Collections

I keep getting calls from collection agencies looking for a former occupant of my house — a woman who has been deceased for more than 8 years. I don’t think she has any family left. Is it possible her identity got stolen? Am I in any danger? What should I do?
I have a different phone # than the previous occupant- don’t know how they got mine…

I dealt with something similar to this. I agree with the previous post, tell them to stop harrassing you. If they continue, have your landlord write you a ‘change of occupancy’ note that states when you moved in and how long you’ve been living there. Make sure your landlords contact name is included in the note you submit. So they can contact your landlord, not you, from here on in.

I know that a loan falls to a collection agency and gets written off after 120 days of delinquency but is a Checking plus line of credit the same in this manner? I’m asking because when my loan fell to the collection agency I paid 35% and it was settled so I’m curious if I can expect the same for my Checking plus account. Thanks in advance.

Why do you keep doing this stuff? Don’t borrow money you can’t pay back, please. You are part of the problem, why don’t you become part of the solution.

I have some old medical bills that have gone to a collections agency. I have recently gotten into a position where I can pay the bills off, but should I pay the hospital & doctors directly or send the money to the collection agency? I would rather pay the doctors & hospital since I may need to use them again, but don’t want to leave the old bills on my credit report. What is the best way to pay these bills?

the agency. i’m going through this myself. once its paid it will reflect that you paid it although late. i’ve had two agencies out of ten report paid on time just like it never went to collections.
once in a while you’ll find some willing to do that. it doesn’t hurt to ask.

i recieved a letter today from a debt collection agency who were working on behalf of powergen claiming i owed nearly £900 for gas for the house i moved out of in nov last year.
i spoke to powergen who agreed i owe them nothing and have said they will send a letter confirming this, esp as the account wasnt even in my name.
They claim they have the name of the current occupant and therefore wouldnt have set the debt collectors my way. when i asked how they got my name powergen said they didnt know but it wasnt from them and that debt collectors have their own way of tracking people down. the debt collection agency are refusing to tell me how they got my name. How can i find out how they got my name and what effect will this now have on my credit rating…i am wanting to buy a house next year.
I am appalled that they can send me a letter telling me to pay in 7 days or i will be taken to court for a debt that isnt mine and never would have been as i wasnt an account holder!
hi robert c thx for that no they cant prove it as i am not responsible, it was a rented house and i have evidence form the landlord of the dates i moved out and what the meter readings were, powergen have also said they will send me a letter confiriming that i owe them nothing, so effectively the debt collectors are working without authorisation and sureky that cant be legal?

I would write to the debt collection agency, and tell them that you do not acknowledge the debt, and would like to see the paperwork relating to the debt, under the Data Protection Act. Send them a postal order made out to them for £1.

If a debt is in dispute, they should be law put a hold on the debt until its sorted. It could be a genuine mistake with powergen, sending the wrong persons details to the debt collectors. The debt collectors should send you the paperwork so you can see whats happened.

I would also check your credit report with Experian and Equifax, to see if anythings been added incorrectly about the debt, although its unlikely as it hasn’t got to the court stage.

Also, post in the consumer action group forums as well. They have forums dealing with debt collection problems, and have a lot of very knowledgeable people who Im sure will be able to give you more advice.

Don’t worry about it though, the Debt Collection agencies pile on the threats, but it can always be sorted out.

I have a couple of credit card charge-offs on my credit report, but I have been paying on them through collection agencies. Do those ever show on your credit report?

If you pull your credit report from http://www.annualcreditreport.com you will probably find that these debts are already listed.

You will also find out that once you have paid them, they will continue to stay there as a negative item. Normally, once a debt is paid all the collection agency does is put "paid" on your history. But it will still reflect that it was in collections or had late payments.

If the reason you are paying these bills is to improve your credit, you need to contact the collector and have them agree IN WRITING to delete the entry once it has been paid off. Otherwise, you are just throwing away your money.

