The Money Coach
  • About
    • Meet Lynnette
    • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Articles
  • Books
  • Coaching
  • Hire Lynnette
  • Money Coach University™
  • The Money Coach Recommends™
No Result
View All Result
The Money Coach
  • About
    • Meet Lynnette
    • Media Kit
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
The Money Coach
No Result
View All Result

What to Do If a Bill Collector Sends You Inadequate Information About a Debt

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
in Debt
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
11
SHARES
177
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Learn How To Invest In The Stock Market w/Teri Ijeoma. Click Here to Enroll in the Trade and Travel Program Now. Learn More.

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you have the right to send a bill collector a “debt validation” letter requesting more information about the debt you are being told is still outstanding.

This letter prompts the bill collector to send you proof of debt in the form of a complete payment history, a copy of the initial loan agreement or credit card application, and proof that the company contacting you actually owns the debt or has been assigned the debt.

While many bill collectors will send this information out to you within five days of receiving your letter, some may send you inadequate or incorrect information. Here’s what you need to do if you receive inconsistent or inadequate information about a debt from a bill collector:

The first thing you need to do is to write a dispute letter. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you have the right to dispute a debt within thirty days of receiving notice about your debt. It is then the debt collector’s responsibility to verify the debt and provide you with adequate proof that you owe this debt, or they are no longer allowed to go after it.

If the debt collector insists that they are providing you with all the information you have, you can point them to Section 809 of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and indicate that your debt validation letter was sent in order to obtain a copy of all items listed there.

This includes the total amount of debt owed, the name of the creditor to whom you owe the debut, a statement that states that the debt collector has assumed the debt, and a complete payment history.

Remember you have the legal right to ask for this information, and a debt collector may not be able to collect from you if they fail to provide you with this information within five business days of receiving your debt validation letter.

If the debt collector does not provide the information you requested within five days, it’s time to escalate your case. You can contact your State’s Office of the Attorney General to report the bill collector or work with a local consumer advocate agency to voice a complaint.

At this stage, you could also hire an attorney who could prepare a case or pursue the case further on your behalf. Getting professional legal advice is your best bet for dealing with a bill collector who fails to communicate and work with you.

In some cases, you may be relieved of your debt entirely because of the debt collector’s failure to follow the law.

Tags: Debt validationFair Debt Collection Practices Act
Previous Post

What to Get from a Bill Collector Before You Make a Single Payment

Next Post

What to Do If a Creditor Will Not Renegotiate the Terms of Your Agreement

Related Articles

Debt Snowball Vs. Debt Avalanche: Which is the Best Approach to Pay off Debt?
Debt

Debt Snowball Vs. Debt Avalanche: Which is the Best Approach to Pay off Debt?

by Guest Blogger
FDCPA
Debt

How To Deal With Out of State Debt Collectors

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
debt collectors
Debt

5 Tips to Protect Your Paycheck from Wage Garnishment

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
get out of debt
Debt

The Pros and Cons of Paying Off Someone Else’s Debt

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
jail debtors prison
Debt

4 Crazy Times People Got Thrown In Jail Because of Their Debts

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
debt detox
Debt

The 5-Step Debt Detox That Improves Your Finances and Health

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox How to budget better in 2015
Debt

How To Get Out of Debt and Get Financially Fit Now

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
debt
Debt

5 Horrible Things About Debt That Have Nothing To Do With Money

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
medical debt
Debt

Dealing with Old Medical Debt

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
Next Post
dealing with creditors

What to Do If a Creditor Will Not Renegotiate the Terms of Your Agreement

All information on this blog is for educational purposes only. Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach, is not a certified financial planner, registered investment adviser, or attorney. If you need specialty financial, investment or legal advice, please consult the appropriate professional. Advertising Disclosure: This site may accept advertising, affiliate payments or other forms of compensation from companies mentioned in articles. This compensation may impact how and where products and companies appear on this site. AskTheMoneyCoach™ and Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach® are trademarks of TheMoneyCoach.net, LLC.

©2009-2022 TheMoneyCoach.net, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Meet Lynnette
  • Money Coach University™
  • Books
  • Financial Coaching
  • Speaking
  • The Money Coach Recommends™
  • Media Kit
  • Contact

©2009-2021 TheMoneyCoach.net, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist