Collection Agency Phone Disconnected?

Question

I have a medical collections account from 2002. Today I tried to call the collection agency to set up a pay for deletion agreement. The phone number is disconnected. I tried to google the company but had not luck. In this situation is it safe for me to try to dispute the account due to not being able to contact them? I'm working on repairing my credit and would love to be able to do this IF it is worth it and won't hurt me in the long run.

Answer 1

Ok. Agency may be gone but the creditor (hospital) is probably not gone. Which we can check on if you want. Email me the name and old number of the agency and I will give you the 411 on them.

If anything...they wont leave your account hanging. They will either forward or sell your account to another agency.

You may dispute it now but it will be right back up there when they other agency comes across your file.

The best thing for you to do is call the hospital or doctor and request contact information for the agency who is now holding their account.

Contact them and cut a deal. By the way...start with offering 15% on medical bills. Do not allow the collector to work you over 60%. Thats solving the problem...not buying time.

Good Luck

Answer 2

Collection Agency Phone Number

Answer 3

It depends on whether you cancelled or you didn't pay and Verizon disconnected you. If you cancelled the account, you should only owe whatever monthly charges you had and the termination fee, not the remainder of the contract. If you just didn't pay and Verizon disconnected you, then you may owe more. It may be that the collection rep isn't able to tell you why you owe so much because they don't have proper documentation showing that they own the debt. Don't pay them anything or agree to anything until they have sent you valid proof that they are the ones who own the debt. Many times debt is sold from agency to agency with no supporting documentation. Without that, the collection agency can't legally collect on the debt. I would tell whoever is on the phone to send valid proof that they are the true owners of the debt and until that arrives, that you are not going to discuss the matter any further. Also, make sure that what they send you, if anything, actually constitutes valid proof. If they are able to demonstrate they legally own the debt, you should try to reach a settlement agreement. Start your offer very low (10-15% or so). Start quite a bit lower than the 600 you are willing to pay. Don't send any money until they agree in writing to the settlement amount. Verizon will probably want you to put down a deposit because of your non-payment, or they may just not give you a phone at all. When I was 20 years old, I wanted to get a phone from Verizon but they wanted $500 because I had a limited credit history (that was in 2002), so they may want even more than $500 if you have a history of non-payment. If the nonpayment is on your record, other phone companies will likely also want a deposit. Your paying or not paying the debt now likely won't matter to Verizon since they already sold your debt to a collection agency.

Answer 4

Here is how the "game" is played.

Get a copy of your credit report. The name and address for this creditor should be on it. If that is also incorrect, file a dispute with the credit bureau.

They have 30 days to "verify" this debt. That means they have to contact whoever placed this on your report and ask if the info is correct. If it gets verified, you then ask the credit bureau for how the performed this verification (ie...who did they talk to...what address). Then you can contact the creditor.

Now, if the credit bureau fails to verify this info and can't find the creditor, the entry gets deleted from your credit history. Problem solved.

If it has been sent to another collection agency, then the game starts all over again. But you at least bought some time.

Answer 5

Since you want to make good on your debt (and I applaud you for that!), I'd write the credit bureau that is reporting the debt. Explain to them that you have been trying to call, but the collection agency's phone number is disconnected.
They may do some research to see if it's been passed on to a different collection agency (and it's just not showing up yet). Or they might just delete the debt all together. I've seen it go both ways.

Answer 6

The average lifespan of a collection agency is less than 5 years. Someone else most likely bought the debt. I would dispute any entry from the 'ghost' agency. If the credit bureau can't contact them, they have to remove that entry. If they can, the have to tell you how.

Answer 7

Check your current credit report (you can do it for free once a year at this place: www.annualcreditreport.com) to see if it shows up still. If the place folded up, they may have sold it to some other agency, and you will be able to find it there. if it's not showing up- then you're off the hook I guess.

Answer 8

I think they had their phones shut off because they didnt pay their bills. I think what you should do is to send certified letters to the agency, this way you have proof that you tried to contact them. Good luck.

Answer 9

I would definitely dispute it. They usually lack the documentation necessary to back up the requirements of the FCRA after 2 years - even if they are STILL in business. In this case, you might have a very good shot at getting the trade line removed.
Good Luck!

Answer 10

I wouldn't be to worried about it, I did a search and found this site that explains in detail about this same issue, check it out http://www.mintcreditrepair.com , excellent articles also.