It doesn’t always work that way. I have a company trying to collect a debt from me, that isn’t a debt.
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This is actually more common than people realize.
If you dispute a charge with a company (utility, insurance, credit card, etc...) it is pretty common for the company to hire a debt collector to try and “hassle” the money out of you. The idea is that even if you don’t believe you owe any money, if the harrass you long and hard enough you will pay it just to get the debt collector off your back.
One quick way to get a debt collector to stop clalling you is to tell them that IF you ever decide that you do owe the money, you will NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES pay it to the debt collector as a matter of principle. You will pay the money directly to the company the original debt was with.
Debt collectors only get payed based on the money they collect. If you pay off the debt by giving the money to th original company (by passing the debt collector) the debt collector makes )$0.
“it is pretty common for the company to hire a debt collector to try and “hassle” the money out of you.”
Something like 5% will pay someone else’s bill to get the calls to stop. Idiots. It feeds the bad behavior.
Correct.
I am a mortgage lender, and see all kinds of garbage on peoples credit reports.
The laws need to changed in some ways to give consumers more power to fight back against these people.
As you said, they just want to get paid; they don't care from who, and they could care less if you even owe the money.
In some ways it is extortion. “Pay us, or we will wreck your credit”.