, I didn't remember to get her title. I told her what was going on and she gave me her email and told me to send her what I had and she would have someone get back to me. I emailed her the copy of my CCS notice yesterday. I have not heard back yet, but I will keep trying. I think if a news crew got involved in this, hundreds of people could be saved thousands of dollars and painful credit score reductions. This is nationwide, go online and see for yourself. I don't lie. I have sent this information to all the local news stations in my area. Keep reporting people! Everywhere you can! It's the only way these crooks will be brought to light.

Today in the mail, I received a warning notice from C.C.S. stating that I owe Hollywood Video $66.44. The local Hollywood Video has been closed for approximately a year so I knew there must be a mistake. I called C.C.S. to straighten it out with them and to let them know that it was impossible for me to owe this company money. The representatives were very rude and when I asked for proof of where I owe this money, they said that they do not have to provide proof, but for me to keep this from going on my credit report, I have to provide them proof that I don't owe it. Well, considering that Hollywood Video never handed out receipts for returned movies, I have no proof.

How are we, as consumers, supposed to protect ourselves from companies like this if we have no power to fight them? I work everyday and pay my bills on time so that this sort of thing does not happen, and today I am wondering how it has happened and how to fix it when Hollywood Video does not even have a corporate number to call and get this resolved! I refuse to pay money that I do not owe so if anyone knows of a way to resolve this issue without it going onto my credit report, please let me know! Also, I believe that not only Hollywood Video, but C.C.S. should be held responsible for the aggravation and inconvenience they have caused. I just cannot believe that without any proof they can ruin someone's credit and make it even harder on consumers than it already is. Thank you!

I received a collection notice today from CCS saying that I owed $74.00 to Hollywood Video. Supposedly, I rented a video game on April 26, 2009 and never returned it. I then, supposedly, rented a video game on May 30, 2009 and never returned it. They were charging me for the games and late fees. I told CCS that this was not correct and that I didn't owe them anything. CCS stated that this was according to records from Hollywood Video. I told him that the records were wrong. Does it make any sense that Hollywood would have allowed me to rent a game in April, not return it and then allow me to rent another game in May without paying for any outstanding balance?

CCS agreed that it didn't make any sense and that they would take off the games, but not the late fees. I said that I wasn't paying anything because I didn't owe any money. I asked them why they were so quick to remove the games and they said that since the store was closed at my location, I didn't have any way to prove that I didn't owe the balance. I stated that I was never sent a bill and I had rented many times from them since May 2009. I did not have a balance due. I told CCS that it was real convenient for Hollywood to have closed their stores before sending out these collection notices. I am refusing to pay this bill and will hire a lawyer if I need to. I'm tired of consumers being taken advantage of and being bullied into paying fraudulent charges to try and protect their credit scores, which aren't worth a nickel anyway. It's the principle of what is right and wrong.

On Oct 25 2010, I received a notice from CCS about an outstanding debt from Hollywood Video in the amount of $107.88. I called CCS to contest this, and they also tried to conveniently "lower" my settlement to $33. I refused, since all the movies they claim were still outstanding, had all been returned. Additionally, I was on the original rental plan ($14/mo for 2 videos at a time with no late fees), and canceled the plan when they went to the outrageous "Power Play" plan. I told CCS to cease the contract, and I would contest the bad debt on my credit bureau, if it showed up there.

Hollywood Video is, of course, non-existent and unable to be contacted. There is never any paperwork from the store, when videos are returned. This is fraud! There should be a class-action lawsuit suing CCS and Hollywood Video for fraudulent claims, trying to extort money from their former loyal, and honest customers in this manner, and tarnishing our good names. They tarnished my good name, possibly my credit report, and tried to extort money from me.

I received a letter from Credit Collection Services on 10-18-2010 stating that I owed Hollywood Video a total of $104.06 for 2 items I had rented from them in 2009. I returned the items when they were due. I rented from them after I rented the items and was never told or sent anything regarding the fact that I had not returned the movie and game I had previously rented.

It's obvious why I never received or was told anything about the 2 items. It's because I had returned them when they were due in. Now, I have a bill from CCS telling me I owe $104.06 for the items. I contacted CCS and spoke with an agent and they said unless I have documentation saying I returned them, their claim would stand and I would be reported to the credit bureau. The agent did say he would cut my fee down to $21 but I had to act on this in the next 7 days. I will probably reluctantly pay the $21 so I don't get a mark on my credit rating. Is there anything all of us that are dealing with this can do? Please help.

I received a letter in the mail from CCS stating that I owe $97.00 for 3 Xbox games that were rented in May of 2009. The 3 games were returned last May and now, the company is closed and CCS stated that they are going to send me to collections. I am filing a police report and sending a copy of this to CCS.

I'm shocked and amazed to see that I'm not alone in my issue. I too received a collection letter out of the blue from CCS in regards to a mysterious $100.57 that I supposedly owe them. When I called CCS, he said that it was for videos from early 2009 that I know I returned. My local Hollywood video has since closed. I complained that I had received no notice of this past due amount prior to this date and felt it was unfair that I should not have had more warning than 30 days and a threat to my credit.

