Interview With A Former Debt Collector

At SoloSuit, we aim to understand the debt collection industry so that we can educate consumers on how to resolve, settle, and fight debt lawsuits. We recently interviewed a former debt collector for Credit Management Company who told us how the process works on the side of collectors and how collection agencies motivate their employees to collect as much as possible. Below is the transcript of the interview.

Edited for clarity and confidentiality.

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Transcript begins here

SoloSuit: Okay, awesome. I think we're good to get started. Well, yeah. So thank you so much for being willing to have this interview with me. Well, I was wondering, how did you hear about SoloSuit?

Former debt collector: I remember Googling my old company's name, because if you look online, their Google reviews or Glass Door reviews, it's all just awful. And I like to read the new ones to see how people are interacting.

And I came across a SoloSuit article, and I read about it, and I just basically Google searched until I found your company. And I assumed the author of the article was an attorney, just by the name of the website. And I found out they just wrote for your blog and published an article about Credit Management Company, and I was like, yeah, well, I worked there for seven years, and I can tell you about anything you want to know about them.

Are debt collection agencies ethical?

SoloSuit: Got you. So it sounds like you just found our article on Credit Management Company online. So, we're always trying to learn more about this debt collection space and how it works. I know that every company is different, but it seems like most debt collection agencies have really similar approaches to debt collection, and a lot of the time, I would say that they're not the most ethical. Would you agree with that?

Former debt collector: I would say my company toed the line, or skirted the line, very close. I would question some stuff, and this is a little more recent of our approach to the older approach that we did, and I would get the answer, “Well, we're in compliance…” Okay, you're in compliance, but when you're calling somebody almost every day for a debt that they haven't paid in six months, eight months, ten months, when is it enough? And they just always got the approach back.

SoloSuit: Yeah, that makes sense. So you said that you worked with Credit Management Company for seven years, is that right?

Former debt collector: Yes, ma'am.

What is an average day like for a debt collector?

SoloSuit: Okay, so can you tell me a little bit about what your role was and what a day-to-day workday looked like for you while working there?

Former debt collector: I started there in 2014, and they have three separate departments. And then inside those departments, one of the main departments is what they call Early Out services, and that's where their clients, who are mostly medical, have outsourced the first party billing to them. So they pretend they are the business office to a hospital, and they send you your bills from either an ER visit or a doctor's visit or a radiologist, and so on and so forth.

And I did that for six months early in my employment. And with Early Out, most of your metrics are bonus driven, you know what I mean? So we have an hourly rate, but if you collect XYZ off of the metrics, you get a bonus.

My numbers were slipping in the beginning of my employment, and I was one of those people on the phone that was very straightforward to somebody. So if you called me to ask a question, I'd answer it. But if you were like, kind of being a jerk, I wasn't just like, “Oh, I'm so sorry.” I'd be like, “You don't need to talk to me that way!” And they didn't like that, and so they were going to fire me.

But then the manager of what they called the Bad Debt department saw that I had good phone skills and they could use me there. And that's the second department, it’s what they call Bad Debt, which is basically the collection agency. We are representing Credit Management Company as a collection agency.

So your debt is now in the agency, and it's aged from anywhere from 90 days on, like, after the billing cycle. So you get a little more leeway with people when you could be like, well, this isn't like the 1980s. We aren’t going to come break your legs. It's 2015. It's like, okay, well, if you don't want to pay, we can kind of negotiate a plan or a settlement or something like that. And then if not, then it just goes.

Well, when I started in that department, I flourished. Like I took off. I was collecting well, making money, making the company money, making bonuses, and then I left in 2022. So out of my seven years, six and a half was in what they call Bad Debt.

Now, day-to-day would be phone campaigns, collecting accounts into your desk, and just basically housing debt that either people are paying on a monthly basis or maybe negotiate a settlement or just take a payment if you just want to make a payment.

Or the other aspect of it, if someone told me my insurance was never billed or I was billed the wrong insurance, you take that information and send it back to the client. And if it's still in the house, it's still at our desk, and the insurance company pays, I got credit for that too. Or let's say an attorney was involved, for example, accidents, worker’s comp, etc., then you go through the attorney and you try to get money that way. So that's pretty much the day-to-day of a collector there.

What does “bad debt” mean?

SoloSuit: Okay, so in the Bad Debt department, what kind of debt would you collect? It sounds like it would be medical bills?

