The difficulty of creditors dealing with people who do not want to pay their debts makes creditors sell debts to third-party collection agencies. There are many third-party collection agencies across the United States, one of them is United Collection Bureau Inc. If you are contacted by UCB, the first thing you should do is validate the alleged debt. Once you are sure that the debt is indeed yours, you can then decide how to resolve the situation with UCB. If there are differences or inaccuracies, you will be able to dispute that debt. Or, if you do not agree with the amount of debt claimed by the United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB), just negotiate the amount owed by offering debt settlement. Read this entire article to find out the way to deal with the United Collection Bureau Inc.
What is United Collection Bureau Inc.?
United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) is a third-party debt collection agency that specializes in collecting overdue consumer debt. United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) collects consumer debt on behalf of a wide range of industry companies, including telecommunications companies, healthcare providers, financial services, government entities, and utility providers. If you are still involved in an overdue debt with one of these companies, then it is likely that United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) will handle your case until you are willing to pay and settle your debt. Located in Ohio, this collection agency is a legitimate debt collection agency. Therefore, many creditors sell their debt bills to United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB).
Here is UCB’s contact information:
- Website: https://www.ucbinc.com
- Phone number: (866) 209-0622
- Address: 5620 Southwyck Blvd., Toledo, Ohio 43614-1501
Why is United Collection Bureau Inc. Contacting Me?
United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) is contacting you because the original creditor sold your debt to them. For instance, you have an overdue debt to a company. When you did not pay the debt, the company sold your debt to the United Collection Bureau Inc. Therefore, now United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) will collect your debt. However, it should be noted that creditors are not hasty to hand over collection efforts to third parties, they also make efforts to collect debts from consumers directly first.
First, the creditor will remind you that you are late in paying the debt. They may make a phone call or send a written notice. If you continue to ignore the debt collection efforts made by the creditor, then the creditor does not hesitate to sell your debt to a debt collection agency like UCB. From then on, United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) as a third-party debt collection agency takes over the efforts to get you to pay your debt. And, you should be willing to work with a debt collection agency to settle your debt.
Is United Collection Bureau Inc. Legal?
For those of you who are not familiar with United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB), you may be wondering whether UCB is legitimate or not. Yeah, United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) is a legitimate third collection agency. Many companies have sold debtors’ debts to them. However, even though many companies work with UCB, there are also many complaints made by consumers against United Collection Bureau Inc. According to the data, by early 2024, nearly 200 consumers had filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau against UCB. Some of the complaints from consumers include incorrect debt details and the absence of proper documents documenting the debt details.
You should know that it is a common violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) for a debt collector or third-party debt collection agency to fail to provide complete information regarding the debt in question. We are sure you are familiar with this federal law that protects you from harassment and fraud by debt collectors or third-party collection agencies. Rest assured, you can immediately report your case to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and even sue for damages if you believe a creditor or third-party collection agency is in violation.
Although United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) is a legitimate debt collection agency, you should still be aware that some scammers may use the company’s name to try to scam you. Never give out your bank account or Social Security Number to someone claiming to be a debt collector. To protect yourself from unwanted things, you should always validate your debts. If there is anything suspicious, do not hesitate to ask for more information. Alternatively, you can also report suspected scammers to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Remember to stay vigilant and be careful in providing your personal information, or you will regret it.
Do I Have to Pay United Collection Bureau Inc.?
It depends on whether you have the debt or not. To find out if the debt is legitimate or not, validate the debt immediately. You must verify that you own the debt, the amount owed is accurate, and you owe the debt to the debt collector. Make sure you verify all information related to the debt carefully. You do not want to be fooled by them. Sometimes, debt collection agencies also provide false information. And, the mistake can probably run from the debt collection agency or from the creditor where the creditor accidentally gives wrong information. Remember to always validate the debt that you are being accused of because it will protect you from paying a debt that you do not actually owe. By law, debt collectors are also required to provide clear and complete information about the debt in question.
The Ways to Verify the Accuracy of a Debt
Here are some steps you can do to verify the accuracy of the debt:
1. Send a Debt Verification Letter
You can request a debt validation letter from the United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) to verify the debt. Alternatively, you can also create and send your own debt verification letter. For your information, a debt validation letter and debt verification letter have the same end goal, but there is a slight difference.
