Last week I received a call from a debt collector saying that I owe $347.56 from a cell phone that I had back in 2005.  I know that I had a bill from the cell phone provider but I didn’t know that it was that much!  Does the collection agency have to give me any sort of documentation to pay the bill, or do I just have to pay it based on their phone call to me?  What can I do about this?

Amy J.

Dear Amy,

Yes, you are entitled to documentation proving that you do owe the bill.  The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act put this regulation in place so that people are not liable for paying bills that they may not owe.

Contact the collection agency in the form of a written letter requesting proof that you owe the bill.  In this letter request from the collection agency proof of all documentation, invoices, dates and times of contacts regarding this bill from the cell phone provider, memos, etc.  Request that any and all information regarding this debt be sent to your address in order to prove the validity of the debt.  In this case, you will also want an itemized bill of all phone calls and charge made to the account.

The collection agency will then have thirty days to prove that you do in fact owe the debt.  Chances are that one of three things will occur:

1)    You will not hear from the collection agency again.
2)    The collection agency will send you a letter stating that they have closed the account.
3)    They will send you proof of the debt.

If you receive proof, you can always try and work out a payment arrangement or settlement amount with the collection agency to get the bill paid.

Melissa Douros
Dovco Collection Solutions, Inc.

As the owner of Dovco Collection Solutions, Inc., Melissa Douros uses her eight years of being a collections specialists to offer advice and answer questions pertaining to debt collection.  With running her own successful collection agency, she seeks to keep debt collectors accountable for their actions and in line with the law.