Is A1 Collections bringing down your credit score?

Discovering a collections entry on your credit report can be stressful, hurting your credit and leading to unwanted phone calls and letters.

Whether you forgot to pay one bill or you’ve fallen behind on several payments, collections can damage your score for years if you don’t deal with it the right way.

If you’re ready to stop A1 Collections’ phone calls and get them off of your credit score completely, read on.

The article below details how A1 Collections works and what you can do to get a collections entry deleted from your report.

What Is A1 Collections?

A1 Collections is a totally legitimate debt collection agency. At the very least, you can relax knowing that their calls aren’t part of a scam.

The small agency is headquartered in Colorado at the following mailing address:

715 Horizon Drive Suite 401
Grand Junction, Colorado 81506

Steps to Remove A1 Collections from Your Credit Report

There’s no reason for A1 Collections to do any more damage to your credit score than it already has.

While the thought of dealing with the agency might stress you out, you can handle them with ease with the three simple tips below.

  1. Demand Proof of the Debt
  2. Negotiate a Partial Payment
  3. Hire a Professional to help with A1

1. Demand Proof of the Debt

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides you with yet another advantage, the ability to ask collections agencies to provide validation that you owe what they claim you do.

That means they’ll need documentation connecting the full amount they claim you owe to you.

Since A1 Collections is a third-party debt collector, there’s a strong possibility they don’t have the documentation they need.

That means you should ask for proof of your debt whether you do owe it or you think you’ve been targeted by accident.

All you have to do is use a template to compose a debt validation letter and mail it in within 30 days of being contacted by A1.

You just might get the collections account removed without paying a cent.

2. Negotiate a Partial Payment

Sometimes, an agency has the documentation it needs to proceed with its collection attempts.

When that happens, or you miss the deadline for disputing your debt, there’s still a way to get the entry removed.

More often than not, collections agencies consider partial payment a success, so they’re willing to bargain with you if you’ll agree to pay them something.

You may want to start out by negotiating to pay half of what you owe and work from there.

The key to this negotiation is getting A1 to agree to a deletion from your credit report once they receive your payment.

The other key is getting everything in writing, which keeps both you and A1 accountable for whatever arrangement you agree to.

When you work over the phone, it can be difficult to prove that the agency agreed to your terms, and the entry could stay stuck on your report.

Once you pay up, you should see the entry deleted from your report within a month. If you don’t, mail A1 a letter to follow up.

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3. Hire a Professional to Help Out with A1 Collections

No one likes dealing with debt collectors. It can be stressful and time-consuming.

If the idea of handling A1 on your own is unpleasant, you could always employ the services of a credit repair company.

They’ll take care of the basics, by validating debts and negotiating payments. But they’ll also be there if the collections agency violates the FDCPA or tries to garnish your wages.

Likewise, they can help out with other complicated credit issues like bankruptcy and liens.

No matter how small or major your credit issues are, these companies are expertly staffed and well-equipped to get your credit score on top, quickly.

Sky Blue is one of a handful of excellent credit repair companies that can help you get collection agencies removed from your credit report.

Whether you want to use credit repair services or communicate with A1 on your own, now you’ve got the tools you need to succeed.

How Does A1 Collections Work?

A1 Collections can show up on your credit report as a collections account when you’ve fallen behind on payments to a lender or a service provider.

Companies hire agencies like A1 to try to get you to pay your debts, or they sell the debts to them for pennies on the dollar.

From that point on, A1 can call you, leave messages, and send letters in an effort to get your payment.

Worse than the annoying phone calls is the damage that debt in collections can do to your credit.

A collections account will stay on your credit report and keep harming your score for 7 years. That’s true even when you pay the agency.

We’ll tell you how to respond instead below to ensure that they’re removed from your report ASAP.

Dealing With A1 Collections

Like most collections agencies, A1 has accumulated some complaints from consumers.

You can file complaints with debt collectors on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau website or with the Better Business Bureau.

Some of the biggest grievances people have with debt collectors like A1 are about:

  • Harassment
  • Aggressive communication
  • Inaccurate credit reporting
  • Failing to validate debts

Fortunately, you aren’t on your own when it comes to these issues. Debt collection agencies are held to the tenets of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a law meant to protect consumers like you from unethical debt collection practices.

That means they can only call you at reasonable hours, aren’t allowed to hassle you at work, and can’t contact your loved ones or other people you know regarding your private information.

It has a few other protections we’ll cover below, but most importantly, it allows you to stop A1 Collections’ phone calls.

You can, and should, opt to only chat with A1 by letter, providing you with all the documentation you need to successfully get them removed from your report.

Added bonus: It keeps your phone from ringing off the hook with unsolicited calls.