How to Negotiate Settlements from ERC Debt Collection

Are you being hounded by calls and letters from ERC debt collection? If you are, you likely feel anxious every time you go to the mailbox or your phone rings. After all, if you could afford to pay off your debt, you would, right?

The bad news is that ignoring ERC debt collection calls and notices won't make them go away. The good news? You don't have to confront them alone. DoNotPay can help you deal with debt collectors, from forcing them to stop breaking laws designed to protect you to negotiating settlements on your behalf.

Who Is ERC Debt Collection?

Enhanced Recovery Company is a business process outsourcing company (BPO), which means that other companies contract with them to manage a portion of their operations. ERC handles debt collection on behalf of its clients and works differently from many other debt collectors who purchase debt and pursue collections on their behalf.

Are They a Legitimate Company?

ERC is accredited by many industry organizations and should be considered a legitimate company, but it has a poor reputation on consumer review sites. For example, ERC has been registered with the Better Business Bureau since 2007, where it has a "B" rating and a customer rating average of just over one out of five stars by 40 reviewers. Nearly 1,100 complaints registered against ERC with BBB over the past three years, with only about half of them resolved.

Many negative reviews report the following ERC conduct:

• Attempts to collect on retired or non-existent debts
• Refusal to remove resolved debts from credit reporting agencies
• Failure to acknowledge debt validation letters
• Failure to demonstrate they've properly investigated debt, including not giving any information to alleged debtors about the account
• Failure to work with families settling debt belonging to deceased or incapacitated relatives
• Harassing phone calls to the alleged debtor, their family members, and their employers
• Other violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)

For What Kind of Companies Does ERC Collect a Debt?

ERC manages collections for several industries, including:

• Mobile and land-based phone companies
• Cable and internet companies
• Utilities
• Lending institutions (student loan debt is a specialty)
• Companies that purchase debt

How Do I Reach ERC Debt Collection?

How to Respond to ERC Debt Collection Attempts

The very first thing you should do when ERC debt collection agents contact you is to ask them to send you a letter that includes the following:

1. The name and contact information of both the debt collector and the original creditor
2. The name and identifying information of the person allegedly responsible for the debt (hint: It may not be you)
3. The date the debt was sent into collections
4. The total amount of the debt broken down into:

• Original amount owed
• Accumulated interest
• Collection fees

5. Whether the case has been reported to one of the three major credit rating agencies, which are:

• Equifax
• Experian
• TransUnion

Next, inform the ERC debt collection agent that you insist that all communications be made in writing and that they must not call you or contact your family or employer at any time.

This is a good time to check your credit report to verify whether the debt has been reported.

What to Do Next

• When you have received the above information from ERC, read it thoroughly to ensure it is correct.
• If you believe the debt is valid and current, ALWAYS try and work with the collection agency to arrange a payment plan.
• If you believe the debt is illegitimate, you can send a dispute letter to the collection agency explaining why and insisting they stop making attempts against you. Inform them that you are prepared to file a report with the Better Business Bureau and the FDCPA.

When You Can Ignore a Debt Collector

But if you know your state's statute of limitations and your debt is about to expire, the creditor may not be able to take you to court though they can still make attempts to collect.

How DoNotPay Can Protect You From Unethical ERC Collection Practices

DoNotPay can help you fight any potential violations of the FDCPA by ERC, assist you in reporting those violations, and pave the way to negotiations with ERC to pay off your debt in a manner that works best for you.

Here’s How It Works:

1. Search "debt collection" on DoNotPay.

2. Answer a series of questions about the debt collectors, including when you were contacted and how you were contacted, so we can determine if they have violated any debt collection laws.

3. Decide which course of action you want to take based on our guidance, such as filing a debt verification request, demanding for the collectors to stop contacting you, or reporting them to the CFPB.

And that's it! Once you choose the course of action you want to take, DoNotPay will handle the rest. We'll deliver your request directly to ERC collectors via first-class mail or file your complaint automatically with the CFPB so that they're no longer able to use unfair debt collection practices against you.

Other Collection-Related Questions and Issues DoNotPay Can Solve

Learn more about these popular topics and how we can help resolve them:

• Find debt statutes of limitations by state
• Fight medical debt collection tactics
• Can debt collectors take your stimulus check?
• How often do debt collectors take debtors to court?

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

DoNotPay doesn't just advocate for people under attack by aggressive or predatory collections agencies. We can also help you:

• Cancel paid memberships and subscriptions
• Write financial aid appeal letters
• Get help with your bills
• Increase your credit limit
• Find "missing" money that's owed to you
• Clean up your credit report

Let us help you stop ERC debt collection from harassing you and get you on the road to a better credit report today.