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How to Resolve a Debt with Grant Mercantile Agency

Sarah Edwards | September 14, 2023

Sarah Edwards
Legal Expert
Sarah Edwards, BS

Sarah Harris is a professional researcher and writer specializing in legal content. An Emerson College alumna, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the prestigious Boston institution.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: Grant Mercantile Agency is a debt collection agency that collects debt related to the following industries: government, healthcare, commercial, and EMS. If Grant Mercantile Agency has contacted you about a debt, SoloSuit can help you request a debt validation, respond to a debt lawsuit, and settle your debt before going to court.

Receiving a debt collection notice from a company you don’t recognize ranks highly in most people’s lists of “things I don’t need in my life.” Unfortunately, there are thousands of debt collection agencies across the U.S., and creditors turn to them when they’re having difficulty collecting outstanding obligations from their customers.

If Grant Mercantile Agency sends you a collection letter, you’ll want to verify the letter is legit and confirm you owe the money before sending any cash. In this article, we’ll discuss the steps you need to take.

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Grant Mercantile Agency specializes in collecting consumer debts

Grant Mercantile Agency (GMA) is a debt collection company that helps government agencies, medical facilities, and traditional creditors collect outstanding debts. Based in Oakhurst, California, the company has been in the collection business since 1972.

Below is the Grant Mercantile Agency phone number and other contact information:

Grant Mercantile Agency reviews

Grant Mercantile Agency is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), has a 1/5 start customer review rating, and has an A+ rating from the BBB. Despite its good BBB rating, the BBB and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have reported many complaints against Grant Mercantile Agency.

Most of these complaints claim that Grant Mercantile Agency reports incorrect information to the credit reporting bureaus, tries to collect unknown or fraudulent debts, and fails to validate debts upon request.

Here is an example of a real complaint against Grant Mercantile Agency (edited for clarity):

“Grant Mercantile Agency has committed multiple violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Grant Mercantile Agency has committed violations of 15 USC 1692e ( 8 ) and 15 USC 1692e ( 2 ) by reporting false information to third parties (consumer reporting agencies) when it knew from its own records the true open date and balance. Grant Mercantile Agency has also failed multiple times to validate this debt and I also recently mailed out another validation of debt on XX/XX/2022. This is a violation of 15 USC 1692g.”

If you’ve experienced anything similar, be aware that there are state and federal laws that can protect you from unfair debt collection practices. For example, one of your rights, outlined by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), is the right to debt validation. Keep reading to learn more about how to request a debt validation.

What to do if you receive a collection notice from Grant Mercantile Agency

If you’re the unfortunate recipient of a debt collection notice from Grant Mercantile Agency, you’ll want to take action quickly. Consumers have a 30-day grace period after receiving an initial collection letter to request validation of the debt by sending a Debt Validation Letter.

Validating your debt establishes that Grant Mercantile Agency owns it and verifies that it’s yours. A few things to ask for in your Debt Validation Letter include the following:

  • The name of the original creditor and the amount you owe.
  • A breakdown of any additional fees or interest charges.
  • The age of your debt and whether it’s past your state’s statute of limitations.
  • Grant Mercantile Agency’s debt collection license number in your state.

Sometimes, collection agencies won’t respond to Debt Validation Letters, especially if they don’t have the information you requested. If you don’t hear back from Grant Mercantile Agency, that’s probably the case for you. However, pay attention to your credit report. If you see negative marks from the agency, you can dispute them.

Read more: How to Make a Debt Validation Letter - The Ultimate Guide

Grant Mercantile Agency is suing me

Debt collectors like Grant Mercantile Agency may decide to sue you, especially if your debt is close to the statute of limitations expiration date and you owe a lot of money. If you receive a court Summons and Complaint, your first step is to file an Answer.

In your Answer, respond to each claim against you by admitting, denying, or denying due to lack of knowledge. You should also provide any justification for not paying the debt, known as your affirmative defenses. Make sure everything is truthful in your Answer.

SoloSuit can help you draft and file your Answer in minutes. Our software helps you customize your Answer to your case, includes all the proper legal formatting and language, and helps you respond to each claim and assert your affirmative defenses.

An Answer prevents a default judgment. If you don’t respond before your state deadline, Grant Mercantile may request a default judgment, and if granted, it will give Grant Mercantile Agency the right to garnish your wages or take money from your bank account. So, your Answer is your first line of defense in your debt collection case.

Next, you have a few options, but you’ll have limited time to take action on them. You can either continue with the court case if you don’t think you owe the debt. If you know the debt is valid, you can repay it entirely or try to settle your account with Grant Mercantile Agency.

Settle your debt with Grant Mercantile Agency

A debt settlement is ideal for people who don’t have enough money to fully repay their debt before their court date. In a settlement, you offer to pay a portion of what you owe in exchange for the company dropping the lawsuit against you and ceasing further collection efforts.

Most collection agencies are amenable to settlement offers. However, the more you propose, the more likely you will get the “yes” you’re looking for. An offer of 60% or more of the debt’s value will likely result in success, although every company is different.

Watch this video to learn more about how to settle a debt with Grant Mercantile Agency:

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 the collector. Once an agreement is reached, we’ll help you manage the settlement documentation and transfer your payment to the creditor or debt collector, helping you keep your financial information private and secure.

Now, let’s consider an example of debt settlement with Grant Mercantile Agency.

Example: Janet has an outstanding credit debt of $1,000. She completely forgot about the account, and Grant Mercantile Agency bought it from the original creditor. Janet received a few debt collection notices, but she ignored them, thinking it would just go away. When Janet receives a notice of a lawsuit, she uses SoloSuit to respond to the case before her state’s deadline. After some investigating, she realizes the debt is legit and decides to explore debt settlement options. She uses SoloSettle to send an offer, and after a few rounds of negotiations, Grant Mercantile Agency accepts a settlement of 70% of the debt (or $700). SoloSettle helps manage the settlement agreement documentation and Janet’s settlement money over to the agency who, in turn, dismiss the lawsuit.


Don’t take the avoidance route with Grant Mercantile Agency

While it can be tempting to ignore a collection agency and continue on your merry way, the problem isn’t likely to disappear. Instead, exercise your rights by requesting validation of the debt.

If Grant Mercantile Agency supplies the requested information, decide whether you’ll repay or attempt a settlement. Remember, if you don’t do anything to resolve the matter, you may end up on the wrong end of a lawsuit.

Is Grant Mercantile Agency suing you for unpaid debt? Use SoloSettle to arrange a settlement today!

What is Solo?

Solo makes it easy to resolve debt with 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.

SoloSettle can help you contact your debt collector or creditor and negotiate the debt to settle for less, all online. It simplifies and streamlines the process to settling your debt.

No matter where you find yourself in the debt collection process, Solo is here to help you resolve your debt.

>>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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