Dealing with calls from debt collection agencies like 11 Comcast can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for people who are already struggling financially. While it is important to pay off debts – especially if you’d like to keep your credit score high – it's also important to know the rights you are entitled to as a consumer.
Read on for some of the most important things you should know about 11 Comcast, their debt collection practices, and how to resolve your situation with them.
Not a scam – 11 Comcast is a legitimate debt collection agency. Their main purpose is recovering delinquent debt for internet service providers. They have been conducting business for many years in the United States.
As is the business model for most debt collection agencies, 11 Comcast buys delinquent accounts from creditors at a discounted rate. They then attempt to collect the full balance – or as much as possible – from the debtor. This often involves letters and many phone calls, which can be unrelenting and quite intimidating.
The debt collection industry as a whole has a reputation of being aggressive with their tactics, and 11 Comcast isn’t known for being an outlier.
Consumers with experience dealing with the agency have filed many complaints with Better Business Bureau (BBB), or with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). One of the most common complaints is that 11 Comcast uses aggressive and sometimes abusive debt collection practices, like calling repeatedly at all hours of the day and night.
They have been accused of making purposefully misleading or false statements – most likely to put more pressure on the debtors to pay right away.
Another common complaint against 11 Comcast is that they sometimes report or send inaccurate information to credit bureaus. This can negatively impact your credit score, which is a serious concern, because low credit scores make it difficult to get approved loans or credit in the future.
It’s important to fully understand your rights as a consumer if you are receiving calls from 11 Comcast, or any other debt collection agency. You have rights protected under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), which forbids collection agencies from using abusive language, false or misleading statements, or contacting you very early in the morning or late at night.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) also provides consumers with rights in this situation, including but not limited to, the right to dispute false information on your report, and the right to know your credit score.
You should get in the habit of reviewing your credit report regularly and ensure that 11 Comcast is not reporting false information, and that nothing looks incorrect with your report. If you find anything that seems like an error, you can dispute it with the credit bureau to have it corrected.
It's important for you to understand your rights and know that there are steps you can follow to protect yourself when dealing with debt collectors. Here's some of the key actions you should consider when trying to resolve your situation with 11 Comcast.
The first step you should take with 11 Comcast is to verify the legitimacy of the debt. Debt collection agencies are required to provide proof of your debt, which should include the name of the original creditor, the total amount of debt, the current amount owed, and any other relevant details.
As previously mentioned – be sure to look at your credit report regularly to ensure that the debt is listed accurately. If there are any errors, you can dispute them with the credit reporting agencies such as Equifax and TransUnion.
If you are unable to pay the debt in full right now – you may be able to negotiate a payment plan to pay what you can afford each month. If you can pay a decent chunk of the total debt, you can also try to offer that lump sum amount now and have the rest of the debt removed.
Debt collectors may agree to this as they purchased the debt for a discount price, and may be pleased to recover a portion of it.
Regardless of your arrangement – make sure to get it all in writing and keep copies of all correspondence.
It may go without saying – Ignoring the debt will unfortunately not make it go away. In fact, such action – or inaction – could lead to more severe consequences. This could range from wage garnishment to legal action. It's imperative that you try to deal with the debt as soon as possible – refer back to step 3.
If the 11 Comcast entry on your credit report is inaccurate, or outdated, you can dispute it with the credit bureau. In order to do so – write a formal letter to the bureau explaining why you believe the entry is incorrect and provide any supporting documentation you have. The credit bureau will investigate the claim and remove the entry if they find it to be incorrect.
If you need assistance do not hesitate to contact us – one of our specialists can help you with the process.
As we discussed in the last section, there are many ways you can pay off your remaining debt with 11 Comcast. If you know the debt is valid, this is most likely your best course of action as it will assuredly remove 11 Comcast from your credit report.
In some cases, the 11 Comcast entry may simply need time to fall off your credit report. Negative entries typically stay on your report for 7-10 years, but their impact on your credit score diminishes over time.
If you are not able to dispute or negotiate the entry, you may just need to wait for it to naturally drop off your report. Waiting out the debt does not make sense for recently incurred debts – ignoring such debt may damage your credit further.
Dealing with debt collection agencies like 11 Comcast can be a stressful situation to endure. Knowing your rights is super important – informed consumers can follow the appropriate steps in order to resolve or remove their debt, and can take action if the agency is engaging in unfair or abusive practices.
Don't let these companies get away with violating your rights and causing you financial & emotional distress.