What is the best way to ensure that this account doesn’t get reported to the Credit Bureaus? I was called last week by the collection agency and I disputed the account. They told me that they were going to send me the account info. Will they eventually report to the credit bureaus?

If it is not on your report then it sounds like they are "shot gunning" for the real owner of the debt. This just means that they will call everybody with the same name in hopes of locating the real debtor.

If this is truly your debt the they are required to send you written notification within 5 days of the initial contact of the debt and also provide specific information regarding the debt, who was the original creditor, the amount, account number, and also your rights under the FDCPA on what you can do to dispute the debt.

If you do not hear from them you can contact the CRA’s and inform them of this attempt to collect an un validated debt.

Here is a link to download a copy of the FDCPA for you to read so you understand your rights.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf

NOTE: This communication is not intended as or should be interpreted as legal advice. It is intended solely as a general discussion of legal principles or definitions of the FDCPA and FCRA. Always consult an attorney if needed.

If my company is calling under the name and identity of a client, do we need a separate debt collection license or are we covered by our client’s licenses?

Different state’s have different rules on license. I would say in most states the answer’s are yes. You are not covered by the client’s licesne, you are a sub-contractor or a seperate agency. As far as you client goes you are only reponsible for paying them there fee’s form the profit collected that’s in your contract. Outside agency have diffent fee’s and they should all be insurance and following FDCPA.

I have a civil judgement on my credit report from an apartment complex I used to live in. The account was then sold to a collection agency. I want to work on paying this debt and getting it removed but I’m not sure if I should be working with the apartment complex , the court, or the collection agency. Can someone offer any advice on where to start?

Go to the court and get a copy of the judgment, then contact the attorney that sued you. His name address and phone will be on top of the form. Tell him you want to pay (offer to pay half, they MAY just take it and run)

If the judgment has been sold, the attorney will advise you, be sure and get that in writing from the attorney. Be sure to get WHO or which collection agency it was sold to.

If it’s now owned by a collection agency, keep in mind they paid pennies for your judgment, and will settle for probably less than a third of what you owe (if you grind them)

Also tell them “no deal” unless they offer to take less and report as “paid in full” also make sure they give you a “satisfaction of judgment” which you can file with the court.

Once this is filed, it becomes public record that you paid, this is when the credit bureaus will see that and show the judgment as “satisfied” on your credit report.

It will remain on your credit as “satisfied” for 7 years from the date the judgment was entered.

I have a doctor bill that I have not been able to pay on due to having to pay so many other bills and being short on money. I’m worried about what the collections agency might do to me for not paying. How far will they really go?

They will continue to send you 2 or 3 letters. Then they will eventually give it over to collections. Then they will send you letters for months and call you constantly. And then sooner or later they will take to court, get a judgment and garnish your wadges. But this could take over year. So you have a while yet to pay.

I have about 2,000.00 worth of debt that is in collections. How do I go about cleaning this mess up and getting it off of my credit report?

First of all, your choice of action would depend on the type of debt and the age of the debt. If these are old debts that are "time barred" from legal action, then only time will get them removed from your credit report.
If they are newer debts then your best bet would be to either negotiate for a settlement with them or work out a payment plan. REMEMBER this, if you make any arrangements or payments, then you have re-set the statute of limitations in your state for taking legal action against you. If they agree to settle for less, GET IT IN WRITING first before payment is made!!

Or, you might consider credit counseling, you can get it from various firms that are recommended by the FTC (many of those not-for=profit outfits just take your money and don’t really help.

Here are some links to check out for more help

http://www.usdoj.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/ccde/cc_approved.htm
Govt approved credit counseling agencies.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre03.shtm#improve
Building a better credit report.

http://www.ftc.gov/gettingcredit/
What you need to know about your credit.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/crdright.shtm
Credit and your consumer rights.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/timebaralrt.pdf
Information on time barred debts.

Hope this answers your question