Legal Question in Consumer Law in North Carolina

Were the arrangements in writing? If they were not in writing, the "arrangements" don't count generally. What does any contract with the company say? Regardless of what they told you, if the contract says that they can collect attorney's fees, then they can if they had to send this out to their attorney for collection.

What was the timing between the arrangements and when the company sent this out?

You leave out a lot of details. If this is for some kind of credit card or consumer debt and you want to discuss the specifics of your case in confidence, I give free email consults. Please contact me at [email protected] if interested.