When I asked for a phone number to contact Hollywood Video directly, he did not have one and said he couldn't help me. I attempted a web search to find a phone number for Hollywood Video corporate office and even their website is "out of business". It is unconscionable to me that they say I owe money but will provide no real proof and no other communication recourse. Maybe they figure that enough people will just pay it so as to avoid a hit to their credit. A very frustrating situation indeed.

On October 23, 2010, I received a collection notice from Credit Collection Services stating that I owed $218.86 for 6 Blu-ray movies, rented at various times in 2009, from Hollywood Video and not returned. These movies were most definitely returned. I have never received any kind of notice from Hollywood Video stating that I owed them anything.

I have filed a complaint with the Texas Attorney General. They advised me to also contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-382-4357 and file a complaint with them as well, which I have done. They were very nice and concerned. They advised me that this matter will only be looked into if enough people file complaints. If you too are being scammed by false accusations of monies owed to Hollywood Video, please contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-382-4357 and file your complaint. It only takes a few minutes over the phone to file.

We had a plan with Hollywood Video that charged us $27 a month on our credit card and allowed a certain number of 'credits' per month. Those credits could be used to rent movies or games and they could be kept indefinitely with no late fees. We had rented some children's movies and hadn't been back for a while due to the birth of twins. We finally recovered enough to go exchange the movies on April 30th and discovered our local store was going out of business.

We had received no notice at all. We returned the movies and were informed we owed late fees on them. I explained the plan we were on and after looking it up the clerk confirmed it and found that we had a lot of credits accumulated. She could not take off the late fees because they did not have control over things like that anymore since the store was days away from being out of business. She gave me a corporate number to call and also told me I would receive a check for all the unused credits.

I called corporate that day and spent an hour on the phone with a man named Jim who eventually told me that it was taken care of and after they contacted the store to confirm the credits, we would receive a check for them. I've heard nothing since and just got a bill from a C.C.S. (Credit Collection Services) that I owe $182.06 in late fees. I am writing to them but there is no number or contact info for Hollywood Video anymore and seeing all the posts on your site, I am not alone. Surely this cannot be legal.

I received a collection notice from "Credit Collection Services" for $197.29 'owed' to Hollywood Video. I contacted the collection company and they gave me a list of 5-6 DVD's they said I returned late!! I never heard of these movies and, if I did ever rent them I certainly did not bring them back late enough to warrant late fees of almost $200!

As with the others reporting similar problems, the collection company offered to settle for $39. This is clearly a scam. I am not paying this, but am concerned about a negative report. Also as with the others, the woman could not give me the name or phone number for someone at Hollywood Video to discuss this with. I see that I am not alone in this problem, but what can I do to protect my credit?

I just received a collection notice from Credit Collection Services (CCS) for the amount of $421.58 for an alleged outstanding balance owed to Hollywood Video, which has been out of business in Shelton for over a year. All games were returned and we had a zero balance with the store about two weeks before they closed their doors.

Now, more than a year later, I have received this bogus collection notice and I am faced with having to follow up on it. The collection agent I spoke to this morning said the games had never been returned, which is an out-and-out lie, and that I was being charged for the value of 8 games.

I was furious, and now I have to wait for a further investigation into this matter. This is insane. After reading several other similar complaints like my own, I am of the belief that Hollywood Video is trying to recover some of their losses by making fraudulent charges against former customers.

On 10/21/2010, I received a collection letter from Credit Collection Services, located in Tacoma, Washington. The letter claimed that the Creditor Hollywood video claims that I owe $67.52. I am not sure for what, since I returned all movies to the Willoughby Hollywood store in my neighborhood. Then within 4-5 days, they shut down, the building was empty and many were surprised.

I intend to send them a letter requesting the validation to this amount. I believe someone is taking an opportunity to rob people and play on their fears with ruining their credit. I personally, as well as many others work hard to stay above water. I am not late with my bills and currently my credit is impeccable. I hope the attorney general is looking into this as I plan to report to the Atty General in my state as well as to News Outlet.

I got this piece of mail last Friday. I saw it said CCS and that I owed $159.40 to Hollywood video. I was so furious. That store had closed 1/2 year to 1 year ago; I can't remember exactly when. I would have never owed that much money on videos or movies. They wouldn't let you even get to that point; they would stop you from renting until you paid it down. So this is completely wrong. I turned in all my movies and videos and never did I ever get anything in the mail saying I owed any amount after they closed nor did I ever get any phone calls due to this matter.

I called CCS and they said we would work with you and you would only have to pay $42.00 then the next sentence, she said $32.00. I asked her how long I have to pay this she said Nov 1st. I said how is that fair. I just got this in the mail and don't feel at all this is right and you're only giving me a small amount of time to pay it. Also I don't feel comfortable paying what she said because then later they could take the money then say I didn't have any agreement and that I didn't pay the rest or something.

I was so furious and my husband was sleeping at the time so I went to my boss at work because I was so upset and wanted to see if he would know what I could do. I feel cheated on this. I feel like there is no way to prove this. So he said look on the internet and he went right to this website. He told me different avenues I should take. He found right away several complaints exactly like mine. I felt better seeing that others are having the same problem and maybe this can be stopped!