Former debt collector: I was strictly medical. They do have other departments that collect other debts, like, they had a little bit of student debt, but mostly it was clerk of courts, stuff like that. A lot of people would show up to the facility directly to pay fines that were there to get their license back or to get a warrant taken off out of their name, something like that. Instead of the court, they didn't sell it.

A lot of people thought we bought debt. We didn't buy any debt that I was aware of because it was all client based, like Credit Management Company’s clients are these medical providers or the clerk of courts or the other companies.

Does Credit Management Company purchase debts?

SoloSuit: So it sounds like Credit Management Company in particular did not purchase debts. They were hired by medical providers and other companies to collect on their behalf?

Former debt collector: That's correct. To my knowledge, yeah, we did not purchase any debt.

What is the difference between Bad Debt and Early Out collections?

SoloSuit: Yeah, okay, I guess I'm still trying to understand the difference between the Bad Debt department Early Out.

Former debt collector: Yeah, so the difference is, I’ll give you an example. There was a medical company called Valley Health who no longer uses Credit Management Company, so I don't mind naming them. They're an entity out of, like, Maryland, Virginia, and they use Credit Management Company to do all their medical billing.

The bill you would get in the mail would come from Valley Health, but we were doing all their first party billing work, so sending out the bill and then waiting 30 days and then making the calls to the people on behalf of Valley Health. So anybody taking that call that was in the Early Out department was basically acting like they were part of Valley Health when it was really Credit Management Company doing it because they had a contract with Valley Health. But the people on the phone, like the patients, thought they were calling the business office to Valley Health.

SoloSuit: Okay, but it was really the debt collection agency.

Former debt collector: It was, but nothing was going on these people's credit, it was just to basically collect the bill as the first party, whereas we called it third party. That was Credit Management Company having actual medical debt that would already have been billed by their medical client. So with Early Out, instead of hiring people internally to collect, these smaller, independent or smaller health companies would outsource collection to Credit Management Company. And since they are our client, we have to do what they say.

As a patient, you get a bill from them, but if you're calling Valley Health, you're actually calling Credit Management Company and speaking to its employees, but they would have access to the medical office’s system, be able to explain any bill, all that stuff.

And I did that for six months for other medical providers. And then I was moved to Bad Debt, which is where medical providers have already tried to collect payments on their own and have transferred the accounts to a collection agency.

When do debt collectors start calling?

SoloSuit: Okay, so the Bad Debt department would probably be debt that was maybe a little bit older even, correct?

Former debt collector: Yes, at least 90 days or more older, because then depending on what medical provider, what their billing cycle was, was it 90 days or 120, that's usually three to four months that the medical provider will give you. If you don't either pay it off or set up a plan with them, then it can go to what they'll call an early out agency, which is pre collections. And they will say that on those letters, it will say, this is our final attempt.

And it used to be when we were doing really well, it used to be that we'd give you a week or two to get the collections letter before calling. But right before I quit, we were instructed to call people on the same day that the letters were being mailed. And we're literally on a phone campaign calling these people the day of.

And my buddy and I that I still see on a weekly basis, we would complain to each other like, you're not even giving these people a chance to get a letter from us before we're calling. And our Vice President would say, “Well, they already know they have the debt.” Okay. They know they have the debt, but they don't know that it's been assigned to a collection agency.

And now when you're getting a robo call from Credit Management Company, they think it's a scam. Plus, anytime now, anybody gets an 800 number call on their cell phone, the phone says scam potential.

So when we called, these people didn't want to talk to us, didn’t trust us, and I don't blame the general public for that. But is it illegal? No, but like you said, is it ethical? I didn't think it was, and I don’t think it was good business practice.

SoloSuit: Yeah. So it sounds like in the Bad Debt department you would call immediately?

Former debt collector: Yes, because you can't do that as a medical biller on the initial billing cycle. What I was told is they have 30 days to respond to the letter before they would call. That's the first party. That's where they're acting as the medical provider. And the medical provider knows that they hired us, but they don't want the patient to know that we're in Pittsburgh, not in Virginia. You know what I mean?

So it was weird, man. They'd have women tell the women, like, oh yeah, we're on Valley Road Valley. You had to know where areas were in the towns. If people would question, like old people would question you. Like, I was down there. Yes, sir, I know where that is. It's crazy.

Do debt collectors lie?

