One part of repairing your credit is getting in touch with a creditor or collection agency in an effort to settle an outstanding debt. On our credit repair forum, we see visitors asking how they can get in touch with their creditors or how to contact a collection agency. They know they owe money but have no idea who or what their address or phone number could possibly be. This frequently happens when we get behind on our payments and just plain ‘ol forget about them altogether.
The best way to obtain this information is to request copies of your credit reports. You can get one free copy a year from AnnualCreditReport.com. If you want to be able to access your report throughout the year or maybe get notifications of changes on your credit reports, you can sign up for a free credit report and score. Our article on how to order your credit reports compares all the offers out there so you can pick which credit report company works for you.
Information is on Your Credit Report
After you get your credit reports, you will see a listing of the names and contact information for each company you owe money to. You will also see if your account was transferred to a collection company, and if so, it will show you the contact information for that agency. Use this information to send your dispute and/or contact letters. There will be an abbreviated account number listed so make sure to include this number in your correspondence.
Other Methods to Locate a Creditor or Collection Agency
Sometimes you may get your letters back with a stamp “return to sender” as what you thought was a correct address, turns out to be wrong. If you are having trouble getting in contact with a creditor or a collection agency because you don’t know where to send them letters, here are some resources:
- Search the Internet – This is probably the first thing to try. Open a browser, such as Firefox or Chrome, and go to www.google.com or www.bing.com and type in the name of the creditor or collection agency. Chances are good that if they are still in business, you will pull up their website. From here, you can go to their “Contact Us” page and obtain their mailing address and phone number.
- Search the BBB – Go to The Better Business Bureau website and do a business search. If they are affiliated with the BBB, you will be able to obtain their contact information.
- If those two searches come up empty, try calling your state attorney general, who usually works with your state’s consumer protection agency.
- Lastly, you can also try your state’s corporation commission.
Hopefully one of these ways will get you the information you need. It is important to know where to send your credit dispute letters if you are planning to repair your credit. And, don’t forget to send all correspondence certified and return receipt so you know the intended party received your letter.