I had a membership with the game video department and don't feel like I got my part of the membership due to them closing. Is there any help to people like us who feel victimized by the company and collections services? I don't feel that I owe any of the fees they are trying to say I owe. Please help!

I am to finding, this to feel like a scam. I too received a letter from CCS stating that I owed, $131.35, and when I contacted them I was told the same as many of you, I asked how to contact Hollywood and I was told they wouldn't give me that information. They then took the amount down to $25.00 now if I owed that much, why would they take it down so low if it were real. This is for the birds. I to did not receive any notification from Hollywood, I too was on their gold plan I believe, which should have paid for anything, and why would they continue to let me rent if I hadn't returned the others. This whole situation is ridiculous, esp. with so many of the same stories, it doesn't add up.

I am so glad to know that I am not the only one with this exact issue! We had been going to Hollywood Video (HV) for years up until they closed overnight well over a year ago. I haven't heard or seen anything from HV stating that I owe any money. Their policy was you could not rent unless you paid any late fees that were owed. There were a couple of times that a movie was "allegedly" turned in late. I have paid a late charge that was absolutely not true just because I didn't want to argue.

Here is why there were late charges. We, as customers, had till 11:59 pm every night to return videos/games. We always did. The issue is that HV was closed at 11:00 pm. So we started turning things in during the day to keep this from happening. I thought this was working. Apparently not! I just received a notice in the mail on October 22, 2010 from a collection agency, Credit Collection Services, stating that I had money owed over $95! These charges are allegedly from several different times (July 2009 to September 2009). The date on my notice was October 18, 2010. I called and they said they just received information from Hollywood Video on October 13.

I never received any notification from HV, either by phone or in the mail. I have lived in the same place for over 8 years with the same phone number; there is absolutely no excuse as to why I shouldn't have been notified well before now so that I could investigate any charges before this happened! I am currently in the process of disputing any and all charges. Since we were not given receipts when we returned items, I am not sure how they expect us to show proof. I have had amazing credit for years because I work my butt off to keep it that way. I will be damned if something like this ruins my credit!

4) The company said I had to provide receipts to prove the items were returned.

Hollywood video did not provide receipts and it is not my fault they went bankrupt!

I received in the mail a collection notice of $240.58. I am unable to call as it is outside of business hours. The warning notice is for a debt apparently for creditor Hollywood Video, of whom I have no late fees, no videos, and have never received any statement of debt.

On October 14, 2010, I received a collection letter from Credit Collection Services stating that I owed Hollywood Video $122.44. Upon speaking to a customer service representative, I learned that this charge was for four movies that I rented on May 31, 2009 and supposedly did not return them. This is the first correspondence I have received on this matter. I informed her that the information is incorrect; the four movies were returned within the allotted rental time. I was advised to send a letter disputing the charges to CCS Po Box 9133, Needham, MA 02494. This was done on October 18, 2010, I am awaiting a response. I think I will contact the PA attorney generals office about this also.

I asked for a way to get in contact with the creditor (Hollywood Video) so that I could fax or send a copy of the receipt directly to the company. The customer service representative stated that they didn't have and wouldn't provide me with the creditor's contact information. She stated that I have 40 days to resolve this dispute or this will be reported to the credit bureaus.

I again stated that I have the receipts to prove the videos' return. She stated that it takes at least 30 days to process updated information and that in the meantime, the collection will still be forwarded to the credit bureaus. The above hyperlink is a list of other people that have apparently been through the same thing, although it sounds like the majority of the people didn't keep or receive their receipt. Prior to the local video store closing, I confirmed with the store clerk that all accounts and fees have been settled due to the store closing. It seems apparent that either CCS or Hollywood Video is attempting to collect bogus fees.

Yesterday 10/22/2010, for the first time in my life , I received a notice from Credit Collection Services that I owe $245.37 in past dues from Hollywood Video. I was shocked having used them only a few times ever and returning all videos promptly. When I called, they said it was due to videos games that were charged late fees or charges for the cost of the game because they were late.

I spoke with my son, and he did rent games but always returned them and he remembered the last game specifically because Hollywood Video had closed in our neighborhood so he had to drive to another store to return it. He remembers asking if he had any late fees and was told no. Hollywood video does not give receipts for returned items. The collection agency said if I paid $100 within 24 hours they would close the account. I cannot contact Hollywood video because the don't exist anymore. I went on-line to a consumer protection website and saw identical stories like mine. They all just recently received this letter. I don't know what to do, but nothing seems right. I have a great credit score, so I am tempted to pay $100 to stop this. My son might have paid his last late fee with his credit card and even if he finds it, who do we show it to.

On Friday, October 22, my wife and I received a letter notifying us of a past due bill to Hollywood Video in the amount of $194.27. While we did have an account with the company, we have none of their videos and do not intend to comply with their collections request. The customer service assured me that the claim could be settled for $39, but I'm not about to pay (or "settle") something for which I have no responsibility in the first place. I do intend to send a letter to dispute the charges and request an itemized breakdown of the alleged rentals, due dates, and unpaid charges. I am even more irritated at having to take time to deal with these people. As what seems to be the case with most or all of these complaints, our local Hollywood Video closed six months ago, so it's interesting that we're only hearing from them now about some "outstanding charge."

