Dont ignore it! Try to reach a settlement. At the very least, go to court. If you dont go, then the account will automatically become a judgement, which will stay on your credit report for up to 10 years. Most companies are willing to work with a payment plan, so there are certainly options available to resolve the debt before it becomes a larger and lengthy problem.
yes
all of them
If you are being sued, you will always receive a summons. Sometimes it is delivered by a process server sometimes by registered mail. A collection agency telling you, you are being sued, does not necessarily make it fact. Only attorneys can file suit and they have to adhere to the state laws where the person resides. A collection agency cannot sue you regardless of what they claim. Sorry, I should add you need to be aware of the difference in collection agency and collection attorney. For instance Mann-Bracken LLC, are collection attorneys and/or arbitrators. They can initiate a lawsuit.
There are a few benefits to using a collection agency for ones business or personal purposes. One benefit to using a collection agency would be being able to avoid having to directly deal with the person who owes money.
Yes.
The people you wrote the check to originally are the only ones you have a legal obligation to. They probably turn all their collections to the collection agency, as a matter of course, but you have no obligation to deal with them or even talk to them. You should make reparations for the bounced check and bank fees, but it should be done to the people you were dealing with at first. A collection agency is a sub-contractor that will take part of the funds collected, usually around half, but they have no authority to garnish wages, repossess goods or affect ratings and services. They will claim these and a lot of other things, but they aren't true.
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.
Hanging up does not make it go away. The next step is arrest.
Yes
Collection agencies can collect for Florida hospitals. Medical bills are not looked on as poorly as other bills when offers of credit are being considered.
To request a debt validation letter from a collection agency, you can send a written request within 30 days of being contacted by the agency. In your letter, ask for proof that the debt is valid and provide your contact information. Keep a copy of your letter for your records.
If you "told" them , I would assume you meant you did this via the phone. Then with that being the case , yes, they may continue to contact you. ONLY if you either write them a leter stating to not cntactyou at work , or you notify them that your employer does not permet personal calls would the collection agency not be permitted to contact you at work. I would also say that any communication should be done by letter and those letters should be done either registered or certified or both. In this manner you have documentation from the post office that you actually did contact the collection agency and when you had that contact. Also it provs you did send something so the collection agency can not latter on claim they never got anything from you the debtor . It should go without saying , but I will say it anyway , as well as sending your communication with a collection agency by registered mail, please also keep a copy of each letter that you send to them for your own records ..