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How to Remove GC Services Debt Collections from Your Credit Report

What Is The FDCPA? (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act)

If you’ve been contacted by GC Services, they are probably pursuing you for an old debt, even threatening to garnish your wages or tax returns.

Dealing with debt collectors is stressful, but the harassing phone calls are only the tip of the iceberg.

Being pursued for an old debt means that GC Services has opened up a collections account on your credit report.

Essentially, collections accounts are a black mark on your credit report and can negatively affect your credit score for up to seven years.

If you are in the process of repairing your credit score, a collections account can set you back significantly.

The best way to get your credit score back on track is to have the entry removed from your report as soon as possible.

For a step-by-step guide on how to remove GC Services from your credit report, check out our full guide below.

What is GC Services?

You may be wondering if GC Services is a legitimate business and not a scam?

This is a fair question to ask of a business that starts calling you out of the blue demanding money.

GC Services is a legitimate debt collector, but unfortunately, they are not pleasant to work with.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, GC Services is one of the largest debt collection agencies in the United States.

They were originally founded in 1986 and currently have over 9,000 employees and over 30 call centers.

GC Services Limited Partnership grossed over $100 million in revenue in 2019 and collected a variety of debts including student loan debt, health care, telecommunications, retail, government, and more.

On their website, they state they are one of the nation’s largest business processes outsourcing providers, customer care solutions, and accounts receivables management services, including executive escalation and back-office processing.

The collection calls are annoying, but we often get the following question, “Can GC Services truly seek wage garnishment or sue me?” The answer is yes, but don’t stress. We can help.

Steps to Remove GC Services Debt Collection from Your Credit Report

Dealing with GC Services is no walk in the park, but there is a proper way to handle them.

Here are the essential steps to take to get GC Services debt collection off your back and off your credit report for good:

  • Understand Your Rights
  • Ask for a Goodwill Deletion
  • Request Debt Validation
  • Negotiate a Settlement

Understand Your Rights

Debt collectors make money by coercing payment arrangements out of you, and they often use a number of questionable tactics to do so.

However, collectors like GC Services don’t want you to know that the law actually protects you from their harassment.

This law, known as the FDCPA, can help you protect yourself from abuse from GC Services or other debt collectors.

Under a piece of federal legislation known as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), debt collectors must refrain from specific forms of harassment and deception when collecting a debt.

The FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from certain practices such as:

  • Calling before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
  • Using abusive or profane language.
  • Misrepresenting themselves or information about your debt.
  • Calling you at work or at another time you have told them is inconvenient.
  • Calling your friends, family, or coworkers regarding your debt

Letting GC Services know upfront that you are aware of your rights under the FDCPA allows you to take control of the situation.

You can prevent them from harassing you or treating you poorly by calling them out on their bad behavior.

By educating yourself about your rights, you can arm yourself with knowledge when you deal with GC Services.

Ask for a Goodwill Deletion

If you’ve already paid GC Services for your debt, it is worth it to ask them to delete their collection entry out of benevolence.

This is known as a goodwill deletion and can work for you if you are in current good standing with them.

A goodwill deletion is a way for you to have a collection account removed from your credit report after you’ve given in to a debt collector’s demands.

You can request this by writing GC Services a goodwill deletion letter.

This is a letter that essentially explains why you were late on your payments and why you would like the account removed.

If you have been paying on time since the collection and ask nicely, there is a chance that GC Services will grant you your request.

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Request Debt Validation

When dealing with a debt collector, it is extraordinarily important to confirm that they have the correct details about the debt.

Especially as identity theft is on the rise. For example, should there be a data breach, you could have your driver’s license, social security number, or credit card number stolen and used to open fraudulent accounts in your name.

This is known as requesting debt validation, and many people get their debts nullified each year because the collector has incorrect information about the debt.

This is a time-sensitive step, so it’s important that you tackle this right away.

To request that GC Services validate your debt, you must write them a debt validation letter.

This is a formal request for GC Services to verify specific pieces of information related to your debts such as the name of the creditor and the total amount of the debt.

This letter must be sent within 30 days of the first contact with GC Services, so it is crucial that you refrain from procrastinating.

Once GC Services receives your letter, they should send you several documents that supposedly prove that the debt belongs to you.

Be sure to go through these documents carefully and note any details that seem incorrect.

If you find information that outright conflicts with information that you have about your debt, you can submit a dispute to the three major credit bureaus.

If they agree that GC Services got it wrong, they will remove the account from your credit report.

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Negotiate a Settlement

If you are unable to get the entry removed on a technicality, you can try to negotiate a settlement with GC Services.

This is known as a pay-for-delete settlement and involves paying GC Services for the debt in exchange for deletion.

Sometimes, you can get away with paying less than the full amount of the debt.

This is because GC Services may have purchased the debt for pennies on the dollar, and you may only need to pay a portion in order for them to make their money back.

Start by offering to pay GC Services half of the total amount and negotiate from there.

Once you reach an agreement with them, have them send you a contract that clearly states the terms.

Make sure you don’t make a payment until you receive this document and approve of it.

After you make your payment, check your credit report in 30 days. You should notice that GC Services has removed its entry from your report.

If they haven’t, reach back out to them and remind them of the agreement you both made.

Let them know that you won’t be making another payment until they remove the entry from your credit report.

GC Services Debt Collections Contact Information

Here’s their contact information:

  • Mailing Address: GC Services, LP 6330 Gulfton, Houston, Texas 77081
  • Phone Number: 776.6623 Toll-Free: 877.374.0943
  • Website: gcserv.com
  • Rating: BBB awarded them an A+.
  • Complaints: GC Services has accumulated nearly 1,000 complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and almost 100 with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Multiple complaints stated GC Services was violating consumer protection laws like the FDCPA and the FCRA. The Federal Trade Commission required GC Services to pay a settlement for violating those above acts, and they have been sued in several state district courts.

Dealing with GC Services Debt Collections

Sometimes despite your best efforts, you are unable to get anywhere with debt collectors.

If GC Services is being a stick in the mud, you might benefit from the services of a credit repair company.

A credit repair company specializes in removing any dings from your credit report so that you can improve your score.

They handle the communications and negotiations with a debt collector so that you don’t have to.

It is important to work with a reputable credit repair company because there are many out there that aren’t as effective as they claim.

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They have had tremendous success with GC Services and can help you get your credit score back on track.

Improving your credit score is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes good habits and patience to achieve your ideal credit score.

For tips and guides on how to boost your score and achieve your financial goals, be sure to check out some of my popular articles to learn more.

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