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What should you do if you dispute a debt with a collection agency and you do not hear back from them in thirty days?
Wiki User
∙ 18y ago
I,m currently in the same situation. I filed a validity claim of the debt, sent it certified. It has been over a month and I received a call from them. They were unaware that I sent this letter. I proved that they received and signed for it. Then I was told someone will get back to me. Is there a time frame they need to adhear too? I had to send this with in 30 days, and if I did'nt I'm giving them the advantage. What advantage do I get being it's now been almost 3 months and still have not received any information? You are right. THey do have an advantage. The law states you have 30 days to dispute a debt once you receive written notification of the debt. But the law does not make any time requirements on the collection agency to get that information to you. It does, however, require that they must stop all collection activities until they send you the proof of the debt.
Wiki User
∙ 18y ago
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How do you get paid collection accounts removed from your credit report?
Removing Paid Accounts from a Credit ReportIf you haven't paid your collection account(s) yet, negotiate with the collection agency. State that you plan to pay in full, and that you want them to agree to remove the item from your credit report. If you've paid, and the item remains on your report, go to the credit bureau and dispute the item that has been paid. It's a good chance that the collection agency has purged your record and therefore will NOT verify a dispute investigation from the credit bureau. If the credit bureau doesn't receive verification from the collection agency in thirty days, they are obligated by law to delete the item from your credit report. Only the collection agency or the credit bureaus can remove collections off your credit report. You can either negotiate with the collectiona agency or dispute it to the credit bureaus.
What percent of collections does a collections agency get?
The payment percentage is negotiated but is commonly thirty to fifty percent. Fifty percent generally reserved for legal collections or older debt. Some types of debt are commonly collected for as low as 15% The easier the collection the lower the percentage.
Can you take a collection agency to small claims court for not removing a paid collection account?
You can take a creditor or a listed party on a credit report to court for not removing notice on your report if, that account is paid off, seven (or ten in the event of a judgment) years has elapsed from the date of last payment, and thirty days have passed since you requested the account be pulled in writing, by registered mail. All three of these must occur before you should take any creditor or reporting agency to court. Small claims would be a waste of time considering the sizable payouts that can be recovered for unfair and fraudulent reportings.
How do you find out what you owe to various creditors?
If the debtor has misplaced the account statements and the accounts have been charged off. Eventually the person will receive a letter from a collections agency stating the name of the creditor and the amount of debt owed. The party involved will have thirty days to dispute the account or the debt will be presumed valid and collection action will proceed. The other option is to get a copy of the credit report. However, not all creditors report to all agencies, the person might want to request reports from all three bureaus.
Can a collection agency come after you for an old debt that doesn't show up on a credit report?
A Collection Agency can come after you for any debt, on the credit report, off the credit report, valid, invalid, real, or imaginary. This is due to the fact that a Collection Agency is a private company and can do whatever they like, just as you as a private citizen can do whatever you like.Having said that, a Collection Agency is regulated by a number of laws. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692, The Fair Credit Reporting Act 15 U.S.C. § 1681, and state Statutes Of Limitations (SOL), which varies from state to state, but generally maxes out at around six years.The first thing to understand is that there is absolutely no upside to speaking with a collection agency on the telephone! Let me say it emphatically DON"T EVER SPEAK TO THEM ON THE TELEPHONE. Nothing whatsoever can be resolved via telephone call. The person on the other end of the phone could not care less about you, your personal situation, or whether or not the debt is actually valid. They are most definitely not your friends. They are not there to help you resolve anything.The people who work for collection agencies are there for one reason only, to extract money from you. This is their SOLE purpose. They will attempt to convince, connive, manipulate, trick, deceive, brow beat, harass, or whatever else they can think of to get you to pay them.They get paid a commission on what they collect from you. They are specifically trained to use psychology and manipulative tricks against you; and are generally very arrogant, judgmental, and nasty people. Nothing they say on the telephone can be trusted, and anything you say on the telephone will be used against you regardless of your situation and regardless of the validity of the debt.In no case should you ever in any way acknowledge the alleged debt! Doing so could make the otherwise invalid debt suddenly valid. All communication with a collection agency must be in writing for it to be of any use to you. If you request a validation of the alleged debt within thirty (30) days of contact from a collection agency, the agency must cease all collection activity against you until the debt has been validated. Generally asking for a validation of a debt is all it takes to get a collection agency off your back.You also have the right to ask the agency to stop calling you at home, or at work, or to cease all further contact with you.The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides you with a number of legal rights in dealing with collection agencies. The agencies obey these laws or risk being liable to you for damages.The Fair Credit Reporting Act regulates how long negative information can stay on your credit report. Generally no longer than seven years for credit accounts and ten years for bankruptcies, tax liens, etc.The State Statute of Limitations (SOL) regulates how long a creditor has before they can no longer prevail in a lawsuit against you. Generally no longer than six years after the last payment or charge you made on