I told them that there must be an error because I had returned all videos rented there, did not have any of the videos in my possession and did not owe any late fees. They stated that Hollywood video had sent me a statement in August.

I replied that no notice had been sent; the video store offered no return receipt when you brought the videos back and that each time you rented a video they would inform you of any late fees. I explained that this collection notice was invalid without written information from Hollywood video and the response was that they were out of business.

I then stated that I was going to contact the Idaho State Attorney General's office and if I received no satisfaction there I would simply turn it over to my attorney. The gentleman then immediately reduced the amount to $50.00 if I paid in a week. I will not pay this amount of money and the principle here is more important than allowing myself to be victimized by a company that shows such absurd accounting practices at a time when the entire country is suffering. There are laws under the Consumer Protection Act which protect people from this type of activity and if this erroneous "collection notice" is reported to the agencies I will appeal, which will force the agencies to investigate. A bad credit rating right now is probably not the worst thing that could happen to any of us. No one can afford to buy anything anyway.

It looks as though I am not alone. I got notice today that we owed $85.42 to Hollywood Video for 2 games we rented last summer that were returned. The fee, they told me over the phone is to "buy the 2 PS3 games for $59 and $25 in late fees." We returned both and we should have had no late fees as we bought their monthly "gold" plan at the time - no late fees. We of course never received any kind of notice from Hollywood Video either by phone or mail.

The CCS Manager asked if we had moved and maybe they could not contact us. Nope, we have lived at this address with the same phone number for 15 years. I also smell a scam as there is no way for us as consumers to do much about it but dispute it with CCS. The customer service rep at CCS told me they just got these notices into their company on October 13 and mine is dated October 18. I have a feeling we will be hearing from many more consumers before this is over. They also nicely said we could settle for $35.39 and that this could go to the credit bureau while we are disputing it.

I just received a collection notice from Credit Collection Services in Newton, MA saying I owed $75.94 for two games that were rented back in 09! We rented many times after. And if there was ever a late fee, we were asked to pay it at that time. In all the times we rented after, we were never told there were games not returned, yet now they say we never returned two games. We do not own one, and the other was purchased at a store. I spoke with CCS and they said they could only reduce the amount to $40. I told them I am not paying, but I asked how I can prove my items were returned. She said to get a detailed statement from the company, because they only have what is owed. I've called Hollywood Entertainment, but their recording keeps saying their hours are 8 am to 5 pm M-F PST. I've left a message, but don't expect to hear back from them. How do I fight this without ruining my credit?

My aunt used her credit card for my son to be able to rent video games from the store. They have been closed for quite some time now due to bankruptcy. Today, my aunt received a letter from CCS collections for Hollywood Video, claiming that we never returned 5 Playstation games. They want $200.00. It is completely false information. Every game was returned, in fact, my son could only rent 2 or 3 maximum Playstation games at a time. If a game was not returned within a certain time frame, they would charge the credit card the amount they paid for the game. I believe the time frame was 30 days. My aunt's credit card was never charged for a game that wasn't returned, because it's a lie. My son was late returning here and there a day or two, and he always paid cash for the late fee so it wouldn't be charged on the credit card.

My aunt spoke with CCS today and was asked if my son had receipts to prove their return? Hollywood Video only used receipts when you purchased a new item only. We never received receipts. In fact, they used the mail slot for returns, which you just drop them off. When they were returned in person to a service rep, they scan them and we never ever got a receipt. I have been trying to locate someone from Hollywood Video, but I have had no success. However, I came across "CCS credit collection services". There are numerous complaints with the same issues that I am having with them. Also, this is the first time hearing that we owe them $200.00. Like the other consumers, no phone calls or letters stating we never returned the items. Once Hollywood closed, my son went to Blockbuster Video. If he didn't return the 5 games to Hollywood Video, don't you think he would be doing the same at Blockbuster? I am beyond frustrated. Please, could you help me or lead me in a direction to resolve this issue? Thank you very much.

My aunt used her credit card for my son to be able to rent video games from the store. They have been closed for quite some time now due to bankruptcy. Today my aunt received a letter from CCS collections for Hollywood Video claiming that we never returned 5 Playstation games. They want $200. It is completely false information; every game was returned. In fact, my son could only rent 2 or 3 max. Playstation games at a time. If a game is not returned within a certain time frame, they would charge the credit card the amount they paid for the game. I believe the time frame was 30 days.

My aunt's credit card was never charged for a game that wasn't returned, because it's a lie. My son was late returning here & there a day or two, and he always paid cash for the late fee so it wouldn't be charged on the credit card. My aunt spoke with CCS today, and was asked if my son had receipts to prove theirreturn? Hollywood Video only used receipts when you purchased a new item only. We never received receipts. In fact, they used the mail slot for returns, which you just dropped them off. When they were returned in person to a customer service rep, they scanned them. We never, ever got a receipt.

I have been trying to locate someone from Hollywood Video, but I have had no success. However, I came across "CCS Credit Collection Services". There are numerous complaints with the same issues that I am having with them. Also this is the first time hearing that we owe them $200 like the other consumers. There were no phone calls or letters stating we never returned the items. Once Hollywood closed, my son went to Blockbuster Video. If he didn't return the 5 games to Hollywood Video, don't you think he would be doing the same at Blockbuster?

