How to Beat WCTCB

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Persistent debt collectors have mastered getting on your nerves with their endless calls and emails. Worse still, they may even threaten you with dire consequences if you fail to pay.

West Central Texas Collection Bureau (WCTCB) uses methods of harassment and bullying in an effort to collect debts. They invest in training their employees to use tactics to increase their chances of getting consumers to pay. Hence, knowing your consumer rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) will help you beat them at their game.

In this article, SoloSuit will help you beat WCTCB, not matter what stage of the collection process you find yourself in.

Sued for debt? Settle your debt before going to court with the help of SoloSettle.

What is the West Central Texas Collection Bureau, and how does it work?

The West Central Texas Collection Bureau (WCTCB) is a debt collection agency based in Abilene, Texas. It has been in business since 1909 and specializes in collecting delinquent accounts for various industries, such as:

• Medical providers
• Utilities
• Telecommunications companies
• Financial institutions

The debts that WCTCB collects include medical bills, loans, and credit card debt. In addition to collecting outstanding debt, WCTCB also buys long-standing debt from its clients and resells it to willing debt buyers.

How WCTCB works

Once you fail to pay your credit card debt or loan, your creditor or lender hires WCTCB to collect. WCTCB creates an account and gathers your debt information from your creditor. Next, WCTCB collectors contact you requesting payment via email, letter, voicemail, or call.

If you ignore their attempts, they persist and may sometimes cross the line to persuade you to make payments. When all else fails, they may take legal action and send a lawsuit letter.

Complaints against West Central Texas Collection Bureau

As one of the oldest debt collection companies in the United States, WCTCB has received a considerable number of complaints but not as many as other debt collection companies.

For instance, the Better Business Bureau records only a handful of complaints against WCTCB in the last three years, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received even less.

These complaints range from talking to unprofessional agents, inaccurate debt added to credit reports, harassing calls, and lack of debt verification. Here is an example from the CFPB complaint database (edited for clarity):

“I sent a request to validate that a debt on my report is accurate with the West Central Texas Collection Bureau for account number XXXX. The company responded without validating or proving that the debt was legally mine. FCRA states information reporting has to be 100% verifiable and 100% accurate, otherwise, the information must be removed under federal law. The West Central Texas Collection Bureau has been reporting unverifiable and inaccurate information on my credit which has damaged my credit score. I intend to litigate if they do not remove this file from my credit report.”

The above consumer has an increased chance of beating WCTCB in court it did not send an accurate response to the consumer’s Debt Validation Letter.

Exercise your rights when WCTCB contacts you

When consumers know their rights, they reduce the likelihood of being exploited by debt collectors. Debt collectors are known to violate your rights, and you can beat WCTCB by mentioning the FDCPA when communicating with them. These laws state that WCTCB should not:

• Call you multiple times a day for the same debt
• Contact your loved ones, friend, or co-workers regarding your debt
• Use abusive, demeaning, or rude language
• Threaten you with arrest or taking your sensitive documents

If WCTCB has violated your rights, submit a complaint to the Fair Trade Commission website, BBB, or CFPB, and report them to the Texas attorney general's office.

Learn more about how debt collectors violate the FDCPA from our guide: FDCPA Violations List.

Use these steps to respond to West Central Texas Collection Bureau Lawsuit

WCTCB has a right to sue you for the debt you owe their client. If you ignore their requests or fail to start making payments, chances are WCTCB will file a debt lawsuit against you and serve you a Summons and Complaint. Fortunately, you can still fight the lawsuit and the debt with these three steps:

1. Answer each claim listed in the Complaint.
2. Assert your affirmative defenses.
3. File the Answer in court, and send a copy to WCTCB’s lawyers.

Keep reading to learn more about each of these steps or watch the following video to learn more:

1. Answer each claim listed in the Complaint

In the Complaint document, you will see a section where WCTCB have listed their allegation against you. You must answer this using one of three responses:

• Admit: You accept that the allegation is true.
• Deny: Request WCTCB to prove that the allegation is true.
• Deny due to lack of knowledge: You don’t know.

Most attorneys recommend denying as many allegations as possible if you plan to fight back. Admitting everything will most likely cause you to lose the case. Instead, denying can be a great way to force WCTCB to prove their case in court.

