You’ve come to the right place to figure out how to respond to Convergent Outsourcing’s insistent messages about a debt they claim you owe. We provide free letter templates that you can download and send off to ask more about the debt, and even dispute it.
The best part? If you send it early enough, they’re required by federal law to respond. So get started immediately.
Table of Contents
- What is Convergent Outsourcing?
- Who does Convergent Outsourcing collect for?
- Is Convergent Outsourcing a scam?
- How to stop Convergent Outsourcing from calling you
- How to remove Convergent Outsourcing from your credit report
- How to deal with Convergent Outsourcing harassment
- Should you pay Convergent Outsourcing?
What is Convergent Outsourcing?
Convergent Outsourcing is a debt collection agency that’s been in business since 1950. 1 The company is based in Renton, WA, and they provide various debt collection services, including business process outsourcing and revenue cycle management.
Convergent Outsourcing’s other names
Convergent Outsourcing (formerly known as ER Solutions, Inc.) is one branch of a larger company called Convergent Resources Holdings, which was previously owned by Silver Oak Services Partners before being bought by Account Control Technology Holdings, Inc. (ACTH) in 2014. 2 3
Confusingly, given the company’s somewhat complicated structure and history, Convergent also goes by several other names:
- Convergent Resources Holdings, LLC
- Convergent Outsourcing, Inc.
- Convergent Revenue Cycle Management, Inc.
- Convergent Healthcare Recoveries, Inc.
It’s possible that the agency will appear on your credit report under any of those names.
Who does Convergent Outsourcing collect for?
According to their website, Convergent collects both consumer and commercial debt for businesses of various sizes across a wide array of industries. Here are just a few examples of companies they offer debt collection services to:
- Healthcare providers
- Utility providers
- Telecommunications companies
- Cable companies
- Electronics companies
- Banks
- Financial service providers
- Student loan providers
- Insurance providers
- Auto lenders
In addition to collecting consumer debt in various industries, Convergent Outsourcing has a healthcare division that performs primary debt collection under the name Convergent Healthcare Recoveries as part of their Convergent CARE program. 4
Is Convergent Outsourcing a scam?
No, Convergent Outsourcing isn’t a scam. They’re a legitimate debt collection agency and a member of ACA International. 5
However, this doesn’t mean that Convergent Outsourcing will always behave ethically. Like many other collection agencies, they’ve faced litigation for violating consumer rights with overly aggressive attempts to collect debts. 6
What’s more, scammers may pose as representatives from Convergent Outsourcing to try to collect money from you. For this reason, it’s important to always verify the validity of any debts you’re contacted about before you make any payments. You can do so by getting in touch with Convergent Outsourcing directly using their online form or the contact information below.
If you do decide to make a payment, use their updated payment portal at convergentusa.com (rather than payconvergent.com).
VIDEO: Convergent Outsourcing in 2 Minutes—Fix Your Credit Report & Know Your Rights
How to stop Convergent Outsourcing from calling you
Convergent Outsourcing will call, email, or mail you if they believe you have an unsettled debt. The reason debt collectors like these are calling you is simple—they want to pressure you into paying up.
Unfortunately, Convergent Outsourcing representatives will keep trying to contact you unless you pay the debt, prove that it doesn’t belong to you, or reach an agreement with them (or with your original creditor).
Don’t ignore debt collectors like Convergent Outsourcing—in the end, you may get sued, and you may even have your wages garnished. It’s smarter to engage with them tactically to ensure you don’t have to pay, or that you get the best deal you can.
To begin, you can get Convergent Outsourcing to stop calling you—at least temporarily—by sending them something called a debt verification letter.
Send a debt verification letter
A debt verification letter is a formal request that obligates a debt collector to provide further evidence of a debt. You must send it within 30 days of them first contacting you. Note that Convergent Outsourcing should have sent you a debt validation letter proving you owe the debt first, as it’s required by law.
Benefits of sending a debt verification letter
Sending a debt verification letter has three benefits:
- You’ll prevent Convergent Outsourcing from calling you during this period: When you send a debt verification letter, third-party debt collection agencies like Convergent Outsourcing are required by law to stop contacting you until they can provide evidence that you actually owe the debt they’re trying to collect. 7
- You’ll get more information about the debt: You should never pay a debt that you don’t recognize. Forcing Convergent Outsourcing to provide documentation will help you determine whether this is a legitimate debt that you actually need to pay. It’s an easy way of figuring out if the debt collector is a scam agency.