I am beyond frustrated. Please could you help me or lead me in a direction to resolve this issue? Thank you very much.

I received a letter from a collection agency CCS, stating that I did not return 9 movies that were rented from Hollywood Video throughout the year of 2009, and I am being charged $234.93. All of the movies were returned. The store is closed, there is no corporate phone number and an email that I sent was returned as undeliverable. It appears that I am not alone in this situation. CCS said that I could pay $ 47.00 and the account would be considered taken care of. I should not have to pay anything as I am not guilty of this charge.

I was notified from this collection agency that Hollywood Video had registered me as past due on charges for unreturned video games and DVDs amounting to $558.75. All these products had been returned and any late fees paid. I even joined their program to avoid any late fees. When I contacted this Credit Collection Services, I was informed that unless I had proof that I had returned the products, I was responsible for the "debt". The "supervisor" then gave me 48 hours to pay "just the late fees" of $123.86 USD. I advised that I would be contacting my attorney and my credit card company, AmEx. He threatened to retract the offer of the settlement offer and proceed with reporting me to a "credit bureau".

I received a notice from Credit Collection Services making attempts to collect for Hollywood Video. CCS stated the payment is for late fees on 3 DVDs, which then turned into a sales purchase. The DVDs were never purchased. I was told to pay the amount of $62.37 for rentals from January of this year. Interesting that this notice came 10 months later and at a time when the company has since gone out of business. And up until today, I had never received any contact from the business or collection agency until now (to settle this claim). The attorney listed on the notice does not accept direct contact, the only party I can deal with the Collection Agency. They have no proof to provide of the rentals, however, I was asked to provide proof that there should be no claim to this collection. Sounds fishy.

I will file a claim against Hollywood Video with the Attorney's office but this is very bad business practice. Especially for a company I have had no association with for over 3 years! Likely, this is the reason the company went under. I wonder if Hollywood Video has outstanding debts so that in turn, they are making this attempt to collect from the consumers (or their client database) and force collections so that they can pay those debts. Hollywood Video Accounting needs serious investigating.

Whenever going into this store, we were always told by cashiers that the late fees were not enforced and that a little could be paid at a time. The stores in Lynchburg,VA closed without any prior notifications such as bills or phone calls, a notice from a collection agency for $129.00. Is this even legal? What an excellent set of ethics! Is there anything that can be done?

I rented various video games for my nine year old daughter last winter and returned all items in question. I handed the games to the customer service person on duty and she checked them in as returned, however, I was not given a paper receipt. Now, eight months later, I received an invoice from credit collectors, though, I was never notified by Hollywood Video prior to this moment. I believe that this is a consumer scam and I will not pay the $131!

The credit office in question (Credit Collection Services, x *** ave., Newton, MA 02459 xxx-xxx-xxx) on 10-18-10, told me that they would settle for a collection of $40 even but this is stealing and an injustice as Hollywood Video in Harwich received the games in question back and has now gone out of business! This is wrong on every level. Thank you. Pira ***

I have been a member of Hollywood Videos for many years. I rented movies from them and always returned everything I rented. The store located near me recently went out of business and yesterday, I received a Collection Notice from Credit Collection Services stating that I owe $174.84. When I called CCE today, they stated that it was for games and movies I rented in October of 2009. I explained that everything I ever rented from them was returned and it was some kind of error. CCE said that all they can do is settle with me. I refuse to settle and pay for something that I do not even have and have been returned. They threatened to report me to credit bureau. I told them that I am disputing the charges and will not pay. This is ridiculous, I have a good credit and do not want it to be ruined. Not to mention, all the time I am now spending trying to find out how to resolve this.

On July 31, 2009, a video game was rented by the name Assassins Creed. Another was on June 11, 2009, Little big Planet. Both were returned. I have never received any notification of any sort stating of their claim until now. I recently receive a letter stating that the account is to be sent to collection. The location of the store no longer exist. It closed down. The unfortunate thing is that, I do not have proof of return which I never thought to be required until now.

I received a collection notice from Credit Collection Services today dated 10-12-10. This was the first and only collection notice I ever received. I phoned them immediately upon receipt of this notice and spoke with Nichole **. She tells me Hollywood Video claims that videos (Iron Man and District 9) were never returned and that I owe for returning one video (Fantastic 4) late. I explained that when the store was closing, I returned two videos, District 9 and Iron Man in person. These were returned on time! At that time they notified me that the store was closing down and their records indicated that I owed a late charge for one video on my previous rental of Fantastic 4. I told them that this video was supposed to be part of the a No Late Fee Club that I previously paid for therefore, there should not have been any late fees at all.

Through further investigation, they admitted they were wrong and in fact they owed me a credit of $22.00 for overpaying the club fees. They said they will give me a credit for this amount by mail and my account was settled. Attached is a copy of this letter from Hollywood Videos dated April 22, 2010. Why would they be issuing me a credit if I owed them!

I have tried contacting the phone number on the letter but it is disconnected. I have tried looking on the internet for a phone number for Hollywood Customer Service but all numbers are disconnected or no longer in service. Please help! I have worked very hard at keeping my credit perfect all my life and this is very, very unfair. I can be reached by e-mail or by phone at **.

