Bad Credit Agency

consumer rights when dealing with a collection agency?

I have a debt i owe to my old lease; and they never sent me a bill . i finnally got paperwork from an agency called :Fair Collections and Outsourcing,12034 Baltimore Ave #E,Beltsville, MD 20705,several things have happend since dealing with them. first they said i could set up a payment plan which is great, however it is me and my ex-boyfriend who owe the debt .. one guy at the agency said we could split the debt and each pay our own half.. in a way that if one of us didnt pay we wouldnt make the other's credit go bad.. however when i called him back they said that a woman was now handeling the account and that we COULD NOT split the debt like that.So that was confusing. secondly they say we HAVE TO pay with a credit card or debit card or electronic check(provide them the routing number and account number)and that the same amount will be deducted from our bank accoun/credit card once a month untill the debt has been paid. cant i send IN payments?! what if i didnt have a bank acct? Let me just make it clear that this debt is not on my credit report as of yet; they said we have until april to settle it without it damaging our reputation. and the ex and i are both fully willing to pay.. we just want to make sure we arnt getting screwed by the company

Public Comments

1. I'm not sure this is them, but I've heard online about a debt collection service that's shady--and insisted payments be made with a credit card. Even if I hadn't heard such a thing, that waves a huge red flag at me. Normal debt collection services will accept, for instance, cash or money orders. Whether you owe half or all of the unpaid rent depends on exactly what your old lease says. I think you'd be wise to find it, and your ex-boyfriend's current address, and visit a lawyer to find out what your rights really are and whether this collection agency is scamming you.
2. These collection agencies are shady and their methods barely legal. There is no need to legally listen or talk to them, they are cheating you. If you must say anything tell them that you would rather have the matter settled in court and see how they like that. Via the court it would be fairer and cheaper, they might realise that the expense is not worth it and leave you alone. They cannot legally force you to do anything, anything impolite and you can file a case against them at your local station for harassment - you have rights and that includes the right not to pay what you should not have to Learn to look after yourself and ignore pathetic loan sharks and their recovery dogs
3. Credit agencies always say that. They want the money to come out of your checking account or by credit card. Tell them you no longer have a checking account and that you will be sending them payments in the mail via money order.