Table of Contents
- What is Wakefield and Associates?
- Who does Wakefield and Associates collect for?
- Is Wakefield and Associates a legitimate company?
- How to pay Wakefield and Associates (and if you should)
- How to stop Wakefield and Associates from calling you
- How to verify you actually owe Wakefield and Associates
- How to remove Wakefield and Associates from your credit report
- What to do if Wakefield and Associates harasses you
What is Wakefield and Associates?
Founded in 1946, Wakefield and Associates is a debt collection agency that collects debt for organizations in various industries, including banking, education, and healthcare. 1
What is Wakefield Payment Solutions?
“Wakefield Payment Solutions” is one of the names Wakefield and Associates may appear as on your credit report.
Other names Wakefield and Associates may appear under include:
- Wakeassoc
- Wakefield Associates
- Wakefield RRC
- Wakefield Collections
- Wakefield & Assoc
- Wakefield and Associates Inc
Who does Wakefield and Associates collect for?
Wakefield and Associates collects debt for the following institutions and businesses: 1
- Banks and credit unions
- Colleges and universities
- Hospitals, small practices, emergency services
- Property management companies
- Commercial lenders
Specifically, Wakefield and Associates collects the following types of debt:
- Private student loans
- Consumer and commercial loans
- Medical bills
- Overdue rent
Is Wakefield and Associates a legitimate company?
Yes, Wakefield and Associates is legitimate debt collection company. It’s not a scam.
However, it’s best to be cautious when it comes to communications from debt collectors claiming to be Wakefield and Associates, since scammers sometimes pose as legitimate agencies. To verify what debts you owe, contact Wakefield and Associates online or via one of their regional call centers.
How to pay Wakefield and Associates (and if you should)
Never pay a debt collection company like Wakefield and Associates until you’re absolutely certain you owe the debt. We urge you to read our tips below to help you determine if you owe the debt, and how to fight it.
If you’ve come to the conclusion that you do owe this debt, it’s easy to pay Wakefield and Associates. Simply access their online portal using the website listed below by entering the account number on the letter they sent to you.
VIDEO: Wakefield and Associates in 2 Minutes—Fix Your Credit Report & Know Your Rights
How to stop Wakefield and Associates from calling you
Wakefield and Associates 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, Wakefield and Associates 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). The best way to stop contact from Wakefield and Associates is to force them to verify you owe the debt.
How to verify you actually owe Wakefield and Associates
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 Wakefield and Associates should have sent you a debt validation letter proving you owe the debt first, as it’s required by law.
How to remove Wakefield and Associates from your credit report
Collections on your credit report hurt your credit score. You can try the following strategies to remove Wakefield and Associates from your credit report:
1. Dispute the debt with all three credit bureaus
If you think that the debt associated with Wakefield and Associates 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.
2. Negotiate with Wakefield and Associates
Unfortunately, if the debt is legitimate and it’s less than 7 years old, removing Wakefield and Associates from your credit report will be very difficult (although not impossible), and you may need to pay up.
If you decide to pay, there are two negotiation strategies you can try as a last-ditch attempt to remove Wakefield and Associates from your credit report:
3. Wait 7 years for Wakefield and Associates 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 Wakefield and Associates, it will remain on your credit report.
What to do if Wakefield and Associates harasses you
Unless you tell them not to, Wakefield and Associates 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 Wakefield and Associates
- Wakefield and Associates must adhere to the regulations specified in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which bars them from behavior like lying to you or calling you incessantly or at unreasonable hours.
- Wakefield and Associates 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 Wakefield and Associates if they do something illegal.
If you believe Wakefield and Associates is violating your rights, keep a paper trail. You can:
- Sue Wakefield and Associates for harassment and 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. Wakefield and Associates will also have to pay your attorney fees and court costs.
- Report them to the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or your state attorney general.
