GC Services Collection Agency Harrassing me with phone calls, will not give me an address to send payment to, wants me to pay by Western Union Ripoff Mission California

Ashleigh,

I guess we can add one more thing to the list of why we should all move to Canada.

In the U.S., any outfit that prefers that you pay them via Western Union should be suspect. Once you send money via Western Union, there's NO way of getting it back (aside from a lawsuit), whereas checks can be "stopped," and credit card charges can be disputed.

So when a company wants their money via Western Union, there should be a big, red flag flying somewhere. The Western Union system is more complicated and expensive than writing a check or using a credit card. The primary reason for preferring Western Union payments, most of the time in the U.S., is to rob the consumer of simple avenues of recourse if you are acting illegitimately.

A couple regulations in Canada for collection agencies include sending a letter to your address, a complete bill with all charges, the client (who you owe) with a phone number and mailing address for you to contact them with.

Western Union is the most commonly form of bill payment used. A cheque sent in the mail may get lost, get detoured, and by the time it reaches the collector, you have no money left in your account, and an NSF charge.
But like I said, thats in Canada..

Try "googling" the company name.
One more suggestion, if you don't trust them, pay the company their collecting for. They may say you have to deal with the collection agency, but tell them the situation, they can deal with collection agency.
Just make sure you check your credit report.

Good luck.

First, is the debt recent or is it old? There is something called a "statue of limitations," which is the time period that a company can sue you if you default on debt. In Utah that is four years....if you defaulted on this debt more than four years ago...there isn't anything this firm can do to you (legally)....They are still allowed to collect the debt but their ability to take legal action is over. In this case they can only call you and try to annoy you into paying. If this is the case, mail them a "cease communications" letter via registered, return receipt mail and tell them to get lost.

http://www.budhibbs.com/cease_comm.htm

If this is not the case...here's some advise:

If you plan to pay this debt...DO NOT under any circumstances pay them one penny without getting some form of WRITTEN agreement stating that the amount you will pay will settle the account in full. If you don't do this and you mindlessly send them money via Western Union...there's no paper proof of anything...in this case they could conceivably start harassing you all over again or sell your account to another collection agency and you'll start being harassed all over again.

Furthermore, I would ask for an itemized statement showing the exact interest and fees they've charged. I will submit this request in writing. If you communicate with them...I'd recommend keeping ALL communication in written form

Lastly, Don't let them try to scare you with bogus legal threats....Some collection agents like to scare by saying: "If you don't pay this debt the sheriff will arrest you tomorrow." It is illegal for a collector to pose as an attorney...If they threaten you with any legal action like this...DEMAND to know the FULL NAME of the attorney and his/her license number in the state bar...99.9% of the time there IS no attorney..

Good Luck!