SoloSuit: So when you were working in that first department, did you ever feel like you had to kind of be dishonest with people? Because you are the collection agency, you're not the medical provider, but you're kind of acting for them?

Former debt collector: If someone would ask a question like, are you guys still down? Is the business office still located at this address? You definitely had to lie to the patient because they did not want you to know that they were using a third party, which I don't think it was hard to find out. I don't think it'd be hard to figure it out. Yeah, but that's just what they did.

I don't think it was necessarily part of there was no intent to deceive on the part of extorting money out of people. But I don't think the client, as far as the medical provider, wanted us to say we were a different agency being hired by the medical provider to provide it. They wanted them to think that they were calling the business office of the hospital 1000%.

How are debt collectors paid?

SoloSuit: How did the commissions work at Credit Management Company?

Former debt collector: Now, when I moved to Bad Debt, I noticed that the commissions were a little different. Credit Management Company’s bonus structure was a little higher per account in the Bad Debt department because it's older debt. You know what I mean?

And then now it's actually in a collection agency where we are debt collecting. We have to read all the scripts, read all the Mirandas, and nobody wants to listen to that. And by the way, if these people have already been into a debt collection agency, they have had a three-four month window to pay it. There's reasons why they can't pay. Either they don't want to or they can't.

SoloSuit: Were you guys instructed to be super aggressive with these people who couldn't pay?

Former debt collector: Total opposite. I was almost fired a few times because, like I told you, I was straightforward to people. If you were rude to me, I was rude to you back. I wasn't going to sit there and be all like and they wanted full customer service because the clients wanted it. But it's just like it's an oxymoron because we are debt collectors. But no, I definitely had to take a soft touch approach as far as working it out. But also negotiation tactics. When we set up payment plans, we had minimums. We couldn't go under $35 a month for payment plans. If it was under $35 a month, we were instructed to just take their payments every month.

Now, if someone said, Stop calling me, or this person is dead, or cease and desist, we would take them out immediately. Or you were at least instructed to. As soon as you told me to stop calling you, we took you out and we were done.

Now, if you got another account, on top of what you had, your number could come over, and you would get the letter first. Or, as I told you, you'd get the letter, and then we would send it out and start calling the same day.

How much do debt collectors get paid?

SoloSuit: How much did you get paid, if you don’t mind me asking?

Former debt collector: It was, like, $15.50 an hour. So over the course of seven years working at Credit Management Company, I only got a raise of $1.25 the whole time I worked there. But I knew that the bonus checks would always be there for me anyway because I was a good collector. I knew what I was doing. As my mother would like to tell you, I have the gift of gab. And I can relate to people. I can BS my way through a conversation if I don't know what I'm talking about or if I don't know and somebody knows more, I might say, hey, how do you know that? How did you learn that?

And the reason that I quit was because the new vice president of Credit Management Company changed the bonus structure for the Early Out department so that people were making less money. Like a lot of regulars that had worked there for a period of time, they noticed their bonus checks were getting smaller. And I knew that eventually it would happen in the Bad Debt department too.

SoloSuit: So do you think that they were trying to scrap the bonus program to save money, or do you think they were doing it to make it so that the collectors didn't have so much incentive to be aggressive with the people they called?

Former debt collector: I think it was a saving money tactic, and I think it has nothing to do with the incentive of the collector. They just didn't want to pay them as much. I always said, you know what, if you want to scrap the bonus program, pay us $20 an hour, and we'll just collect.

I'll never forget in one of the first meetings we had in Bad Debt with the new vice president, they said that if the entire employment of Credit Management Company was in a plane and crashed, they would be sad, but they would replace us in a week.

How do I negotiate a settlement with a debt collector?

SoloSuit: Okay, well, interesting. I have a couple of other questions about the debt settlement process. It sounds like you, as a collector, would work with consumers to settle their medical debts, like, if they couldn't afford the full debt. How did that process usually work for you? And also, what percentage of a settlement would you guys be willing to accept, or was there like, a baseline percentage you couldn’t go past?

Former debt collector: In bad debt? We had 30 or 40 different medical clients, and those medical clients would give us the parameters of what we could and could not take as a settlement.

Let's say a patient would call and request one, and if it was too outlandish, like, if you owe $1,000 and you want to pay me $100, I would deny it immediately. I’d say, “This has to be reasonable, and the client has to approve it.”

