Do you have to agree to work with a collection agency instead of the creditor?
915093
Re postdated checks- in many states, it's illegal to either offer a post-dated check or receive one. Debt collectors have, depending upon the state, restrictions on what they can do. Check with the state prosecutors's office.\n\nAlso-your business has rights depending upon your state-check with your consumer protection agency-Good Luck!
1012966
as acting agents of the company they would be responsible. best bet is to retain an attorney and go after them. collection agencies are of no use as they get a large percent if they recover and rarely do. an attorney can take it to court and get your costs and fees back also. you would need a attorney that specializes in commercial law or corporate law. good luck!
160611
They can take you to court make you pay them and he you dont if and when you get a job they can take the money directly out of your paycheck... Its so much easier to call the collections people and make payment arrangments on your bill plus anything you want in life you have to have good credit so by letting a past due bill sit its really hurting your credit.
457309
Yes.  What the company that charged off the credit card did, was to sell your contract (account) to the collection agency/attorney that is calling you.  They can take you to court and sue for a judgment against you.  If you own a house they can put a lien on it. They can also demand $35 a week (or the sum the judge says) until the debt is payed off. Or, attach your wages.\n\nYou do have rights regarding their right to call.  You could call your State Attorney General to find out your rights.  (I know, after a while you want to disconnect the phone and except calls from no one.  I found it very depressing.)\n\nThe best thing is to eventually negotiate a settlement with them.  I think it is better to do this before it goes to judgment.  Also, Stay up with the court procedures.  As soon as you get served go to the Court house and fill out the form "Appearance".  I think if you look like a fighter they will be more willing to negotiate to a lower settlement.\n\nI got a lot of help from:\n\nwww.creditinfocenter.com\n\nGood luck!
253326
First you need to determine if it was the company that you owe the debt to, or a collection company.  A collection company is subject to certain rules and they can't discuss your debt with someone else.  The company you actually owe the money to though is not subject to the same federal laws so this makes a big difference.\n\nHere's two examples\n\nYou owe CitiBank money on a loan.  They have their own employee call looking for you.  They can call at late hours, early hours, talk with employeers, etc.\n\nYou owe CitiBank again.  This time though they hand off the collection to XYZ Collection Agency.  XYZ can only call during certain hours, can't discuss it with anyone other then you, etc.
964486
If  you call a local collection agency in your area they will ask for the information of the person owing you the money and they will send out notices trying to collect. This is not the most effective way, most people throw the notices away...be warned collection agencies charge a fee and or a percentage of what you are trying to collect. You will more than likely end up not receiving the full amount owed to you. You are better off taking these clients to small claims court. I believe in most states it is around $35.00 to file a motion. In the end it is cheaper and with a strong case you will receive all monies owed. If and when you file be sure to include that you want to be reimbursed for court costs.
43853
You would have to subscribe to the the 3 bureaus to report to them.  Most creditors do, but individuals don't as it is not worth the cost to do so, and you would have to be a legitimate grantor of credit anyways.\n\nIf you want to report someone who didn't pay you, you can sue them, and the judgement (assuming you win) most likely will follow them on their credit report.
822474
They can write off a debt after unsuccessful "reasonable collection efforts" are exhausted - usually 90 days. I don't recall any laws stating any time period but only reasonable efforts to collect.\n\nLook in the agreement, it may have the proof you are looking for. Some creditors have their own criteria for this and document it in the agreement.\n\nHave you tried to negotiate it with them? That is pretty cold to do that especially when you have proof you actually moved.\n\nGood luck\n\n================
877661
if you have a house or any joint property the creditor can place a lien, the best thing to do is what you said contact the collection agency and offer them a cash settlement some take as little as 15% as a cash settlement MAKE SURE YOU KEEP PROOF OF PAYMENT collection agency don't like reporting to credit bureaus so a lot of times that debt will still show up years after you have already paid it
366867
Contact the agency, don't wait for them to call you. Most times when you're calling into an agency, as opposed to them calling you, the agent will be a lot less aggressive. If they STILL demand the full amount, STAND FIRM!!!! Explain that your intention is to repay your debt, but that you need to make arrangements to repay your debt in a way that you can follow through on. If this doesn't work, send them a letter notifying them of your intentions to pay, the amount you will pay monthly, and when you will send the payment each month. Next, send them the first payment. What are they going to do, send your money back and say they don't want it?!?!? Most important---pay on time, stick to what you agreed upon. Good luck, I hope this information is helpful.