Debt collectors should send a debt validation letter to the debtor as soon as possible. The letter contains basic information about the debt in question. By law, debt collection companies must send a debt validation letter to you before or within five days of the first time they contact you. In addition, they must also give you 30 days to dispute the debt. The debt collection agency cannot contact you let alone try to continue collecting from you during the debt dispute period. Remember that you do not have to pay the debt if UCB cannot verify your debt within 30 days. Then, if UCB can verify your debt within 30 days, you will have to decide what to do next.
2. Decide What to Do Next
If the debt collector can verify that you really do owe what they claim, then you must decide what to do next. There are several options that you can do; Dispute the debt, negotiate/settle the debt, or ignore the debt. We are sure you will not choose the last option as it is against the law.
Option 1: Dispute the Debt
If you disagree with the debt amount or other details outlined in the debt validation letter, do not hesitate to dispute the debt. In addition to disputing the debt, you can also check your credit report and dispute that the information contained in the debt validation letter is inaccurate. Usually, if there is incorrect information in the debt validation letter, the information on the credit report will also be incorrect. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you as a consumer have the right to get a free credit report once every 12 months from the three major credit bureaus; Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. And, you also have the right to request the major credit bureaus to remove negative entries from your credit report. If you want to do so, you can write a credit dispute letter.
Option 2: Negotiate Debt and Make a Settlement Offer
If you are unable to pay your debt, you can negotiate the debt and make a debt settlement offer. Usually, most creditors will pay 40% up to 60% of the original debt amount. Try to negotiate your debt with a lower offer, for example, your opening offer is 30% of your debt amount. Then, see how the debt collector responds. However, if you are willing to pay around 50% of the debt, it is a good idea. This negotiation process may seem intimidating, but you also have the power and the right to it. Remember that most debt collection agencies buy your debt from the original creditor at a lower price, so they are usually open to negotiation. Even if you only spend money on debt settlement, they have already made a profit. So do not hesitate to negotiate the debt and make a debt settlement offer.
By the way, can overdue debts be negotiated? Unfortunately, not all overdue debts can be negotiated. If you have debt from a mortgage or car loan, you cannot negotiate the debt. Creditors or debt collection agencies can seize your home or car if you default on the loan. In addition, federal student loans are also non-negotiable. If you are having difficulty with student loan repayment, you should consider student loan forgiveness. However, if you have overdue debt from medical bills, credit card debt, and personal loans, it is still negotiable. If you have tax debt, you can also still negotiate your tax debt through the IRS settlement process.
Option 3: Ignore Debt (Not Recommended)
This is an option that is not recommended. Dealing with debt collection agencies can be stressful. Especially if you are constantly contacted and terrorized by debt collectors. However, remember that debt must still be paid. Not only is it an obligation, but it will also make things worse in the long run. If you ignore your debt, debt collection agencies will not just give up. the United Collection Bureau Inc. (UCB) will keep trying to get you to pay off your debt as soon as possible. There are a number of risks involved in ignoring your debt, including a poor credit score, increasing debt, and having your wages garnished due to the demands of debt collectors. Yes, negative information will disappear from your credit report after seven years, but not the underlying debt. As long as the statute of limitations has not expired, debt collectors will continue to collect your debt.
Can UCB Collection Sue Me?
Yes, UCB can sue you. However, usually UCB will not sue you right away. They will start the debt collection process by calling and sending you a notice. UCB will wait for your response for some time. However, if you still ignore the debt collection efforts, then they will not hesitate to take legal action. They will sue you and file a debt collection lawsuit.
There are several factors that determine whether or not a debt collector will sue you. These factors include the wage garnishment laws that apply in your state, how long your debt has been collected and how much debt you owe. If this third-party collection agency sues you, then you will receive a summons and complaint. The letter is an official court document that notifies you of the lawsuit. It outlines the details of your case. Usually, this document is sent directly to your home.
Conclusion
United Collection Bureau (UCB) is a legitimate third-party debt collection agency that specializes in collecting consumer debt for utility providers, government entities, telecommunications companies, and other industrial companies. If the United Collection Bureau (UCB) contacts you, stay calm. Do not do anything stupid that will harm you. Validate the debt immediately. Then, after validating the debt, take appropriate action and respond to the United Collection Bureau (UCB) as soon as possible. Never ignore your debt as it will only worsen your credit report.
