Collecting Agencies

[numaria]

Which collecting agencies (In the US and the UK) have you fellow hosts been using to recoup unpaid funds?

We're looking to catch up with "a few" unpaid bills on both sides of the pond!

 

[lv3servers]

Collection agencies are useless. All the client has to do is tell them they dispute the claim and send them a cease and desist letter and they have the legal obligation to stop contacting you... I tried before and i haven't gotten 1 penny from it.

 

[Marks]

Collection agencies are useless. All the client has to do is tell them they dispute the claim and send them a cease and desist letter and they have the legal obligation to stop contacting you... I tried before and i haven't gotten 1 penny from it.

Very true. I received a letter from a Collecting Agency a while ago about a Membership for a Book Club however I would never apply for one, nor should they have created membership if payment wasn't made. Contacted but Book Company and the Collecting Agency and was ignored on both accounts. I ignored the letter because I know collecting Agency's wouldn't pursue legal action on such small fees.

 

[ANMMark]

Well now, I got lucky with a collecting agency when I was younger.

I, like many other kids right out of highschool was sent a ton of credit card offers, but wasn't responsible with one of them.

After a few years, the collection agency sent me a letter (no doubt a typo), with me owing a balance of $0.00.

Once you have that, your debt with them is wiped clean, and you have proof that you owe them nothing.

Collection agencies will have you believe that they can do anything they want to do to get money, but the fact is, they bank on a lot of people not knowing about, or at least in full detail..the fair credit act (at least in the US).

There are a lot of things they can't do, but do anyway, thinking that the consumer doesn't know any better.

For example, they cannot tell you over the phone that they will get a judgement on you, and then do it. They have to send you a certified letter first, as a judgement is a legal proceeding. Yet many of them use it as a scare tactic, and rarely follow through, because in most cases (unless you're Bill Gates), their court costs to start the proceedings are far more expensive than the average person's debt.

Another example about agencies that call you on the phone....
They are not permitted to call you before 8AM YOUR time, and after 8PM YOUR time. Some of them use the excuse that "It's only 5PM here" etc, using their timezone, it's still in violation of the FCA.

They also cannot call your cellphone or work phone unless you've given them express permission to do so, as your cellphone costs you money, and your work phone can cost you your job.

In the end, after 7 years, your debt is considered wiped out. So if your customer just ignores them, there is absolutely nothing you can do, and ultimately do you want to pay an agency to try to collect for 7 years anyway?

 

[SuperbHosting]

Well now, I got lucky with a collecting agency when I was younger.

I, like many other kids right out of highschool was sent a ton of credit card offers, but wasn't responsible with one of them.

After a few years, the collection agency sent me a letter (no doubt a typo), with me owing a balance of $0.00.

Once you have that, your debt with them is wiped clean, and you have proof that you owe them nothing.

Collection agencies will have you believe that they can do anything they want to do to get money, but the fact is, they bank on a lot of people not knowing about, or at least in full detail..the fair credit act (at least in the US).

There are a lot of things they can't do, but do anyway, thinking that the consumer doesn't know any better.

For example, they cannot tell you over the phone that they will get a judgement on you, and then do it. They have to send you a certified letter first, as a judgement is a legal proceeding. Yet many of them use it as a scare tactic, and rarely follow through, because in most cases (unless you're Bill Gates), their court costs to start the proceedings are far more expensive than the average person's debt.

Another example about agencies that call you on the phone....
They are not permitted to call you before 8AM YOUR time, and after 8PM YOUR time. Some of them use the excuse that "It's only 5PM here" etc, using their timezone, it's still in violation of the FCA.

They also cannot call your cellphone or work phone unless you've given them express permission to do so, as your cellphone costs you money, and your work phone can cost you your job.

In the end, after 7 years, your debt is considered wiped out. So if your customer just ignores them, there is absolutely nothing you can do, and ultimately do you want to pay an agency to try to collect for 7 years anyway?

This is an article i can relate too. After graduating school. I had a loan to pay. After since that I've had bad credit. I've had over 100 calls from over 100 diffrent collection agencies. After 30 years. I finnaly got all of this to go away by ignoring it. After awhile. A collection agency, either writes it off. or passes it on to a diffrent collection agency.

 

[fdcservers]

They are mostly all bark and no bite., Unless you have a large problem most agencies will npt even be interested in taking you as a client.