Collection Agency

Credit Accounts Bought By New Collection Agency

Dear Melissa, I have several accounts on my credit report that just got reopened by new collection agencies that bought the existing account. The accounts are 5 years old now. How do I get these accounts removed from my credit report without having to pay a cre Read more...

Will Talking to Debt Collector Reset SOL?

Dear Melissa, We recently received a phone call from a gentleman stating he was calling about a debt. The message was incomplete, and his number was cut off. I hit my redial and called the main number back. I was asked if I was the household member responsible fo Read more...

Statue of Limitations & Time Debts Stay on Credit Report

Dear Melissa, I want to repair my credit and raise my score and was reading about states having a statue of limitation. With this being the case can I have accounts that have reached the statue of limitations removed from my credit? And with this statue of limitati Read more...

Does the Collection Agency Have to Remove An Error?

Dear Melissa, About 2 months ago I received my quarterly credit report to discover it had dropped by 100 points—from a 750 to a 650. I discovered I had been turned over to a collection agency for a bill, which I thought my insurance company had paid, as it was for Read more...

Are Hospital Bills as “Valid” as Others?

Dear Melissa, I have always heard that if you will just pay something that a hospital cannot do anything as far as turning you over to a collection agency, is this true? If you are paying what you can afford due to still having medical problems, and unable to work, Read more...

Collector Won’t Accept My Money

Dear Melissa, I am 21 years old. I had a checking account with a local bank. I had an overdraft protection amount of $400. This was my first checking account and I didn't know that there was an overdraft protection. They bank paid my overdrafts in the amount of $400. Read more...

Dealing with Gym Membership Dues is a Workout

Dear Melissa- I recently signed up for a gym membership. I go to the gym daily and have been going for the last nine months. I signed up for a two-year agreement and started a month-to-month payment plan of $20. In April, my debit card number was changed due to an Read more...

Can They Send Me to Collections?

Dear Melissa, I have been making my scheduled, contracted, monthly payments to a medical office since December of 2003. I have never been late and have never missed a payment. They recently, out of the clear blue, sent my account to a collection agency because Read more...

My Daughter Ran Up $8900 in Credit Card Bills

Dear Melissa: My daughter has moved out of the house and I no longer pay her bills. I am giving her tough love and letting her pay her own bills. She has ran up $8900.00 of credit card debt and cannot pay for them and makes 8.00 an hour. In the State of Alab Read more...

Do I Have to Pay Interest & Fees on My Debt?

Questions About Collections Dear Melissa, Some of my past debt has been turned over to a collection agency. The agency has added interest and fees to the original amount, am I obligated to pay these? The original balance is all that shows up on my credit report Read more...