the account. In many states the SOL is less than six years, and in a few few its more.AddendumAny debt you legitimately believe to be incorrect or illegitimate should be validated and reconciled. Request this in writing, by certified letter, with return receipt delivery. Keep a copy of the letter and attach the returned receipt of delivery to it.The advice to deal with collection agencies in writing is sound, for one reason only: any arrangements or requests you as the consumer make, must be done in writing for it to be binding. Telephone arrangement can be binding, but can also be refuted. Written arragements not so easily. This is clearly stated in the FFDCPA and the FCRA.The assertion that collectors, rather the generalization that all collectors have no concern for your situation as a debtor is false. Having worked in the collection industry, I have been and am a highly conscientious person committed to my sense of integrity and honesty. True, a collector's main focus is to collect a debt; however, the guiding principle of this is to protect the interests of their clients. It is not in the best interest of the client or the agency to act in a way contrary to law or to attempt to collect an account that is not legitimate. The acts that govern collections practices are in place for a reason, to regulate the industry from unfair or illicit practices. It represents one of the most equal and fair pieces of legislation ever drafted in the US. As guiding principles of collections, the Acts actually facilitate collections activities for those who follow their precepts.All that being said, it is the job of a collector to recover what has been contracted or agreed upon to pay for goods and/or services already received.For people who had no hand or little to do with the situation in which they find themselves, many collectors can and do offer alternatives. For the greater majority of people collectors contact who had no intention of paying for what they received, or who feel somehow justified in having received a product or service but secure in the decision to not reimburse the product or service provider, beware the collector to whom you have given a purpose. Your case may turn into a "thrill of the hunt" situation; and, the laws that regulate collections permit a wide variety of means to recover a past due debt.
What should you do if you get a letter from a collection agency and the amount of the debt is wrong?
The collection agency must give you thirty days to dispute any portion of the debt they claim you owe. You must send a written reply disputing the amount and any proof of your claim.
If your account is sold to a collection agency how to do you find out when it was sold and how old the account is?
When the collection agency contacts you, they have to give you the opportunity to request information concerning the debt. You will have thirty days to send a written request to dispute the debt. And to ask for confirmation of the original creditor, the amount owed, when the account was remanded to the agency, etc.
Is it legal for a creditor to send an account to a collection agency after one and a half years without ever notifying the customer that they think a bill is owed?
Yes, the original creditor is not bound by the FDCPA. The collection agency must however inform the debtor that they have thirty days to request confirmation of the debt or to dispute same.
How can you find out who you originally owed if a debt collection company is now collecting?
After being contacted by a collection agency you have thirty days to request confirmation of the debt. Their response should include the balance owed and the place where the debt was originally incurred.
How do you get paid collection accounts removed from your credit report?
Removing Paid Accounts from a Credit ReportIf you haven't paid your collection account(s) yet, negotiate with the collection agency. State that you plan to pay in full, and that you want them to agree to remove the item from your credit report. If you've paid, and the item remains on your report, go to the credit bureau and dispute the item that has been paid. It's a good chance that the collection agency has purged your record and therefore will NOT verify a dispute investigation from the credit bureau. If the credit bureau doesn't receive verification from the collection agency in thirty days, they are obligated by law to delete the item from your credit report. Only the collection agency or the credit bureaus can remove collections off your credit report. You can either negotiate with the collectiona agency or dispute it to the credit bureaus.
Can a hospital send your bill that is exactly thirty days old from time of service to a collection agency?
they normally don't, they try in house collections at first before they farm it out, but to answer your question, yes, they can.
How manyy plays did Shakespeare write?
Shakespeare wrote over thirty plays. The exact number is in dispute. It is somewhere between thirty-six and thirty-nine.
Number of rembrandts held in the collection in the louvre in Paris?
thirty
This agency oversees thirty-nine dams on the Tennessee River?
TVA
What percent of collections does a collections agency get?
The payment percentage is negotiated but is commonly thirty to fifty percent. Fifty percent generally reserved for legal collections or older debt. Some types of debt are commonly collected for as low as 15% The easier the collection the lower the percentage.
Can you take a collection agency to small claims court for not removing a paid collection account?
You can take a creditor or a listed party on a credit report to court for not removing notice on your report if, that account is paid off, seven (or ten in the event of a judgment) years has elapsed from the date of last payment, and thirty days have passed since you requested the account be pulled in writing, by registered mail. All three of these must occur before you should take any creditor or reporting agency to court. Small claims would be a waste of time considering the sizable payouts that can be recovered for unfair and fraudulent reportings.
How do you find out what you owe to various creditors?
If the debtor has misplaced the account statements and the accounts have been charged off. Eventually the person will receive a letter from a collections agency stating the name of the creditor and the amount of debt owed. The party involved will have thirty days to dispute the account or the debt will be presumed valid and collection action will proceed. The other option is to get a copy of the credit report. However, not all creditors report to all agencies, the person might want to request reports from all three bureaus.