So we would either request it from client services, or we had lists of what clients were willing to take on settlements, meaning what the percentages were. We could get up to 25%, 30% off the debt amount. One medical device company that I'd rather not name would settle for 50%.

But that medical device company that still works with Credit Management Company, they would charge like $5,000 a month for the equipment. So if you had that device for three months, you owed them $15,000 if your insurance covered it. I know Medicaid did not cover this medical device. Medicare, sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. Private insurance, if it was $5,000, let's say they covered $1,500. So you would owe $3,500. Let’s say you're an old person with health issues and you have this device. You don't have $3,500, right?

Okay. So when they would go through their billing cycle and it came to us, we immediately could offer them 50% off the debt amount. So instead of, I don't know, $3,500, we could take $1,250 right there without having to ask the medical device company for approval. Now, if they wanted to go more, I think the most we could do was 70%. So you only had to pay 30% of the debt, and that had to be approved by management.

Some of them were 10-15% or 20% of the bill.

How much are debt collectors willing to settle for?

SoloSuit: So on average, would you say that Credit Management Company could cut off maybe 10% to 20% of the bill and accept that as a settlement?

Former debt collector: I'd say a 20% off settlement is a good average for all the medical clients.

SoloSuit: So that means they pay 80% of the debt.

Former debt collector: That's correct.

Also, let's say you started with a certain company or you started at a certain balance, and you were paying me $35 to $50 a month on it, and you got to X amount. We could still offer you a settlement on the amount you owed right there. We wouldn't go back and say, well, you know what I mean? Like, you paid it and you got to let's say you owed me $2,000 and you paid it down to $1,000, and then you asked, hey, could I settle this? And I would look to see if the client offered it and what they would accept and say, from $1,000, you can pay this and we'll settle it.

I could send settlement letters to people in writing, you know what I mean? And it worked out well. There are people who definitely were able to get rid of some of their debt without having to pay the full amount and others flat out, no, they did not accept it from and then people, when I say that people get so mad. Well, I know they take it. You can call them, but through us, we're not letting us offer you a settlement for this debt. We had to go by what the client wanted.

Does Credit Management Company sue people for debt?

SoloSuit: Does Credit Management Company escalate matters all the way to litigation? Do they have some sort of law firm that handles debt lawsuits?

Former debt collector: They did have a firm. I didn't know who it was. It was rare. I know that there were certain accounts for that medical device company that if they did not pay, they would turn it over to the law firm. But that was rare.

We never really sued anybody off of the regular medical debt. I think if you didn't pay that, you're fine. We either just stay there or whatever the offense was, and then it either could go back or just maybe go back to the courts. But it was rare that people would get sued by our company.

I know Credit Management Company got sued almost every day for things that they would do, and I had no knowledge of those. We had one compliance gentleman, and then he left, and then another guy came on, and he used to say, “I get lawsuits every day.”

Does Credit Management Company train its employees on the FDCPA?

SoloSuit: Did they have to do formal training on the FDCPA?

Former debt collector: Yeah, we had training, and we had compliance tests every year, and we had to follow all the Mirandas and things that we would have to do: verify that you were actually speaking to the debtor, get them to give you identifying information (last four of their social security number, date of birth, etc.), explain that we were calling from Credit Management Company, and then read our debt collector disclosures on every single call. Plus, every call was recorded.

When do hospitals report medical debt to the credit reporting agencies?

SoloSuit: When would your clients report old debts to the credit reporting agencies?

Former debt collector: I can tell you one thing that a lot of the medical clients, the ones that they use that are a little bigger, they do not credit report. And people don't know that. Because I would ask, why are we not credit reporting every single medical debt account at a certain time? I said, by not credit reporting these, we are costing ourselves money. Because if you're not threatening someone's credit, then what's the motivation for that person to pay?

And our leadership would say, “Well, the clients don't want to get sued. They feel like it's in their best interest for us not to credit report. So we don't get sued.” Yeah.

So if I get a bill from a client that uses Credit Management Company, I don't pay it because I know I don't have to. It sounds terrible, but I learned that in six years, nothing's going to happen.

SoloSuit: So the clients don't report the debts to the credit reporting bureaus?

Former debt collector: Some of them do, and some of them don't. It's all client based. The bigger ones that Credit Management Company has don't.

