Dealing With Debt Collectors Firmly

Copyright (c) 2011 Suzy Vanstrusen

Unfortunately, some debt collection agencies are guilty of violating the provisions of the Fair Debt Collections Act, treating borrowers offensively and some may even use threats to force payment.

How can you be sure that the agency was legally assigned to collect the debts you owe? How can you be certain that the quantity being collected is accurate? What if you cannot afford to pay your debts at the moment? In this article, let's discuss how you, as a borrower, can deal with debt collectors firmly.

Remain calm. When you first receive a call from a representative of a debt collection agency, you should remain calm and focused. Instead of rejecting your debts or creating justifications right away, you must let your collector do the talking.

Ask the name of the person you're talking to, the agency he/she belongs, and the original creditor that it claims to represent. Listen to what is being said and write down all the details, including the date and time you got the call.

Next, tell the collector that you want to request for the official debt collection letter from the agency with all the details of your debts so you can check the information. After that, finish the call and pass the time for the letter to turn up. In case you receive other calls from the same debt collection agency, tell them that you have requested for the letter and waiting for it.

Be acquainted with the aspects of your debts. While waiting for the debt collection agency to contact you through a letter, use that time to investigate your own debts. Order a copy of your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus so you can check all your accounts.

If you find errors, charges that have already been paid, or unauthorized charges in your account, send a dispute letter to the credit bureau that issued your report immediately. In your letter, include photocopies (NOT ORIGINALS) of receipts or documents that sustain your claim. Upon receiving your letter, the bureau will conduct a 30-day investigation on your complaint.

Afterwards, you will be informed about the result of the investigation. If your complaint is valid, you will be sent an updated copy of your credit report for free. The bureau will also contact the other two major bureaus regarding the corrections made in your file.

When the debt collection letter does arrive, compare it with the details in your report. If there are errors in the debt collector's information, you must send a dispute letter to the debt collection agency.

Do not ignore debt collection. Instead of not answering calls from your collectors, you can simply say that your current situation prevents you from sending payment and that you will pay as soon as you have the available cash. Then, end the call politely.

Always write down the date and time of the call, the person you have spoken to, and the details of the conversation. You may also record the telephone conversation for your reference. If the calls turn out to be rude, propel the agency a letter telling them to end all its efforts to get in touch with you again. In your letter, be sure to stress your consumer rights as quoted in the FDCPA. After getting your letter, the agency should discontinue collection. However, keep in mind that you are still responsible to pay for the debts you owe.


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Suzy Vanstrusen is a credit analyst and a writer of the website http://www.ezcreditrepairsolutions.com and has been providing consumers with tips and tricks in credit repair.