How to Remove Americollect from Your Credit Report
If you're reading this, you've probably seen the name Americollect appear on your credit report or heard it in a voicemail message. When you forget or can't afford to pay a medical bill, healthcare facilities may send your unpaid balance to a debt collection agency, such as Americollect. Americollect will not only phone you numerous times and send you letters, it's also likely they'll place a collection account on your credit report, which can hurt your credit score for up to seven years.
You can cancel your debt by paying the amount you owe, but it won't improve your credit score. To remove Americollect from your credit file, you’ll need to dispute the debt or negotiate a pay-for-delete agreement.
What is Americollect?
It's likely you had never heard of Americollect before seeing the name on your credit report. It really isn’t a household name. However, it is a legitimate debt collection agency specializing in collecting medical debts, managing delinquent accounts for healthcare providers since 1964.
Based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Americollect brands itself as “the ridiculously nice collection agency.” While this pledge of cordiality is noteworthy for a debt collection service, its agents have one goal: getting you to pay off your medical debt.
When you make a payment, Americollect profits. This article will explain how you can use this fact as leverage.
3 ways to remove Americollect from your credit report
Unpaid medical debts shouldn’t haunt you year after year. They limit your borrowing power and stop you from reaching your financial goals. You can use these three strategies to remove a collection agency from your credit report.
- Mail Americollect a debt validation letter
- Negotiate a pay-for-delete agreement
- Hire a credit repair company
1. Mail Americollect a debt validation letter
Since most agencies are third-party debt collectors and not the original creditor, the debts on record are not always 100% accurate. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA requires debt collectors to show proof of the debt they claim you owe — if you request the validation within 30 days of your first contact with the debt collector. Using a debt validation letter template, you may be able to get a collections entry removed from your credit report without paying a dime.
If they can't validate your debt, you can file a claim to have the agency remove the account from your credit report. You can also submit a request for the company to stop contacting you. Whether you have unpaid medical bills or ended up on Americollect’s radar by mistake, always seek debt validation as a first step.
Try to act quickly and send a debt validation letter as soon as you notice Americollect on your report or the first time they call you. If you don't send the letter within the first 30 days, you’re effectively conceding the debt.
2. Negotiate a pay-for-delete agreement
If Americollect hounds you for more than a month, or the agency has already validated your debt, the next step is to see whether you can negotiate a pay-for-delete agreement. As mentioned earlier, simply paying off the debt won't help your credit score. But you can ask Americollect to remove the negative credit information in exchange for your payment. Remember, debt collectors make money when you pay a debt.
Since you're proposing a plan to repay the balance owed, this may motivate Americollect to consider your terms. You could even negotiate to pay a fraction of the balance owed in exchange for a guarantee that Americollect removes the negative entry from your credit report. But if you want a pay-for-delete agreement to work, you must obtain a written agreement before you pay anything.
When you arrange payment, submit a cashier’s check or money order, if possible. In this way, you will not reveal sensitive information like your bank account or credit card number to the debt collector’s agent. Once you have paid the agreed-upon amount, Americollect will delete the negative entry from your credit report within a month. If your report is the same after 30 days, send a follow-up letter, including a copy of the pay-for-delete contract, to Americollect to remind them of the agreement.
3. Hire a credit repair company
Dealing with debt collectors is stressful and negotiating with agencies like Americollect is time-consuming and frustrating. This is especially true when you're in discussions with a health insurance company about medical debt, which probably means you've been ill. Both sudden illnesses like COVID-19 or chronic conditions that change your way of life can generate tremendous debt. If you don't have the time or energy to negotiate with Americollect, you can hire a credit repair company instead.
Credit repair companies negotiate on your behalf and typically charge a monthly or initial setup fee. In exchange, the credit repair company works to get your credit history back on track quickly and efficiently, even if your situation is complex.
How does Americollect work?
If Americollect or another debt collection agency contacts you, your medical provider hired the agency to collect a debt on their behalf. In some cases, the provider sells your debt to the collection agency. The agency has a right to contact you and seek repayment, using available information on file with your healthcare provider.
In addition to collection calls and letters, Americollect also reports your debt to one or more credit bureaus, resulting in a collections entry on your credit report. This type of entry lowers your credit score and impacts it for seven years, with the damage slowly subsiding after the first three years. See the steps above on how to remove Americollect from your credit history, but when Americollect contacts you, know that it's not a scam and that having a collection account in your credit history damages your financial well-being.
Dealing with Americollect
Americollect follows strict federal laws. While fewer people have lodged complaints against Americollect than other agencies, between the Better Business Bureau, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, there are several hundred complaints against it.
Americollect’s office address is:
- 1851 S. Alverno Road
- Manitowoc, WI 54220-9208
Its main postal address is:
- Americollect, Inc.
- PO Box 1566
- Manitowoc, WI 54221
Americollect complaints
Consumer grievances generally include:
- Reporting debts inaccurately to the three credit reporting bureaus
- Failing to validate the debt upon request
- Contacting customers via inappropriate phone numbers
These issues often persist because customers aren’t familiar with their rights under the FDCPA. If you believe Americollect has violated your consumer rights, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. You can also consult with local law firms specializing in debt collection.
The FDCPA
This federal law restricts the times at which Americollect can contact you and bans them from coercing you into making a payment. One of the best benefits of the FDCPA is that it allows you to stop Americollect from calling entirely. You also have the right to inform debt collectors of your preference to communicate by mail instead of the phone.
Keep in mind that stopping the collection calls won't eliminate the debt. You must still deal with the problem. Also, putting everything in writing is a wise move. It ensures the agency follows through and deletes the collection entry from your credit report when you reach an agreement.
Update: This article was updated to reflect Americollect’s current contact information.
Disclaimer: This story was originally published on August 14, 2020, on BetterCreditBlog.org. To find the most relevant information concerning collections or credit card inquiries, please visit: https://money.com/how-to-remove-collections-from-credit-report/ or https://money.com/get-items-removed-from-credit-report/