Personally, and this is just my personal opinion, I think it's because of reputation. Let's say XYZ Company doesn't credit report because they're well known in the area and now across the country, and they don't want somebody to say, well, this medical bill went on my credit and ruined me because I didn't pay. But like, smaller hospitals in college towns do credit report because they need that money. They don't have the same resources that giant medical conglomerates do.

And I'm not telling you their names because they still are clients of Credit Management Company. I just don't want them to go after me or you or whatever.

Is it better to negotiate a debt settlement over the phone or through email?

SoloSuit: Interesting. So, at SoloSuit, one of the services that we offer to consumers is a tool called SoloSettle. And basically it is like a tech based approach to debt settlement. So we help people send and receive settlement offers with debt collectors. So basically the way we do it is through email. It sounds to me like Credit Management Company’s communications are mostly call based. Right. So, they will send out a collections letter and call the same day it’s sent out to collect. I’m wondering if they use robocalling?

Former debt collector: Are you familiar with a program called Liveox?

SoloSuit: No. Is it like Robocalling?

Former debt collector: 1000%. Yeah, that's what they use. It's a company called Liveox. You have to log into it. L-I-V-E-V-O-X. It's a program.

So they'll load it and we'll run it, the campaigns in increments and it will call and then it'll be voice activated and then you can talk to a rep or leave a message or do whatever. I know they take emails, because we used to get emails. My supervisor would be like, hey, man, I got this email, can you look into this? I'd look into it, look at the problem or answer, or I'd call back to the person. Or if they wanted to speak to the supervisor, I'd have him call or have him leave a message to call.

So you guys can email them stuff. I know if you go to their website, there is a contact and it depends on what the nature of it is. So if it's based off of a debt and you can get any information from the letter of the debt, you can go in and write to them and ask them for that settlement. So they do respond to emails.

How can I negotiate a better debt settlement agreement?

SoloSuit: Okay. And can you think of anything that would help someone get a better debt settlement agreement?

Former debt collector: No. Most of the settlement amounts are predetermined by the client. Or I would always tell somebody if you're asking for an unreasonable amount off, like if you went into the store and the stereo was $300 and you said, I can only pay you $50, the store is not going to sell you that. It has to be reasonable for the client to accept it, or you can ask the collector, “What will this client settle for?”

SoloSuit: Would you say, like, a reasonable settlement offer is somewhere around 50% to start?

Former debt collector: No, except for the company that I talked about, this equipment company, because that's where they started, they would start at 50% and take up to 70% off the debt. I always said you could start at 30% off, and if they say no, maybe work your way to 25%, or 20%, or if they say no, call the client directly. Because I did have people that would undermine me and go to the client directly, and sometimes the client would settle for what the debtor was asking or they’d tell me I was allowed to take that amount.

SoloSuit: When you say 30%, you mean 30% like they pay 70% of the debt, right?

Former debt collector: Yes, that's correct.

A lot of times, the debtors didn't know who the medical place was because it may say physician services or this, that, whatever, it doesn't say. And also our letters don't have any information about that. It's not an itemized bill, right? It's not a bill because we are under the impression that the debtor received three or four notices, and those notices either had the full information of the place where the debtor received service. And so if they find out which hospital they went to and on what day and for how much, they can contact the hospital office and see if they'll give a better deal than what we're offering as a collection agency. If not, they may say no because they tried to reach out three or four times and got no response or payment.

When is the best time to discuss debt settlement?

SoloSuit: So it sounds like debt settlement doesn't really happen until it's been passed on to the Bad Debt department, though, right?

Former debt collector: Yeah, I know. Like, for instance, there's a hospital local to me that if you pay your copay the day of, they'll knock off 15% right there. But I don't remember many settlements in the Early Out department. Once you get the Bad Debt department, there's more of a chance that they’ll work with you because the debt is either that old or whatever the circumstances. And I know there was one that didn't offer any settlement at all. They were one of our bigger clients. People ask, I'd be like, no, there's no settlement on this payment plan. You just have to pay off the full amount.

SoloSuit: So they literally would just refuse any sort of settlement?

Former debt collector: Yes, we did not offer it at all for this client. One of the bigger ones, they have.

SoloSuit: Okay. But like I said, usually debt settlement doesn't become an option until they've missed their payments for several months. Is that right?

Former debt collector: No, you can ask for a settlement once Credit Management Company has taken over collection efforts, so you can ask for a settlement at any time. It's all based on the client's discretion.

