Disputing Debt Collection Letter

Summary

When disputing a debt, request validation from the debt collector, including a detailed account history and any agreements. You can also request that they cease communication if they fail to provide validation. This ensures your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) are protected.

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I'm writing a letter to debt collection to dispute a debt. Here's the letter so far:
Hi ****,
I'd be glad to help you with your letter to dispute a debt. Could you please provide more details about the debt you're disputing? For example:
- The name of the debt collector
- The amount of the debt
- Why you believe the debt is incorrect
This will help me provide more specific guidance.
**** Johnson, a.k.a **** Benson * Flagg Hill Rd Heath, MA, * mail@satch.xyz (*) *-* August 20th, * Diversified Adjustment Service, Inc. * Coon Rapids Blvd Coon Rapids, MN * Re: Dispute of Alleged Debt - Verizon Wireless Account Number: * To Whom It May Concern, I am writing in response to your letter dated August 19th * regarding the alleged debt associated with the account number * (reference number *). I wish to formally dispute the validity of this debt. Please consider this letter as a notice that I do not owe the amount being claimed for the following reasons: *. The only given explanation of this charge was in an email I received on July *, *, saying ‘Your bill is now available on My Verizon. We see that all lines on your account are disconnected, so outstanding balances and future bills will be mailed to your billing address.’. When prior to this I canceled my postpaid phone plan with Verizon I did not disconnect my line, but simply switched to prepaid. I am still a customer of Verizon and have paid monthly bills to Verizon without interruption for my phone service. If any extra charge was to be associated with the switch to prepaid, I should have been informed. As I was not, Verizon should not have billed me any more than the standard cost associated with my phone service, which they did and I have paid. *. When Verizon debited $*.* from my checking account ending in * on July 31st, *, as this transaction was without my specific consent and knowledge, I called Verizon immediately to complain. They could not find any record of this charge, saying on the phone that they could not access details of my postpaid account once I had become a prepaid customer. They told me over the phone that they would look into the issue and get back to me within 14 days. I did not receive any communication from them until August 19th, when I received an email saying that I had a balance on my account of $*.*. This email did not make reference to or address the conversation we had on the phone. I called my bank and told them that this transaction was unauthorized, and they as a courtesy provided me with a temporary refund of $*.* which they never took back. If Verizon gave the money they took from me back to my back, I was not notified of that. Therefore, since Verizon did not explain to me the cause of this charge at all, let alone within 14 days of my phone call as they promised, they cannot expect that I pay the money. **** Johnson, a.k.a **** Benson * Flagg Hill Rd Heath, MA, * mail@satch.xyz (*) *-* August 20th, * Diversified Adjustment Service, Inc. * Coon Rapids Blvd Coon Rapids, MN * Re: Dispute of Alleged Debt - Verizon Wireless Account Number: * To Whom It May Concern, I am writing in response to your letter dated August 19th * regarding the alleged debt associated with the account number * (reference number *). I wish to formally dispute the validity of this debt. Please consider this letter as a notice that I do not owe the amount being claimed for the following reasons: *. The only given explanation of this charge was in an email I received on July *, *, saying ‘Your bill is now available on My Verizon. We see that all lines on your account are disconnected, so outstanding balances and future bills will be mailed to your billing address.’. When prior to this I canceled my postpaid phone plan with Verizon I did not disconnect my line, but simply switched to prepaid. I am still a customer of Verizon and have paid monthly bills to Verizon without interruption for my phone service. If any extra charge was to be associated with the switch to prepaid, I should have been informed. As I was not, Verizon should not have billed me any more than the standard cost associated with my phone service, which they did and I have paid. *. When Verizon debited $*.* from my checking account ending in * on July 31st, *, as this transaction was without my specific consent and knowledge, I called Verizon immediately to complain. They could not find any record of this charge, saying on the phone that they could not access details of my postpaid account once I had become a prepaid customer. They told me over the phone that they would look into the issue and get back to me within 14 days. I did not receive any communication from them until August 19th, when I received an email saying that I had a balance on my account of $*.*. This email did not make reference to or address the conversation we had on the phone. I called my bank and told them that this transaction was unauthorized, and they as a courtesy provided me with a temporary refund of $*.* which they never took back. If Verizon gave the money they took from me back to my back, I was not notified of that. Therefore, since Verizon did not explain to me the cause of this charge at all, let alone within 14 days of my phone call as they promised, they cannot expect that I pay the money.
Hi ****,
Thank you for sharing the details of your situation. Your letter is comprehensive and well-structured. Here are a few suggestions to ensure it covers all necessary points:
*. **Request for Validation:**
- Explicitly request Diversified Adjustment Service, Inc. to provide validation of the debt, including a detailed account history and any agreements or contracts.
*. **Cease Communication:**
- If you prefer not to be contacted again, you can request that they cease communication with you, as allowed under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
Here’s an example of how you might incorporate these points:
---
**To Whom It May Concern,**
I am writing in response to your letter dated August 19th, *, regarding the alleged debt associated with the account number * (reference number *). I wish to formally dispute the validity of this debt.
**Please consider this letter as a notice that I do not owe the amount being claimed for the following reasons:**
- The only given explanation of this charge was an email I received on July *, *, stating my bill was available on My Verizon and future bills would be mailed to my billing address. I switched
give me the language to request validation
Certainly, ****! Here's language you can use to request validation of the debt in your letter:
---
**To Whom It May Concern,**
I am writing in response to your letter dated August 19th, *, regarding the alleged debt associated with the account number * (reference number *). I wish to formally dispute the validity of this debt.
**Please consider this letter as a notice that I do not owe the amount being claimed for the following reasons:**
- The only given explanation of this charge was an email I received on July *, *, stating my bill was available on My Verizon and future bills would be mailed to my billing address. I switched from postpaid to prepaid service and continued to pay my monthly bills to Verizon without interruption. Any extra charges should have been communicated to me, which they were not.
**I request that Diversified Adjustment Service, Inc. provide validation of the alleged debt, including:**
- A detailed account history
- Any agreements or contracts associated with this debt
Additionally, if you do not provide the requested validation, I request that you cease all communication with me regarding this debt, as allowed under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
Thank