Phone calls and other communications from debt collectors can be incredibly frustrating. They will cause some to change numbers and even move just to avoid it. This frustration will quickly be multiplied if the debt is not a valid debt. It is not uncommon for a lender mistake to cause your account to go to collections. Unfortunately explaining this situation to someone that has already paid money for your debt is not a recipe for success. If you find yourself in this position you should request validation of the debt. This is done by writing a letter to the debt collector and requesting validation. I suggest you do this by certified mail so you have documentation that they received your letter. Do not request validation over the phone because it is often ignored. In addition you only have 30 days to request validation of a debt once you are notified. It is not uncommon for debt collectors to sell your debt to another agency instead of validating it with the lender. This is why we suggest you send your letter through certified mail because that way you may be able to file a civil suit against the debt collector. Instead I suggest you hire a credit service to dispute the negative credit items that the debt collectors have posted on your credit report. This way you will prevent your score from being damaged due to a lender mistake. If the debt is valid then we suggest you settle it. This is done through a settlement letter to the collector; we suggest you offer 50% of the balance. Do this because the debt collector has purchased your account for a fraction of the balance. In addition you are showing the debt collector that you are willing to pay if you can agree on a price so they will negotiate on the balance. Before you pay you should get the collector to agree to remove the item from your credit in exchange for your payment. If you do not do this it will only change the item to a paid collection and will still damage your credit score. In sum, I suggest a service to repair you credit from debt collectors.
Yes, most collection agencies do offer a discount if your company assigns them multiple accounts or the balance is very high or the account is new.
Generally, there are three rules to follow to determine what rate your company will be charged:
Balance due. If you have a past due account totaling $5,000 or more, your company might be able to get a discounted rate.
Age of account. An account that is 60 days past due has a greater chance of being collected than a two-year-old account. Collection agencies that get paid based on how much they collect will not have a large incentive to work on older past-due accounts, much less offer you a discount on them.
Volume discounts. If you have a lot of accounts to collect, you should be able to secure a smaller rate. For example, if your company has 25 past due accounts for $25,000 that are less than one year old, you should get 30 percent to 35 percent off regular rates, unless you entered into a different kind of arrangement.
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