Should I contact the creditor or the debt collection agency to discuss debt settlement?

SoloSuit: So, like, let's say someone goes and has some medical services done and they get their first statement. They could call one of those clients that maybe has hired Credit Management Company who is kind of, according to my understanding, posing as part of the company of the medical services, even though they're a separate entity. They could call Credit Management Company and say they want to settle this debt for this amount. And if they told Credit Management Company they can't afford to pay the medical bill right now and asked them to settle for half, or whatever the amount is, then CMC would have to ask the client if they accept that offer. Is that correct?

Former debt collector: Yes, they could always ask. I just don't remember the settlements being something as in the early out services as much as bad debt.

SoloSuit: Yeah, okay. Yeah, that makes sense because usually I would say people don't think about debt settlement until they're getting contacted a lot by debt collectors.

Former debt collector: Right, right.

What should people know about Credit Management Company’s debt collection methods?

SoloSuit: What do you want people to know about Credit Management Company’s debt collection tactics?

Former debt collector: We used to send three collection letters. Like, one letter would go out, and then we'd send another letter, and then I think we'd send three letters, and after that, we'd just call.

You would be on the blaster or the dialing system. These are accounts that nobody ever paid. The goal was to either get it paid or get them on a payment plan. We would tell people that if they started a payment plan and made their payments on time, either by mail or auto deduction, we would stop calling. So we would sell the fact that we can stop calling if you just start paying us on a monthly basis.

Yeah, but we would also capture information and create auto debit payments. And I know that there were screw ups on those all the time, double charging or the wrong date or the wrong amount.

SoloSuit: So double charges would happen often because the system you guys were using wasn't very sophisticated.

Former debt collector: Exactly. I believe that 1000%.

Do debt collectors double charge?

SoloSuit: Okay. And do you think people often notice that a double charge happened? And would this be usually for the monthly payments?

Former debt collector: Yes, it would be for monthly payments, and also it depended on how savvy the person was in their finances. So if someone was watching their bank account like a hawk, they know exactly what happened. So if you're balancing your books that way and we auto deducted a payment from you and then we accidentally did it twice, either by error of the system or human error, because sometimes humans make mistakes, you wouldn't realize that for, like, a couple of weeks.

Or if we didn't realize it, it could just keep going month after month. Right. Don't miss a payment. Or if your cards decline, we'll know because our job is to go over the payment sheets every day. We track all our payments, and that's how again, that goes back to bonus structure. Every single payment goes into that bonus structure, and that's how you get a bonus.

And they would sell you that at the beginning of the employment, right. The job interview, the job posting, bonus structure, incentive to make more money than hourly rate, right. And it's all well and good, but it's not overnight. You have to build. You have to know what to look for, who's your payers, who aren't your payers, what's the commissions? What can you get for them monthly, or can you get them to pay in full?

Those are the kind of tactics that I learned from other collectors and my managers to make your desk profitable. And I would try to instill that in people that I would train, and that's it.

So it's all money driven. And I understand that that's what a business is, but you guys are in the business of making sure it's collected ethically and everybody is treated ethically, and I just think it's not the case.

Settle your debts with the help of SoloSettle

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 your debt collector to discuss debt settlement options.

Otherwise, SoloSettle can help you start the debt settlement negotiation process.

SoloSettle, powered by SoloSuit, is a tech-based approach to debt settlement. Our software helps you send and receive settlement offers until you reach an agreement with your creditor or debt collector. Then, we help you manage your agreement documentation and transfer your settlement payment for you, keeping your financial information private and protected.

To learn more about how to settle a debt, check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhU9oNsfWzY&t=2s

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.)

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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

Going to Court for Credit Card Debt — Key Tips

How to Negotiate Credit Card Debts

How to Settle a Credit Card Debt Lawsuit — Ultimate Guide

Get answers to these FAQs

Need more info on statutes of limitations? Read our 50-state guide.

Why do debt collectors block their phone numbers?

How long do debt collectors take to respond to debt validation letters?

What are the biggest debt collector companies in the US?

Is Zombie Debt Still a Problem in 2019?

SoloSuit FAQ

If a car is repossessed, do I still owe the debt?

Is Portfolio Recovery Associates Legit?

Is There a Judgment Against Me Without my Knowledge?

Should I File Bankruptcy Before or After a Judgment?