I had been a member of Hollywood Video for years, until they told us they were going out of business. I was going to rent a movie and I was told that I had to return the game we had out because we could only rent one at a time on our plan. I took the game back and now they have sent me to collections for the game and for late fees! The plan I was on didn't have any late fees, nor did they apparently do a good job at recording when something was brought back!

I never heard one word from them in months. Then I suddenly get a notice from CCS that I have been turned in to collections. The collection agency wants me to either pay $80 to settle it or at least $57 in late fees! That's ridiculous! I told them that I'm not paying for a game I returned and am certainly not paying for late fees that shouldn't have been accruing!

I tried to call the number that CCS has for Hollywood Video's Collection and they never answer the phone. There is simply a recording telling you that they are open from 8am to 5pm with a break from 11:50am to 1pm, so I have called numerous times during the appropriate hours and they never answer. CCS won't do anything about it and I can't get a hold of anyone at Hollywood Video! I'm screwed to the point that I have to pay off the collection agency if I want this to be removed! It's ** and completely total **!

They have sent my account to a collection agency. I returned the videos on time, not sure what they did with them. I guess I should have gotten a return receipt. Now there is no one to answer my questions as my credit is constantly dinged.

My power play points that still remained on my account were unable to be used. When asking what they were going to about my credit they could not tell me. They wouldn't give a gift card nor were we allowed to use those credits to buy any merchandise that was for sale. I know I am not the only person this has happened to. I want to know if anything can be done legally to get back the money that belongs to all the consumers that Hollywood received and never provided the services for.

I called back and the rep told me they were talking names and phone numbers and would get back to me. Its been a month and half since I contacted them and I have heard nothing. I had 95 points. I was saving them for the summer so the kids and I could watch movies. 95 points is equal to 95 dollars. I called corp again and asked if I could just spend the money in their store and buy some of the movies they were selling and they told me no that their lawyers said they were not allowed to do that anymore.

I had a PowerPlay membership with Hollywood Video in Massapequa, NY the a.m. of 12/23/09 I returned some videos before normal hours and went back at 4:00 pm to rent some movies and the STORE WAS CLOSED - "LOST OUR LEASE". Contacted Hollywood by phone and was told I can take my Power play membership to the nearest store (15 miles away). I told them it was to far and I'd like a refund for the 70+ points I had accumulated.

I transfered membership to the Lindenhurst Store. In April I go to the store and there is a STORE CLOSING sign again. I went in and spoke to the Manager "we are cloing at the end of the month, contact the "800" number and see what they can do for you we are not allowed to do anything". I called the "800" number and they are only allowed to send Gift Cards as reimbursement. they sent me a $55 Hollywood Gift Card that I cannot use because all the stores are closed and it will not work on line.

Well, I found the reason why they're closing and what I don't understand is why now this messed up. People had a problem with all these Hollywood Video stores. Why didn't they just contact the manager, got the employees names and had them either wrote P or fired. That would have made more sense then file a bunch of complaints on this place of business. I have been a customer for over 10 years with this one out here. Now that makes 4 that has closed here. I thought they either was going bankrupt.

Why don't people leave well enough alone and next time contact a manager and have the problem taken care of. I never had that problem here.Thanks to those people, now we are out of a video store that cause of this. I have no complaint with this store.

Hollywood Video charged $159.00 to my credit card for nothing. I had not rented a video for months and the last ones I did, I returned on time inside the store. When I called the store, I was told that I was being charged through the corporate office for the full price of the videos and that I never returned them. I asked if I could get a copy of the last videos I rented and he said their printers were not working. I asked if he could tell me the date of the last time I rented any videos from them and he said he did not have that information.

The funny thing is, I had a similar experience with another Hollywood Video store during their first bankruptcy a couple years ago just as it was closing down also. In that incident, I had returned the video by putting it in their night drop box and they claimed I never returned it and tried to charge my credit card. That issue was resolved. They could not provide any documentation then and I bet they can't provide any documentation now either.

I purchased a couple of games due to the store going out of business. While I started to play one of them, I noticed that it was defective and impossible to play. Unfortunately, I couldn't contact the store because it was closed for the night and later I found out that it was the last night it was open. So stuck with a defective product, I sent an email to customer service which sent me an email back telling me that because I bought it while the store was going out of business, the sale was final and that there was nothing I could do. They listed a number to call to discuss "other options". I called it today and was told that it was true and that even though I bought a defective product, there was nothing that could be done for me.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so I asked if the only result was that I lose my money to the company for buying a game that I didn't know was defective. Again, I was pretty much told "too bad" and that I was stuck with the product. Is there anything that can be done? I'm not as much angry over the loss of money as I am over the fact that I was sold a non-working product and being told that they will not do anything to work with me to fix it, as well as being angry over the fact that they get to keep my money while I'm stuck with a game that never worked in the first place.

