It’s all too easy to miss a payment on one of your accounts and put it on the backburner for later.
Unfortunately, a simple mistake can have some severe repercussions for your credit.
When your debt goes into collections, it’s important to straighten things out quickly.
If BYL Collections has been contacting you, the information below can help you move forward.
How Does BYL Collection Services Work?
BYL Collections isn’t a household name, but it collects for several businesses across multiple industries.
Based in Westchester, Pennsylvania, BYL is a third-party collections agency that was founded in 1998.
The agency specializes in consumer collections, commercial collections, and medical device recovery.
Here’s how BYL Collection Services and other agencies like it work.
When you owe money to a lender or a service provider, they will send you reminders and request payment.
If their attempts fail, your debt will enter collections. At this point, a collections entry is placed on your credit report.
This type of entry stays there for 7 years, and it can significantly drop your credit score as long as it’s on your report.
Companies turn to debt collection agencies like BYL Collections, either selling them your debt for pennies on the dollar or hiring them to manage their collection efforts.
Once you’re on their list, a collections agency may call you, mail reminders, and leave messages until you make payment.
Read on to learn how to respond to their communications and get the agency off your credit report.
If you are overwhelmed by dealing with negative entries on your credit report,
we suggest you ask a professional credit repair company for help.
Ask Lex Law for Help
How to Contact BYL Collections
Due to the nature of their work, collections agencies get a bad rap. Many agencies receive complaints about their forceful collection attempts and faulty reporting.
You can learn more about BYL Collections and how they deal with customers by viewing complaints filed against them with the Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
If you feel that your rights have been violated, you can also use these platforms to voice your grievances.
To get an understanding of how debt collectors are, and aren’t, allowed to treat you, you need to read up on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
The FDCPA is your shield against abusive debt collection practices and inaccurate reporting.
It lists several restrictions debt collectors must adhere to, such as:
- Only calling between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
- Only contacting you regarding your debt
- Avoiding contacting you at work, upon request
- Not using abusive language or threatening unlawful actions
Moreover, it allows you to set the terms of your communication with collection agencies.
That means you can put a stop to BYL Collections’ calls and only communicate in writing. This is a solid strategy, as it not only mutes the agency’s calls but also provides documentation of your conversations.
You can contact BYL Collections at the address below:
BYL Collection Services
301 Lacey St
Westchester, PA 19382
3 Ways to Remove BYL Collections from Your Credit Report
Equipped with the information above, you’re ready to contact BYL Collections.
Here are three ways you can get their collection entry removed from your credit report.
1. Submit a Debt Validation Letter
A credit reporting error could be responsible for the collections entry featured on your report. Or it could be the work of an identity thief.
In either case, you should get to the bottom of the situation quickly. You can do this by submitting a debt validation letter.
The FDCPA gives you 30 days to dispute a questionable entry on your report.
When you send in a letter of dispute, which you can easily complete using a free template, the agency is required to provide you with details regarding the account.
If they can’t prove the debt is yours, it will be removed from your report and they’ll stop calling and writing you.
While this strategy is obviously a wise one if BYL is on your report by mistake, it’s worth trying even if you do owe them money.
When third-party agencies like BYL Collection Services get a hold of consumer debts, they don’t always maintain the records they need to see their attempts through.
There’s a chance you could get the collections account removed without paying a dime of what you owe.
2. Arrange a Pay-for-delete Agreement
If it’s too late for debt validation or you tried but the agency was able to provide evidence, you’ll have to make a payment to get the collections entry off your report.
But you may not have to pay the full amount that you owe. Debt collectors are often willing to accept a negotiated amount of money when you arrange a pay-for-delete agreement.
You may walk away only paying half of what you owe.
Getting the agency to agree to have your entry deleted is key here. If you only pay the balance on your account, it won’t get the entry deleted from your report.
For this method to be successful, you should document the agreement in writing, rather than setting it up over the phone.
Once you and the agency agree on an amount and they consent to have their entry removed from your report, you should submit a payment.
From there, you should see your credit report updated pretty quickly.
Use a credit monitoring app to track your score and changes to your report. It should be updated within a month of your payment posting.
If not, contact the agency again to make sure that your agreement is upheld.
3. Use a Credit Repair Company
Getting a collections account off your credit report takes some time and effort. If the task seems too daunting, you don’t have to tackle it alone.
Many consumers turn to credit repair companies to help them confront debt collectors and improve their credit scores.
They’ll take a close look at your credit report and address the negative items that are bringing down your score.
They can help by sending out debt validation letters, disputing fraud, and negotiating deletions.
In addition to tackling collections accounts, they’ll also help you recover from:
- Bankruptcy
- Charge-offs
- Foreclosures
- Hard inquiries
- Judgment
- Liens
- Repossessions
If you’re wondering which company to work with, take a look at our list of the best credit repair companies.
The companies listed have great customer reviews and a solid success rate.