What is a default judgment?— What do I do?

Summoned to Court for Medical Bills — What Do I Do?

What Happens If Someone Sues You and You Have No Money?

What Happens If You Never Answer Debt Collectors?

What Happens When a Debt Is Sold to a Collection Agency

What is a Stipulated Judgment?

What is the Deadline for a Defendants Answer to Avoid a Default Judgment?

Can a Judgement Creditor Take my Car?

Can I Settle a Debt After Being Served?

Can I Stop Wage Garnishment?

Can You Appeal a Default Judgement?

Do I Need a Debt Collection Defense Attorney?

Do I Need a Payday Loans Lawyer?

Do student loans go away after 7 years? — Student Loan Debt Guide

Am I Responsible for My Spouses Medical Debt?

Should I Marry Someone With Debt?

Can a Debt Collector Leave a Voicemail?

How Does Debt Assignment Work?

What Happens If a Defendant Does Not Pay a Judgment?

How Does Debt Assignment Work?

Can You Serve Someone with a Collections Lawsuit at Their Work?

What Is a Warrant in Debt?

How Many Times Can a Judgment be Renewed in Oklahoma?

Can an Eviction Be Reversed?

Does Debt Consolidation Have Risks?

What Happens If You Avoid Getting Served Court Papers?

Does Student Debt Die With You?

Can Debt Collectors Call You at Work in Texas?

How Much Do You Have to Be in Debt to File for Chapter 7?

What Is the Statute of Limitations on Debt in Washington?

How Long Does a Judgment Last?

Can Private Disability Payments Be Garnished?

Can Debt Collectors Call From Local Numbers?

Does the Fair Credit Reporting Act Work in Florida?

The Truth: Should You Never Pay a Debt Collection Agency?

Should You Communicate with a Debt Collector in Writing or by Telephone?

Do I Need a Debt Negotiator?

What Happens After a Motion for Default Is Filed?

Can a Process Server Leave a Summons Taped to My Door?

Learn More With These Additional Resources:

Need help managing your finances? Check out these resources.

How to Make a Debt Validation Letter - The Ultimate Guide

How to Make a Motion to Compel Arbitration Without an Attorney

How to Stop Wage Garnishment — Everything You Need to Know

How to File an FDCPA Complaint Against Your Debt Collector (Ultimate Guide)

Defending Yourself in Court Against a Debt Collector

Tips on you can to file an FDCPA lawsuit against a debt collection agency

Advice on how to answer a summons for debt collection.

Effective strategies for how to get back on track after a debt lawsuit

New Hampshire Statute of Limitations on Debt

Sample Cease and Desist Letter Against Debt Collectors

The Ultimate Guide to Responding to a Debt Collection Lawsuit in Utah

West Virginia Statute of Limitations on Debt

What debt collectors cannot do — FDCPA explained

Defending Yourself in Court Against Debt Collector

How to Liquidate Debt

Arkansas Statute of Limitations on Debt

Youre Drowning in Debt — Heres How to Swim

Help! Im Being Sued by My Debt Collector

How to Make a Motion to Vacate Judgment

How to Answer Summons for Debt Collection in Vermont

North Dakota Statute of Limitations on Debt

ClearPoint Debt Management Review

Indiana Statute of Limitations on Debt

Oregon Eviction Laws - What They Say

CuraDebt Debt Settlement Review

How to Write a Re-Aging Debt Letter

How to Appear in Court by Phone

How to Use the Doctrine of Unclean Hands

Debt Consolidation in Eugene, Oregon

Summoned to Court for Medical Bills? What to Do Next

How to Make a Debt Settlement Agreement

Received a 3-Day Eviction Notice? Heres What to Do

How to Answer a Lawsuit for Debt Collection

Tips for Leaving the Country With Unpaid Credit Card Debt

Kansas Statute of Limitations on Debt Collection

How to File in Small Claims Court in Iowa

How to File a Civil Answer in Kings County Supreme Court

Roseland Associates Debt Consolidation Review

How to Stop a Garnishment

Debt Eraser Review

Do Debt Collectors Ever Give Up?

Can They Garnish Your Wages for Credit Card Debt?

How Often Do Credit Card Companies Sue for Non-Payment?

How Long Does a Judgement Last?

​​How Long Before a Creditor Can Garnish Wages?

How to Beat a Bill Collector in Court