246440
What?  Maybe that's true on the Planet of the Apes, but here on Earth.... yes.  If  you owe them money, the can sue you.  But if you work out an agreeable payment plan with them, they will choose not to sue -- most creditors just want their money back, they don't want to have to sue you.
174681
Actually there are two types of Collection Agencies. One actually "buys" the debt from the original creditor. Your credit report will sometimes say "sold to xxx financial". The "sale" or "discount" is determined by what the companies determine as risk and how much they think they can collect.\n\nThe other type is just hired as a service to collect. Service companies get between 5-50% depending on how old the debt how the creditors determine how or if it is collectable.\n\nGood Luck
110424
Well, I dont think you need a collection agency but more like court action. if you paid thru paypal contact them immediately.  If you paid with a credit card, contact them immediately.  Otherwise, you need to locate her home or other assets to file a lien against when you get a judgment.  I would suggest you check where jurisdiction lies....it may lie where the merchandise exchanged hands which would have been at your mailbox or doorstep....let me know if you need assistance in locating her or assets.  I can be of help.\nNorthwest Investigation\nemma____@yahoo.com
170034
There is no one correct answer to this question. Typically it's going to depend on your location. Living in certain states you are more prone to one particular agency being used but not entirely exclusively. If your asking this question because you are considering applying for credit I recommend you check the sites below to find which creditor pulls reports from which agency in your state.
236225
hi briezee1\nThe answer to this is going to be it depends.....First, Are they 100% accuratly reporting on your credit report? Second, Are the creditors the original creditor or collection agency?\n\nThere are a couple of ways of approaching this. If the debt is yours and is reporting 100% accurate I will concur with RICK that you have a moral obligation to repay the debt. With that said, I find it highly unlikely they are reporting 100% accurate.\n\nIf the creditor is an original creditor you may want to consider offering them a settlement. If it's a collection agency you may want to consider sending them a debt validation letter first. You want to know that you have a legal and contractual obligation to pay them and not the original creditor. \n\nIt is also important to know the date of last activity on the account. Even though negative credit may stay on your report for 7 years, most statute of limitations is much shorter. You will want to check your state statute regarding the debt.It is possible the SOL (statute of limitation) is up and the debt is no longer collectable.
1073560
THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE.  YOU SHOULD SEEK ADVICE OF A LAWYER IN YOUR STATE FOR ADVICE REGARDING STATE-SPECIFIC  AS WELL AS APPLICABLE FEDERAL LAWS.\n\nOK - got the disclaimer out of the way.  \n\nYou could always pay the bill and provide the creditor with the payment details.  If things have gone beyond the phase of simply just paying the bill there are laws which protect consumers from unwieldy and unwelcome calls from creditors.  The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act governs what creditors can and cannot do in the pursuit of collecting unpaid debt.  If you don't want to receive the calls you may want to consider telling the creditor just that the next time you get a collection call.  Keep a record of the calls and how you respond to them. If it gets out of hand, abusive or overbearing the best thing to do is get in touch with a local attorney.\n\nGood luck.
766636
Be very careful with credit counseling agencies.\n\nThere are good ones out there - and there are bad ones out there.\n\nAny that charges YOU the customer - is not a good deal.  Then too there are those that have you send them your money and then you never know what happened to it.  No one gets paid and you never get it back.\n\nThe only one I can tell you for sure is legit is "Consumer Credit Counseling".  It appears to be the most respected one in the credit industry.  \n\nKnow too that lenders do not have to abide with whatever a credit counseling agency tells you the creditor will do.\n\nPLUS - talk to the creditor first is a good idea.  Explain to them that you are considering this option.  You may find that your creditors will work with you to resolve the problem you are experiencing.  My company does that.  At no cost to anyone.\n\nGood luck.