Who is MRS Associates?
MRS Associates aka MRS BPO, LLC is a debt collection agency located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Their corporate clients include companies in the telecom, student loan, auto loan, credit card, and healthcare industries.
MRS Associates may appear on your credit report as any of the following entries:
- mrs and associates
- mrs associates nj
- mrs collections
- mrs company
- mrs pay
- mrsassociates
Removing MRS Associates Collections
MRS BPO, LLC collections can hurt your credit score and remain on your credit report for up to 7 years regardless of whether you pay it or not. Unfortunately, paying the collection could even lower your credit score.
However, it is possible to have it removed before 7 years, and you may not even have to pay it.
(Debt collectors prefer that we didn’t tell you this, but it’s something you should know.)
Lexington Law is a credit repair company that helps people fix their credit. You may not even have to pay any of the debts on your credit report.
In addition to collections, Lexington Law will help you challenge (and possibly remove) other inaccurate information from your credit report. These items include inquiries, late payments, charge-offs, foreclosures, repossessions, judgments, tax liens, and bankruptcies.
Call Lexington Law now to learn more: (800) 220-0084
MRS Associates Contact Information
Address:
MRS BPO, LLC
1930 Olney Ave
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
Website: https://www.mrsbpo.com
Phone number: (877) 508-6304 or (856) 988-9122
How can you protect yourself against MRS Associates?
The most important way to protect yourself is to know your legal rights provided to you by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). This federal law governs how a debt collector can act towards consumers.
If you are being treated unfairly or illegally by MRS Associates, you should inform the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and your state attorney general. So what are your rights under the FDCPA?
First, the debt collector may not charge you more than you actually owe. They also cannot call you early in the morning or late at night, nor can they try to intimidate you or use offensive language.
If you’re older than 18, a debt collector can’t inform anyone except your spouse about your debt. Finally, they may not legally ignore a request for validation. Don’t be afraid to call them out on any of these practices in addition to reporting them to the proper regulators.
Request Debt Validation
MRS Associates typically doesn’t buy debts to collect for their own profit. Instead, original creditors hire them to collect on their behalf.
Even so, it’s imperative that you have your debt validated by MRS Associates before making any type of agreement to pay. Otherwise, there’s no way to know that they truly should be collecting your debt, or that the debt they’re assigning you is completely accurate.
When you first receive a notice from MRS Associates, whether through a phone call or email, send them a debt validation letter. This requires them to send you legal proof that they are the ones you’re obligated to pay.
It also requires MRS BPO to stop attempting to collect until they’ve sent you information. Since the account hasn’t been sold, you can also contact your original creditor to ask if they have hired MRS Associates to collect on their behalf.
Is MRS Associates making threatening phone calls?
If MRS Associates or any other debt collection agency is harassing you, the best thing to do is contact them in writing. Never talk to them on the phone.
You’re much more likely to get emotional and react in a way you might regret later on. Even worse, you could be pressured into making payments on the debt in a way that’s not in your best interest.
Alternatively, admitting to old debts may reset the statutes of limitations in your state, essentially renewing the number of years you can be sued for overdue payments.
There are a couple of ways to handle these types of phone calls from MRS Associates. First, you can send a cease and desist letter. Once a debt collection agency receives your written request, they must stop contacting you about your debt.
In this case, the company can either drop pursuing your account altogether or initiate a lawsuit. There’s simply no way to know. However, know that it is illegal for them to threaten to sue you without actually intending to do so. Either way, they will most likely continue to report the debt to the credit bureaus.
Another option is to attempt to settle the account. You can either negotiate on your own or hire a professional debt settlement firm to help you.
Should I contact or pay MRS Associates?
Nothing good can come from contacting a collection agency like MRS BPO. And making payments on the account will reset the clock. So not only will it not help your credit, but it could actually make it worse.
The best way to go about handling this is to contact a professional credit repair service. They have deleted millions of negative items from companies like MRS Associates for millions of clients nationwide.
And they can help you too.
Will MRS Associates sue me or garnish my wages?
