collection companies, how to figure them out!

Hello my friends! Hot topic I've been getting questions about is collection companies. You know what I'm talking about, it's the mail you ignore. It's okay, you're not alone in the battle. The fun fact that 25% of Americans have a 599 credit score or lower tells us that. The question about collections I get the most, is who do I pay? Seems my account gets passed around like a party favor and no one communicates with each other on who really has my account. This causes confusion to most people and they end up not paying anyone, what happens is you get hit with two collections on your credit report. Isn't that awesome to know!?!?! It can be corrected my friends, stay with me. My experience has told me that this happens all the time, there are so many collection companies and so many accounts why not staff enough people to keep up with the paper work? THEY DON'T REALLY CARE! A collector will see a stack of old collections that are still open and make another attempt on you, even if it has been sold or transferred. They don't care, they are commission most of the time and it's their job. They are trying to collect anything, so what do you do next. You need to commit some time, not much but a little. We know the phone weighs in at 500lbs when they call and you just can't pick it up, so write them. Find out some information about your account and what it's in regards to. Finding things out like the original creditor, account number and balance are helpful things to have before deciding who to pay. Then you can cross reference your records or even contact the original creditor about balances and fees ect. It's a good way to get on top of a situation that is damaging to your credit and it doesn't take much effort. What you need is a little courage to write a simple letter to start the process. That little letter does a couple of more things for you than you might think. It helps you remember who you're dealing with or who you've dealt with. My son says, put it in your brain so you don't forget, got that Dad? Well Dad is a little older, however keeping records sure is helpful when something pops up out of the blue. Last thing you want, pay off a collection and then you get a notice from a different collector for the same account. It happens all the time, and having records help you protect your money, your credit and your rights. I can't tell you how many clients have paid two different collection companies for the same account! It's true it's true, it happens and it happens a lot!
I have some simple words of advice for you friends. Make it easy on yourself, start with the smallest one and get it paid off. Work your way up the ladder little by little, you will start to feel so much better when you get some control back. Don't set up automatic payments or authorize them to pull out of your account. Don't mail them a check from your account, get a money order from a source other than your bank. The US Post Office, Walmart, ect. Even though you want to pay them, you also want to protect your information and keep control. Lastly, it's always a good idea to be nice, collectors are human most of the time. Being nice increases your chance of reaching a favorable agreement. Good luck my friends, questions and comments are always welcomed, I'm always around...