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What is Vance and Huffman, LLC?
Vance and Huffman, LLC (or simply Vance & Huffman) is a debt collection agency based in Smithfield, VA that was established in 2013. 1
As a third-party debt collection agency, Vance and Huffman collects debt on behalf of other businesses. The company also provides the following services: 2 3
- Debt sales/purchasing
- Debt valuation
- Skip tracing
- Proprietary data scrubs
- Legal collections
- Portfolio management
- Customer service/telemarketing
Who does Vance and Huffman, LLC collect for?
Vance and Huffman collects consumer debts. Although they don’t directly disclose any information about the businesses they work for, their responses to complaints filed on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website indicate that they collect overdue debts from lease agreements. 4
Is Vance and Huffman, LLC a scam?
No, Vance and Huffman isn’t a scam. They’re a legitimate debt collection agency and a member of ACA International. 5 However, this doesn’t mean that they’ll always behave ethically, so be careful when you take their calls and keep your communications with them in writing if you possibly can.
What’s more, you should be vigilant about scammers that may pose as Vance and Huffman representatives to collect money from you. Be sure to verify any debts you’re contacted about before you make any payments. To do so, contact Vance and Huffman directly using the contact information below.
VIDEO: Vance and Huffman, LLC in 2 Minutes—Fix Your Credit Report & Know Your Rights
How to stop Vance and Huffman, LLC from calling you
Vance and Huffman, LLC will call you, email you, or send you letters if they believe you have an unsettled debt. The reason they’re calling you is simple—they want to pressure you into paying up.
Unfortunately, Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 landlord or property management company).
However, you can get Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 evidence of a debt. You must send it within 30 days of them first contacting you.
Benefits of sending a debt verification letter
Sending a debt verification letter has three benefits:
- You’ll prevent Vance and Huffman, LLC from calling you during this period: When you send a debt verification letter, third-party debt collection agencies like Vance and Huffman, LLC are required by law to stop contacting you until they can provide evidence that you actually owe the debt they’re trying to collect.
- You’ll get more information about the debt: You should never pay a debt that you don’t recognize. Forcing Vance and Huffman, LLC to provide documentation will help you determine whether this is a legitimate debt that you actually need to pay.
- You may successfully disown the debt: If Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 of 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 to the amount of time that Vance and Huffman, LLC has to sue you over a debt, after which point it becomes time-barred debt.
If this is the case, you can send Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 Vance and Huffman, LLC from your credit report
If your credit score is suffering as a result of Vance and Huffman, LLC debt, there are two ways to recover:
1. Dispute the debt with all three credit bureaus
If you think the debt that Vance and Huffman, LLC is trying to collect isn’t yours, 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 Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 Vance and Huffman, LLC
Unfortunately, if the debt is legitimate and it’s less than 7 years old, removing Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 Vance and Huffman, LLC from your credit report:
- Pay for delete: You might be able to convince Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 Vance and Huffman, LLC a goodwill letter template asking them to empathize with your situation and remove the mark from your credit report as an act of kindness.
How to deal with Vance and Huffman, LLC harassment
Unless you tell them not to, Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 Vance and Huffman, LLC
When attempting to collect payments from you, Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 predatory behavior, such as lying to you or calling you incessantly or at unreasonable hours.
Vance and Huffman, LLC 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 Vance and Huffman, LLC if they do something illegal.
Can I sue Vance and Huffman, LLC for harassment?
Yes, you can sue Vance and Huffman, LLC 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. Vance and Huffman, LLC will also have to pay your attorney fees and court costs.
How to file a complaint against Vance and Huffman, LLC
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 Vance and Huffman, LLC.
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 Vance and Huffman, LLC, 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 Vance and Huffman, LLC to court.
