How To Remove AWA Collections From Your Credit Report
Is AWA Collections flooding your phone and mailbox, claiming that you owe them money?
Or were you alerted to a new entry from the collections agency on your credit report?
Either way, it’s important to take action to minimize the damage to your credit score and stop the company’s constant stream of calls and letters.
If you’re wondering how best to proceed with a debt collector like AWA, we’ve got you covered.
What Is AWA Collections?
AWA Collections isn’t a well-known name, but it is a legitimate one.
Short for Adler Wallach and Associates, Inc., AWA is a small debt collector that has been operating since 1993, according to its BBB profile.
AWA’s corporate offices are in Orange, California, while its client services are based in Dickson, Tennessee.
You can contact AWA Collections at their mailing address:
100 Church Street
Dickson, TN 37055
Steps to Remove AWA Collections from Your Credit Report
Now that you have a better idea of who AWA is and are familiar with the FDCPA, it’s time to get to work removing the debt collector from your credit report.
Use the pointers below to get started.
Write a Debt Validation Letter
According to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a debt collector can’t require payment from you without first validating your debt.
From the first time AWA contacts you, you have 30 days to dispute your debt and ask for more information.
You could get the entry deleted with nothing but a debt validation letter.
If you’re the victim of a reporting error, this strategy is the best way to straighten things out. But it’s also a smart move when the debt AWA is seeking to collect does belong to you.
Agencies like AWA are third-party collectors, meaning they might not have what they need to back up their collections attempts.
Without proof of your debt, they’ll have to update the three main credit bureaus to have your entry deleted.
That means they’ll stop calling and sending you letters, too.
AWA may very well have the documentation it needs to validate the debt, but it’s worth a shot.
Negotiate a Payment
Say AWA was able to validate your debt, or they’ve been contacting you for longer than a month.
When debt validation isn’t a viable option, it’s time to break out your debit or credit card.
But you shouldn’t just log on or pick up the phone and pay the amount you owe.
It might end AWA’s barrage of phone calls but it won’t do your credit much good, which is the biggest concern.
Instead, you need to get the agency to agree, in writing, to withdraw their collection entry from your credit report if you submit payment.
When you enter negotiations with AWA, start by seeing if they’ll accept 50% of what you owe to close your account and work from there.
There’s a solid chance that you’ll be able to get the entry off at a negotiated rate.
Once again, be sure to get everything in writing so you and AWA are on the same page. You should see the entry deleted from your report within a month of making your payment.
Hire a Professional Credit Repair Company
If you aren’t too keen on the idea of writing debt validation letters and negotiating payments, you can leave it to the experts.
Credit repair companies are highly qualified to handle every element of repairing your credit, even if your problems go deeper than a collections entry or two.
They can work on your behalf to ensure that AWA follows the FDCPA in its dealings with you, and they’ll do what it takes to get them off your credit report.
Credit repair companies also help out with issues like:
Their assistance can also be key to recovering from identity theft, which could be to blame for debt collectors contacting you.
Whatever your credit needs are, take a look at our list of the best credit repair companies to choose one that’s a good fit for you.
How Does AWA Collections Work?
AWA provides businesses with several collections services, including:
- Early out services
- Pre-collections
- Third-party collections
- Litigation filing and judgments
- And more
That means the agency can contact you at multiple stages, whether your debt has reached collections yet or not.
Third-party debt collectors are often hired by agencies to collect on unpaid debts. Other times, they buy debts from service providers and creditors for pennies on the dollar.
In either case, once your debt reaches collections, a negative entry will be added to your credit report.
Collections entries factor into your payment history, which accounts for a massive 35% of your overall credit score.
These entries will remain on your report for 7 years, having more of an effect on your score early on.
Along with hurting your credit score, collections stage debts can interfere with your day-to-day life.
You can expect to receive regular phone calls and automated messages from AWA until you make a payment, along with letters.
While it might seem like paying AWA the total amount you owe is the best solution, it won’t help your credit.
Dealing with AWA Collections
Step one for dealing with AWA Collections or any other debt collectors hounding you is to learn about the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
The FDCPA is a law that was created with your best interests at heart. It provides you with several protections that hold debt collectors to ethical practices.
For example, it means that:
- Debt collectors can only contact you between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
- Collections agencies can’t share your info with your employer, family, or friends
- These agencies must validate any debts they attempt to collect
- They cannot threaten to take illegal actions against you
AWA has been the subject of a slew of consumer complaints, as you can see on its Better Business Bureau profile and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau website.
People often complain about the issues above, along with inaccurate reporting.
Another component of the FDCPA you should take advantage of is your right to set the terms of your communication with AWA.
Namely, you can stop their phone calls and only communicate in writing.
We recommend that you avoid talking to AWA’s representatives over the phone, writing letters instead.
That way, all your interactions are documented in case you need to take legal action in the future or have any trouble getting the agency off your credit report.
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