2. Assert your affirmative defenses

The following section allows you to state why you are not responsible for the debt. You can also mention any errors WCTCB made while handling your debt. Some affirmative defenses you can use include:

• The debt has exceeded the statute of limitations.
• WCTCB has not proven it got permission to collect on behalf of the original creditor.
• The debt was canceled, or you paid in full.
• The debt amount is inaccurate or wrongly reported.

This section is often challenging for consumers to fill. SoloSuit can help you write the correct responses using our already drafted Answer.

3. File the Answer in court, and send a copy to WCTCB

You have 14 days to file your Answer in the court before WCTCB has the right to request a default judgment against you. In other words, if you don’t respond to the lawsuit within 14 days, you will probably lose the case automatically. So, after completing the Answer, make three copies, send one to the courts, the second to WCTCB lawyers, and keep the last one in for your records.

SoloSuit can help you file an Answer in all 50 states, including Texas.

Now, let's take a look at an example of how to beat WCTCB in court:

Negotiate debt settlement with West Central Texas Collection Bureau

Another way to beat WCTCB is to request them to settle the debt for less than you owe. The catch is that you must pay the entire amount you agree to or make the payments in less time.

Debt settlement is a great way to avoid going to court. If you know you owe the debt, and you have enough money to pay off a portion of it right now, contact WCTCB to discuss debt settlement options.

Otherwise, SoloSettle can help you start the debt settlement negotiation process. Our software helps you send and receive settlement offers until you reach an agreement with WCTCB. Then, we help you manage your agreement documentation and transfer your settlement payment to WCTCB, keeping your financial information private and protected.

To learn more about how debt settlement can help you beat West Central Texas Collection Bureau, check out the following video:

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to fight debt collectors.

You can use SoloSuit to respond to a debt lawsuit, to send letters to collectors, and even to settle a debt.

SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit. (We can help you in all 50 states.)

How to answer a summons for debt collection in your state

Here's a list of guides for other states.

All 50 states.

• Alabama
• Alaska
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• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
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• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Guides on how to beat every debt collector

Being sued by a different debt collector? Were making guides on how to beat each one.

• Absolute Resolutions Investments LLC
• Accredited Collection Services
• Alliance One
• Amcol Clmbia
• American Recovery Service
• Asset Acceptance LLC
• Asset Recovery Solutions
• Associated Credit Services
• Autovest LLC
• Cach LLC
• Cavalry SPV I LLC
• Cerastes LLC
• Colinfobur
• Covington Credit
• Crown Asset Management
• CTC Debt Collector
• Cypress Financial Recoveries
• Delanor Kemper & Associates
• Eagle Loan of Ohio
• Educap
• Estate Information Services
• FIA Card Services
• Forster & Garbus
• Freshview Solutions
• Fulton Friedman & Gullace LLP
• Harvest Credit Management
• Howard Lee Schiff
• Hudson & Keyse LLC
• Integras Capital Recovery LLC
• Javitch Block
• Jefferson Capital Systems LLC
• LVNV Funding
• Mannbracken
• Mariner Finance
• Medicredit
• Michael J Adams PC
• Michael J Scott
• Midland Funding LLC
• Mullooly, Jeffrey, Rooney & Flynn
• Mountain Land Collections
• MRS Associates
• National Collegiate Trust
• Nationstar Foreclosure
• Northstar Capital Acquisition
• NCEP LLC
• NRC Collection Agency
• OneMain Financial
• Palisades Collection LLC
• Pallida LLC
• Paragon Revenue Group
• Pinnacle Collections Agency
• PMAB LLC
• Portfolio Recovery Associates
• Provest Law
• PYOD LLC
• Reunion Student Loan Finance Corporation
• Revenue Group
• Regents and Associates
• RSIEH
• Salander Enterprises LLC
• Second Round Sub LLC
• Security Credit Services
• Sherman Financial Group
• Suttell and Hammer
• T-Mobile
• Transworld Systems
• Tulsa Teachers Credit Union
• UCB Collection
• Velo Law Office
• Velocity Investments
• Waypoint Resource Group
• Weinberg and Associates
• Wolpoff & Abramson

Win against credit card companies

Is your credit card company suing you? Learn how you can beat each one.

• Bank of America
• Capital One
• Chase
• Credit One Bank
• PayPal Synchrony Card
• SYNCB/PPEXTR
• Synchrony Bank
• Target National Bank
• Wells Fargo

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