It’s possible that a collection agency will resort to litigation when attempting to collect a debt, but if you work with a law firm like Lexington Law, you have nothing to worry about. They will help you dispute the collection account and possibly get it removed from your credit report. It’s also quite possible that you may never hear from or have to deal with MRS Associates again.
Call Lexington Law to learn how they can help you avoid lawsuits and remove negative items from your credit report that will significantly improve your credit scores.
Wage Garnishment
Some states allow wage garnishment, while others do not. It is important to note that if you are in a state that does not allow wage garnishment, it is illegal for them to threaten to garnish your wages.
It is also illegal for MRS Associates to make any claims they cannot or will not follow through on – this includes threatening to sue you or to foreclose on your home.
MRS Associates Complaints
Most collection agencies have numerous complaints filed against them with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Most complaints are about inaccurate reporting, harassment, or failure to verify a debt. If you find yourself facing any of these situations with a debt collection agency, you should also consider filing a complaint.
You have many consumer rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Lexington Law knows that you have rights, and MRS Associates does too.
How Collections Affect Your Credit
Missed payments over several months will cause a hit to your credit score. Couple that with a collection account on your credit report, and it can definitely impact your ability to qualify for new credit.
Debt collectors often buy and sell debt from one another, so this can lead to multiple collections showing on your credit reports for the same account.
When this happens, if you don’t dispute the accounts, they will definitely have a negative impact on your credit score.
Your Rights When Dealing with MRS Associates
There are strict regulations about what a debt collector can and cannot do in the United States. For example, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prevents the use of abusive or deceptive tactics to collect any debt, whether or not you actually owe it. In addition, the FDCPA provides you with many rights to ensure that collection agencies don’t take advantage of you. In particular:
- Debt validation. Under the FDCPA, you have the right to validate a debt. The collection agency reporting the information must prove to you, within 30 days, that the account is really your responsibility and the amount of money you owe is accurate.
- All personal debts are covered, including personal credit cards, auto loans, household bills, and mortgage payments.
- MRS Associates may not threaten or harass you, call you repeatedly, swear at you, or publicly publish a list of debtors.
- MRS Associates must be honest about who they are and what they are trying to do. They must notify you that they are a collection agency both orally and in writing.
- MRS Associates cannot threaten to have you arrested, and they are not allowed to threaten to take legal action if they have no intention of doing so.
More Tips on Dealing with MRS Associates
Avoid the phone. NEVER talk to a debt collector on the phone. Nothing good can come of it. The less they know about you, the better.
Politely tell them it’s your policy to deal with everything in writing and then hang up. If they keep calling, send them a cease & desist letter.
Record their phone calls. If you must deal with a debt collection agency on the phone, record them. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia allow you to record your phone conversations secretly.
In the other 15 states, you can record with the other party’s permission. If you tell the debt collector you are going to record, and they keep talking, that’s considered giving permission. They will usually hang up.
Don’t believe what they say. Debt collectors are known to make false threats, lie, and tell you whatever they need to tell you to try to get you to pay the debt.
Don’t try to hide money. It’s considered fraudulent to hide money or assets from a legitimate debt collector if you owe them. However, it’s also best to avoid giving access to your bank account or credit card information.
Don’t apply for new lines of credit. It’s also considered fraudulent to apply for new lines of credit if you are unable to pay your current creditors.
Don’t ignore them. You can do things on your terms, but ignoring the situation will not make them go away. Ignoring them sets you up for a possible lawsuit.
Know Your State’s Statute of Limitations. Each state has a statute of limitations on debt. Once your debt reaches a certain age, it is considered “zombie debt,” and you are no longer legally obligated to pay it. The age limit varies from state to state, but usually, it’s around 4-6 years.
A collection agency is still allowed to contact you about these debts, but they can no longer sue you for them, and you are not required to pay them.
Can MRS Associates collections be removed from my credit report?
Lexington Law specializes in disputing MRS Associates accounts. They have over 28 years of experience and have removed over 10 million negative items for their clients in 2018 alone.
Get Your Collections Removed Today!
If you’re looking for a reputable company to help you with collection accounts and repair your credit, we HIGHLY recommend Lexington Law.
Call them at (800) 220-0084 for a free credit consultation. They have helped many people in your situation and have paralegals standing by waiting to take your call.