I had a membership at Hollywood Video, and was enrolled in one of their special prepaid movie rental programs, at a cost of $43.23 a month. For this prepaid movie rental service, I was allowed to rent 3 movies at a time, with no return due dates, and no additional charges. I could return the movies I had, and exchange them for any additional 3 movies I chose, at no additional charges, as many time as I chose during the month. On March 18, 2010, Hollywood Video took the movie rental service amount from my checking account. The only problem was, that on the following Tuesday, they closed their store, and I have no movie rental service for April that they had charged me for. This constitutes fraud in Arizona! Hollywood Video charged me a month's service fee, for which they had no intentions of providing the service for April 2010.

I went in to their store thinking that I would save some money, or I thought I was when I went to pay for the movies. I did so. I was shocked to find out the movies had a due date. They said that they were due on Thursday. It says on your sign in the window that there is no date or no late fees. I asked then why the movie I rented was due back on Thursday. I went to get my money back and I was told that there are no refunds! This was on their power play! I will never rent from them again!

On 01/12/10, I received a collection note from C.C.S. for the amount of $49.99 for a DVD that Hollywood said I have not returned. Prior to this bill, I have visited the store and spoke with an employee. After checking the system, he told me that I was late returning my DVD's in past. This comment kind of caught me off guard because if the employees have such information about the customer, what system is in place to keep the employees from stealing the video and blaming it on the customer? I rent there time to time and I have not once been asked by the employees if I needed a receipt for my returns. As far as I know, Hollywood doesn't issue receipt, period.

The store closed and they left a sign up to return video to a store 45 minutes away. You just dont decide to close a video store that day-the corporate company is still open. You stop renting before you close. Evidentally-they didnt tell the workers. The video didnt work in the first place-my son ended up watching the movie on utube. Customer Service is now closed. I am not sure how much I will be fined, but I really dont want to drive 1.5 hours RT to return or be fined very much.

All Hollywood Video businesses are advertising New Release Videos for $3 on advertising banners on the outside of the buildings with no disclaimers. On Friday 5-15-09 I went to my local Hollywood Viseo store located at 6678 Clark Rd. Paradise, Ca. 95969 530-877-7751 and attempted to rent 3 new release viseos at the advertised price of $3 ea.. I was actually charged $4.99 ea plus tax.

I asked why and was told it would cost me an additional $10 in order to get 3 free videos next visit and thereafter get new releases for $3 ea.. I asked if this was a monthly fee or annual or what? I was given a broucher to read at home, no receipt, and told no due date when videos were due. The following morning at 11am I returned all 3 videos to the store and cancelled my membership. Because of the "FALSE, DECEPTIVE and MISSLEADING ADVERTISING" of NEW RELEASES for $3.00 which is not true unless you join a Promotion Program called Power Play. There are several levels and it is a re-occurring monthly membership fee to maintain and obtain the "ADVERTISED NEW RELEASES of $3 as shown on banners on the building store fronts. Store personnel indicated to me that they are receiving numerous complaints about the advertising. But is corporate, company and marketing decision and not a store choice to not display the misleading ad. I attempted to call the Customer Service Department at Movie Gallery the Parent company on Saturday 5-16-09 about the issue.

I was on hold 30 min due to sheer number of complaints they are receiving about the False, Deceptive and Misleading advertising of the ad. I asked if the ad would be removed. I was told no it was a marketing decision of Corporate. As a result of the False, Deceptive and Misleading marketing, No Receipt, being overcharged for the videos I rented because of the ad, I closed my account at Hollywood Video. Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery should be required to stop this False, Deceptive and Misleading Advertising Campain of theres and not honoring the advertised price displayed on the signs with NO DISCLAIMER!

All Hollywood Video businesses are advertising New Release Videos for $3 on advertising banners on the outside of the buildings with no disclaimers. On Friday 5-15-09 I went to my local Hollywood Viseo store located at 6678 Clark Rd. Paradise, Ca. 95969 and attempted to rent 3 new release viseos at the advertised price of $3 ea.. I was actually charged $4.99 ea plus tax. I asked why and was told it would cost me an additional $10 in order to get 3 free videos next visit and thereafter get new releases for $3 ea. I asked if this was a monthly fee or annual or what? I was given a broucher to read at home, no receipt, and told no due date when videos were due.

The following morning at 11 am I returned all 3 videos to the store and cancelled my membership. Because of the "FALSE, DECEPTIVE and MISSLEADING ADVERTISING" of NEW RELEASES for $3.00 which is not true unless you join a Promotion Program called Power Play. There are several levels and it is a re-occurring monthly membership fee to maintain and obtain the "ADVERTISED NEW RELEASES of $3 as shown on banners on the building store fronts.

Store personnel indicated to me that they are receiving numerous complaints about the advertising. But is corporate, company and marketing decision and not a store choice to not display the misleading ad.

I attempted to call the Customer Service Department at Movie Gallery the Parent company on Saturday 5-16-09 about the issue. I was on hold 30 min due to sheer number of complaints they are receiving about the False, Deceptive and Misleading advertising of the ad. I asked if the ad would be removed. I was told no it was a marketing decision of Corporate.

As a result of the False, Deceptive and Misleading marketing, No Receipt, being overcharged for the videos I rented because of the ad, I closed my account at Hollywood Video. Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery should be required to stop this False, Deceptive and Misleading Advertising Campain of theres and not honoring the advertised price displayed on the signs with NO DISCLAIMER!

