When you are being contacted by Wakefield & Associates regarding your debt to your original creditor, you may be wondering about the legitimacy of this agency because you are not familiar with it and it is your first time hearing this name. So, is Wakefield & Associates a legit debit collector?
Wakefield & Associates Overview
Wakefield & Associates is known as a third-party debt collection agency. This one was founded in 1946, according to its official website. It is based in Aurora, Colorado. However, it has a few offices located in several states in the United States.
Wakefield & Associates works on behalf of the original creditors to collect outstanding debts from consumers. Just like the same agencies in the same industry, this agency is also subjected to regulations outlined in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or FDCPA. This one sets guidelines on how debt collectors can collect debt from the consumers.
The agency named Wakefield & Associates has mission and vision. Here is the mission and vision of this agency as taken on its official website:
Mission:
“Our mission at Wakefield is to be the most comprehensive and reputable revenue cycle management company of choice across the country. We consistently aim to deliver superior results, exceptional value and better outcomes to our clients, our colleagues, and our investors by helping patients navigate the road of financial health through patient-focused and personalized services.”
Vision:
“Our vision at Wakefield is to provide our clients with comprehensive, best-in class revenue cycle management solutions that are both innovative and uniquely tailored to fit each client’s needs, while maintaining the highest degree of respect, fairness, trust, and integrity. These services will be balanced and reflect our compliance with regulatory requirements and the needs of our clients.”
The main business function of Wakefield & Associates is medical billing services. Not only collecting past-due medical bills, the agency also help medical providers in different parts of the revenue cycle, such as insurance claims, invoice processing, and accounts receivable.
Additionally, Wakefield & Associates also collects the outstanding medical debts, including the ones that the company has purchased and the ones that are are still owned by the original creditor. In order to make it easier for the consumers to pay their debts, the company has created an online portal for patients.
Parties Wakefield & Associates Serve
As an agency that focuses on healthcare services, Wakefield & Associates serves the following:
- 200 ambulatory surgery centers
- 220 behavioral health providers
- 500 ground and air medical transport facilities
- Laboratories and diagnostic centers
- 350 Hospitals
- Emergency medicine
- 1,200 ER & physician groups
- Other
Is Wakefield & Associates Considered as a Legit Debt Collector?
For anyone who is wondering about the legitimacy of Wakefield & Associates, there is nothing to worry about as it is a legit debit collector. Even though many may think it is a scam because it acts like scammers by acting aggressive when communicate with the consumers, it is not. It is just its communication tactic. In fact, the agency has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau or BBB since nine years ago.
While Wakefield & Associates is a legit debt collector and has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since a long time ago, it does not stop the scammers from using the name of the agency to scam people. It is the reason why if you get a call from this agency, you must validate the debt and ask the caller to provide you with more information and to prove that they are indeed from Wakefield & Associates.
In addition to the scammers, actually, not everyone is satisfied with Wakefield & Associates. Apparently, the company has received a number of complaints from the consumers. On its official page on the official website of the Better Business Bureau, it currently has a 1.19 rating out of five starts. Apart from that, there are more than 900 complaints filled against the company within the past three years. Besides, it also has received more than 2,500 complaints on the official website of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s or CFPB.
For those who are curious about what the complaints are mostly about, most of them state that the agency tried to collect an incorrect amount of debt. Plus, the company also tried to collect debt not owed. Another common thing is that the agency made improper threats regarding not paying the debt that would be similar to committing a crime. If all the allegations are proven to be true, especially the last one, the agency can face several consequences because all these allegations are known to violate a federal law called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or FDCPA. For your information, this law is the one that does not allow the third-party debt collectors like Wakefield & Associates to harass, mislead, or deceive the consumers during the process of collecting the debt. If you are a consumer who has been harassed, mislead, or deceived by the agency, you are suggested to make a report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s or CFPB. If you want, you can also sue the agency.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, Wakefield & Associates is a legit debt collector. Since 2015, it has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau or BBB. However, it does not mean that it is clear. It means there are still some people with no responsibility called scammers who take advantage of it by using the name of the agency to scam people. If someone has been received a call using the agency’s name, they should contact the agency right away to validate it. It should be done to prevent themselves from getting scammed.
