Validation letter came back asking me to provide account number.

I used your Validation of debt letter on a collection agency; they stopped contacting me and didn’t respond with in the requested 30 days. I recently received their response, post marked November 06, 2008, and I sent out the original request April 1st 2008. There response was that they needed the account # even though it was clearly written above the “To Whom it May Concern” line as it is in your form letter.
Do I need to respond to there letter or does that open up another can of worms? Is the 30 days for the collection agency a requirement of the Fair Debt Collection Practices?
 
How would you proceed?

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It is up to them to provide:

~ Who is the original creditor for this alleged debt?

~ Account number, dates of original deliquencies, amount owed, fees and original contract

~ If [CA] is the current owner, when was it purchased?

~ Who was it purchased from?

~ Have you assigned the alleged debt to another entity for collection?

~ If so, who?

~ If [CA] has sold or otherwise transferred this alleged debt, to whom was it sold and when.   
 
If they cannot provide this information they have to remove the debt from you credit report and cease collection efforts.
Keep the letter you recieved.
I would follow up with them one more time with this letter
http://www.oskie.com/free-letter/debt-validation-follow-up-letter-rights-by-law.htm
then use the letter below.
AND dispute the collection with the bureaus as fraudulent and not yours