The other day i was at the Gellert Blvd. Hollywood Video...I was in the neighborhood,so i decided to rent something.now normally i'm always able to find someone who can assist me ni finding the right movies,but i've noticed that evr since Tabi{store mngr.)was enstated,efficiency has suffered greatly.now there were several instances when i visited that paticular store....sometimes at night,and sometimes during the day,when i'd see a huge line,but only 1 cashier.the otherday i decided to see if this was an isolated incident.so i'd come back periodically to see what was what.sure enough this was a frequent occurence.i'd sometimes ask to speak w/ a mngr. but i was always told the same thing."i apologize but he's not here right now"...i know it's not the employee's fault but the manager's.

i 've frequently called the store to speak w/ Tabi{store mngr.)and i always get the same 2 answers!either (a)he's not there,or (b)he's in a conference call.now i've been in the retail business for some 30 years,14 of those years in the management business,and i've always made time for the consumer.it's called RESPECT FOR THE CUSTOMER,AND THEIR NEEDS!clearly Tabi doesn't share this notion!he leaves his employees for hours alone in that store.anything could happen.THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!how dare he do that to those overworked,underappreciated workers...all of whom,are very friendly,courtious,and as helpful as they possibly can!if i may,i'd like to give specific notoriety to certain employees,but to protect their interests,i'll have to decline..but i'm sure they already know who they are.

i'm sure by writing this,most likely nothing will be done,but i believe Tabi needs to hear this,simply because i do not believe anyone has ever given a mirror to that guy so he can see himself for what he really is;HEARTLESS & GUTLESS!i'm positive that those clerks give it their all,at that place,and the least Tabi could do is extend them that same courtesy!i wonder what he does when he disappears for hours on end,leaving those poor employees all alone in that store!it's truly heartbreaking,and someone needs to address this issue!

We have had the MVP pass for many years now. I was recently informed that to be a better "Benificial" to the company they will no longer provide the MVP Pass.. Who cares about the customer and the fact that now it will cost twice as much to rent movies..I am very upset about how they treat their loyal customers!!! I understand if they no longer offer this program, but if you already have it you should be able to keep it!!!

I returned a DVD that would not play on my DVD. I told the counterperson about it on 12/8/2008 at 10:05 a.m. He looked at it and said there are chilren's fingerprints all over it. I told him I have no children and I was the only one handling the DVD. He told me I could take another copy of same DVD. I told him I have no time to watch a DVD this week. He just shrugged his shoulders.

I paid to rent a DVD that I never got to see and I was not offered a credit for it. I did not have time to watch the DVD this week, so I was sent away without being compensated.

An unfair charge has led me to cancel my account and lose all trust in Hollywood video. I had created my account for the purpose of occasionally picking up a movie, but most of the times I came by the store were with my friends, and they were the ones renting the movies. I rented What Happens In Vegas sometime between the end of October and the beginning of November and returned it at about midnight after watching the movie with my friends, dropping it off in the box outside the store from which it was rented.

I have since been turned over to a collections agency for not returning the movie without being told a thing and was then told by the store's manager to pay for the movie and the fee or turn to the collections agency, which would have been twice as expensive. I am a full-time college student without a job and an extra $25 means a lot to me. Ironically, that movie was the only one I ever rented. After doing some research, I realized that there are other people with similar stories and I wish something could be done.

I lost $25 and am also concerned about similar scenarios happening to others in the near future.

I have received a bill from the collections agency (Credit Collection Services, Needham Heights, MA) for the amount of 44.99 dollars that I supposedly owe to Hollywood Video. I have _never_ received a bill for this amount from Hollywood Video, and a, reluctant to even pay the bill to unknown agency without knowing what the specific charges are.

Upon visiting the store, in attempt to verify the bill, I was told that only a store manager can do so. I was also informed that the store had tried to contact me by phone without success. I only have a cell phone, and do not respond to unknown callers. Doesn't a company have an obligation to contact the consumer by mail in order to collect a payment before sending it on to a collection agency, especially if the time lapsed is not more than 90 days (at most, as I have rented videos and DVDs from the same store in the meantime)?

I am terrified that this will result in damaging my credit report although I was totally unaware of the possible debt to Hollywood Video. I am also reluctant to not pay the bill to collection agency yet unsure of what the exact charges are for (and/or whether or not this is a legitimate claim).

I received an unauthorized charge from Hollywood Video/Hollywood Entertainment, (after being assured by Hollywood's District/Area Manager for TN, Ms. Staal, that I would "not be charged anything at all") which resulted in various banking overdraft fee's regarding a video that Hollywood still charged me for considering that it had been timely returned & also verified by Hollywood Video & it's District/Area Manager.

Ms. Staal initially advised that she had "no record of the charge" and agreed to refund such charge and also all banking fee's resulting thereof, and advised that she had authorized Hollywood Entertainment's Collections Department to reimnburse my expenses-which still has not occurred. My local bank's Senior Banker, Assistant Branch Manager & also Branch Manager have (all) written, signed & faxed certified letters to Hollywood Entertainment and Hollywood is still dragging their feet, claiming they don't believe the Branch Manager, (even after they've called the bank directly to verify)