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FAQS

Consumer Shield offers its members assistance in preparing Collector Challenges & Information Challenges. Members of the Account Verification and Substantiation Program are also offered other benefits through independent service providers; these benefits include but are not limited to, education regarding account verification programs, good financial habits, and credit health. The funds that you pay go towards these benefits, as well as the Account Verification and Substantiation Program offered by Consumer Shield.

You should get a loan to consolidate debt when you can’t manage your credit card payments. If you’ve run a high balance on more than one credit card and you’re feeling overwhelmed, consolidating all of your credit card debt can help you pay it down sooner and for less of a hassle.
With debt consolidation, you get a single loan to pay off all of your smaller loans, thereby leaving you with just one monthly payment rather than several. The theory is that one payment will be easier to manage. The goal is to lower the interest rate and the monthly payment while paying off your debt more quickly.
Validation Process Complete means that you have finished processing all the Collector Challenges with a specific collection agency and that an alleged debt has become uncollectable with that specific collection agency.

Collector Challenges are sent to third party collection agencies once we receive the third party collection letter from you. Creditors and third parties are required to keep meticulous records and must provide those records upon request – Collector Challenges compel the third party collection agency to deliver those records to you.

Collector Challenges request key information, forcing the collection agencies to prove that you owe them the alleged debt. Many times the collection agencies have not kept the records they’re required to and cannot provide the information that we’ve requested. Often, the collection agencies will respond to the paperwork with incomplete information if they respond at all. Sometimes, they will even cease collection activity once they see you exercising your consumer rights. At Consumer Shield, we are equipped to assist you in preparing whatever documents are appropriate, based on the collector’s response – or lack thereof. We are armed with the knowledge and skills to help you prepare the most effective documentation for your unique situation.

Information Challenges are sent to the three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. These documents that we assist you in preparing alert the bureaus that there is misinformation being reported on your credit report. These challenges explain to the bureaus that the incorrect information must be removed per your rights as a consumer. If the collection agency doesn’t remove the information, it may be a violation of your consumer rights. Sending these challenges is the last step in our Account Verification and Substantiation Program.

We are educating you on account verification and consumer rights to ensure that you are fully equipped for the upcoming tactics that original creditors, collection agencies, and debt collectors may try. The independent service providers with whom we have built relationships will also be working to educate you on healthy financial habits and good credit practices. The beginning of our program is crucial in laying a strong foundation for the Collector Challenges and then the Information Challenges process.

If you are bothered by creditor calls, please call Consumer Shield! The creditors and/or debt collectors may be violating your consumer rights.

No. If legal action has previously been taken against an account it may not be enrolled in the program unless the suit has been dismissed. If there is an active case or a judgment regarding an account it may not be enrolled.
An account can be sold over from one collection agency to another several times; it is not common for an account to be sold over more than 3-5 times. There is no need to worry as we will continue to request verification of the debt with whichever collection agency is attempting to collect on the debt at that time.

In the rare case that an alleged creditor can fully verify an enrolled account, you will be due a refund of the amount paid towards that specific account. Please see your agreement with Consumer Shield for the various ways this refund may be paid.

Typically, a debt is “charged off,” or written off as a bad debt by the original creditor after no more than 180 days from the first missed payment. After the debt is charged off your debt is usually transferred or sold to a collection company or debt buyer. It may take time for your information to be processed and input into the collector’s system.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is the main federal law that governs debt collection practices. The FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from using abusive, unfair or deceptive practices to collect debts from you. Under the FDCPA, debt collectors include collection companies and debt buyers.
Collection companies include collection agencies and lawyers who are regularly contracted by original creditors to attempt to collect debts for as part of their business. There are also companies that buy past-due debts from creditors or other businesses and then attempt to collect them; these debt collectors are usually called debt buyers.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) mandates that every collector must send you a written “validation notice” within five (5) days of the first time they contact you via phone.

Consumer Shield cannot guarantee that you will obtain any loans or financing as a result of the program.

Many times, in order to sell the account to a collector for a higher amount – an original creditor will add hundreds of dollars in interest and late fees to an account before charging it off. The balance of the debt doesn’t affect Consumer Shield ability to assist you in verification – this change in the account balance does not affect your program cost either.

We are here to help alleviate your stress. Your monthly payment was calculated based on your input about your budget and what you could afford when you signed your agreement. If your circumstances have changed, please call Consumer Shield and speak with one of our representatives so that we can assess your situation and try to meet your needs. We will do our best to accommodate you.

Under the FDCPA, creditors and collection agencies have guidelines that must be followed in order to stay within your rights. Our Violations Team is here to provide you with consumer rights education and training on how to protect those rights. They will review laws and statutes that were put into place to protect you as a consumer. We also may be able to connect you with an independent law firm that offers assistance identifying potential violations of your consumer rights. Should a violation of your rights be identified, this law firm may offer you the opportunity to retain them, at no additional cost to you! With their representation this lawsuit could result in debt waiver, tradeline deletion, or even damages owed to you! 

Any information provided by Consumer Shield is for educational purposes only. Please do not misconstrue this information as legal advice. Should you need legal advice, please consult a licensed attorney. 

There is no pattern that allows us to know when a client will receive a summons. Should you receive a summons, 100% of the funds that you have paid in for that specific account will be refunded to you. This refund will either be applied to your program fees or credited back to your bank account that you have provided. We will also refer you to an independent third-party law firm that will assist you.
Your fee schedule has no impact on the length of the program or how long our services are available for you. Often, our program fee is broken into monthly payments so that our program is affordable to you. We will continue to work on your behalf until you are ready to graduate our program or until the statute of limitations in your state.
An agency may try to collect on a debt up until the statute of limitations in your state. In rare cases, you may receive a collection letter after the statute of limitations – but there will be special language on that letter stating that the statute of limitations has already passed.
Our success rate varies based on each client’s situation. We have had tremendous success in the past for each client. Not all enrolled accounts will go through the program successfully, but the majority of accounts are unable to be verified by debt collectors.

Our independent service providers are companies with whom we have built relationships. These companies offer our clients services such as consumer rights education, assistance if creditors/debt collectors take legal action against an enrolled account, representation if your consumer rights are violated, tips on healthy financial habits and good credit health and many other invaluable benefits.

These companies are completely separate from Consumer Shield, which is why we refer to them as “independent service providers,” we are only affiliated through a shared goal of the best interest of our clients!

If you cancel within 5 days of signing your agreement, you are due a full refund of any fees paid in during that time. After that 5 day period, refunds are given if an account is verified by the creditor or collector OR if a creditor takes legal action against you on an enrolled account.