I have a question about debt collection

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I have a question about debt collection

I had a credit account that was charged off and sold to a collection agency. The collection agency contacted me by mail and notified me that it had taken over the account. The agency also stated in the letter that it would not sue me because of the age of the debt. The agency gave some payment options, some of which were to lead to total debt payoff, and some payment options which would lead to a lower debt total and the debt being considered settled. I confirmed the agency’s purchase of the account with the original creditor. However, I have not responded to this agency yet. I have heard that in some cases if you say the wrong thing or even start making payments to a collection agency it can restart the clock on the age of the debt. If this happens, I’m wondering if they could then turn around and sue me because the age of the debt has changed. What would be my best course of action here? The letter said I must make a payment by a certain date in order to take advantage of the payment options.

Asked on April 11, 2018 under Bankruptcy Law, Washington

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 5 years ago | Contributor

How long ago did you fail to pay the credit account? In your state (WA), they sue on a debt like this up to 6 years after it was incurred and you failed to pay. If this debt is older than 6 years, they can't sue you on it, so you can ignore it. If less than 6 years, they can still sue, so you may wish to negotiate the best deal you can.


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