- You may successfully disown the debt: If Convergent Outsourcing can’t provide more information about the debt (which is frequently the case), then they have no choice but to delete it from your records.
Beware the statute of limitations
The verification materials that you receive may show that your debt has passed the statute of limitations. This is a legal limit that means the debt is too old for Convergent Outsourcing to sue you over, at which point it’s known as time-barred debt.
If this is the case, you can send Convergent Outsourcing a letter telling them to stop contacting you. Legally, they’ll have to abide by that.
The statute of limitations on most debts is between 3 and 6 years, but the exact amount of time depends on several factors, including the state you live in. The best approach is to check your state attorney general’s website and email their office if the information you’re looking for isn’t available online.
How to remove Convergent Outsourcing from your credit report
If your credit score is suffering as a result of Convergent Outsourcing debt, there are three ways to recover:
1. Dispute the debt with all three credit bureaus
If you think that the debt associated with Convergent Outsourcing on your credit report is illegitimate (e.g., if you paid it on time or it belongs to somebody else), dispute the item on your credit report. You can also dispute debts that are older than 7 years (measured from the date of your first missed payment)—by law, they’re supposed to fall off your credit report by then.
To dispute a debt for free, send a credit dispute letter to the credit bureaus that are showing Convergent Outsourcing on your credit report.
To find out which credit bureaus you need to send the letter to, request your free credit report from each of the major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) at AnnualCreditReport.com. If they don’t respond to your dispute within 30–45 days, then they’re legally obligated to remove the item in question.
2. Negotiate with Convergent Outsourcing
Unfortunately, if the debt is legitimate and it’s less than 7 years old, removing Convergent Outsourcing from your credit report will be very difficult (although not impossible).
Your best move at this point is to simply pay the debt. Newer credit scoring models ignore paid-off collection accounts, which means paying off your collection will boost your credit score even if you can’t remove the item.
However, when you pay, there are two negotiation strategies you can try as a last-ditch attempt to remove Convergent Outsourcing from your credit report:
- Pay for delete: You might be able to convince Convergent Outsourcing to remove the negative mark in exchange for paying off the debt. You can open these negotiations by sending them a pay-for-delete letter.
- Goodwill deletion: This is an alternate strategy you can try after paying your debt. Once the account is paid off, you can send Convergent Outsourcing a goodwill letter asking them to empathize with your situation and remove the mark from your credit report as an act of kindness. Create your letter using our free goodwill letter template.
3. Wait 7 years for Convergent Outsourcing to fall off of your credit report
Unfortunately, most collection accounts will stay on your credit report for 7 years after your first missed payment. Even if you pay off your debt to Convergent Outsourcing, it will remain on your credit report.
Learn more about Convergent Outsourcing’s impact on your credit score:
- How many points will my credit score increase after I pay off collections?
- How to rebuild your credit after having a debt sent to collections
How to deal with Convergent Outsourcing harassment
Unless you tell them not to, Convergent Outsourcing will keep contacting you until you pay off or settle your debt. However, there are restrictions on how they can go about doing this.
Restrictions on Convergent Outsourcing
When attempting to collect payments from you, Convergent Outsourcing must adhere to the regulations specified in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This is a federal law that prevents debt collectors from engaging in harassment or predatory behavior, such as lying to you or calling you incessantly or at unreasonable hours.
Convergent Outsourcing representatives also need to follow the rules set out in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with these laws so that you can take action against Convergent Outsourcing if they do something illegal.
Can I sue Convergent Outsourcing for harassment?
Yes, you can sue Convergent Outsourcing for harassment. If you can show that they’ve violated your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, then you can collect $1,000 in statutory damages for each violation as well as payment for any damages that you’ve sustained as a result of their violation. Convergent Outsourcing will also have to pay your attorney fees and court costs.
How to file a complaint against Convergent Outsourcing
If a debt collector violates your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or does something illegal, then you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or your state attorney general. From there, you’ll be able to find out whether you can also sue Convergent Outsourcing.
Another option is filing a complaint on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, but this might not have the outcome you’re hoping for. Bear in mind that the BBB is actually a private organization that has no affiliation with the US government. They’ll forward your complaint to Convergent Outsourcing, but there’s no guarantee that the agency will address it in a satisfactory manner. What’s more, if your dispute is sent to an arbitrator, then you may give up your right to take Convergent Outsourcing to court.
Should you pay Convergent Outsourcing?
You should only pay a collection agency like Convergent Outsourcing if you’re certain the debt is yours and you owe it. If you’re struggling financially and can’t afford to pay this debt collector, you can get help from a non-profit credit counselor.
