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How to Negotiate with Professional Debt Mediation

Sarah Edwards | April 25, 2024

Sarah Edwards
Legal Expert
Sarah Edwards, BS

Sarah Edwards is a professional researcher and writer specializing in legal content. An Emerson College alumna, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the prestigious Boston institution.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: To negotiate with Professional Debt Mediation, start by sending a Debt Validation Letter. If they validate the debt, gather proof of financial hardship, then offer a settlement at 60% or less. If that fails, propose a payment plan with installments. SoloSuit can help you discover strategies for negotiating with Professional Debt Mediation.

Some debt collectors have confusing names. Professional Debt Mediation is one of them. If you see this company on your credit report, you might think you’re getting charged by a debt mediator you never hired in the first place. However, Professional Debt Mediation is just another debt collection agency.

Here’s what you need to know about Professional Debt Mediation, collection agencies, and how to negotiate with them.

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What is Professional Debt Mediation?

Professional Debt Mediation (or just PDM) is a debt collection agency located at 8657 Baypine Road, Suite 201, Jacksonville, FL 32256. According to its website, the company specializes in the “multi-family industry,” which means that it works to collect past-due rent from tenants.

The Professional Debt Mediation phone number is listed as 904-398-0080, although its agents might call you from different phone numbers.

Professional Debt Mediation reviews and complaints

Its Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile shows that Professional Debt Mediation doesn’t have a great reputation among people who have dealt with the agency. The company is not BBB accredited, and it has the lowest BBB rating of “F.”

Professional Debt Mediation’s average rating is 1 out of 5 stars on its BBB profile, and the company has received a large number of BBB complaints over the past few years. Many have to do with the company failing to validate debt.

On the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s complaint database, Professional Debt Mediation has received more than 1,000 complaints. Some had to do with the company collecting in states where it was not licensed, increasing the amount owed, and trying to collect already-paid debts.

How do you negotiate with Professional Debt Mediation?

Some less-than-reputable debt collectors use intimidation tactics to get you to pay up immediately. Don’t fall for it! As a consumer, you have rights, and many of them are outlined in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

Digging through the text of a law when you’re not a lawyer can be confusing. To keep it simple, we’ve outlined a four-step process for negotiating. With these strategies, you might be able to reduce what you owe or get out of paying it altogether.

1. Before you do anything else, make Professional Debt Mediation verify your debt

Unfortunately, many consumers don’t understand that if a debt collector can’t prove that they owe a debt, they don’t have to pay it. However, the consumer has to ask for that proof to get it.

If you get a letter or phone call from Professional Debt Mediation claiming you owe money, the very first thing you should do is send a Debt Validation Letter. That letter must request a few very important pieces of information:

  • The name of the original creditor.
  • How much money you owe.
  • A signed copy of your contract with the original creditor.
  • The last transaction you made on the account.
  • Proof that Professional Debt Mediation is legally authorized to collect the debt.

Fortunately, you don’t have to remember that on your own. SoloSuit can ask you a few questions, format your letter correctly, and send it for you.

Make a Debt Validation Letter to send to Professional Debt Mediation.

If Professional Debt Mediation can’t prove you owe money, you probably won’t hear from it again, and you’re off the hook! If it does validate the debt, it’s time to move to negotiations.

2. Gather evidence of financial hardship

When you negotiate with a collector, it’s not helpful to threaten bankruptcy — many people do this without intending to follow through. Instead, gather your evidence of financial hardship (or at least lay out the reasons you can’t pay the full amount). Here are some issues to consider bringing up:

  • You have other creditors coming after you for money.
  • You have tax debt.
  • You have very few assets.
  • You owe back child support.
  • You have considerable other debt.
  • You are unemployed or otherwise cannot have your wages garnished.

What’s the point of this evidence? When you negotiate, you want it to be clear that the debt collector isn’t going to get a better offer. Essentially, you aren’t trying to lower what you owe because you just don’t want to pay it — you’re trying to lower it because you actually cannot pay the full amount.

3. Offer a settlement

Sometimes, a debt collector will accept a lump-sum settlement that’s less than the full amount you owe. In these cases, they’d rather get some of their money than none at all (or they don’t want to spend more time and resources trying to make you pay).

If you’re offering a Professional Debt Mediation settlement, it’s usually good to offer to pay 60% (or less) of the total amount owed. Keep in mind that debt collectors will generally counteroffer, so it can take a few rounds before you agree on an amount.

Make an offer to settle your debt with Professional Debt Mediation.

4. Try negotiating a payment plan

If Professional Debt Mediation won’t settle, you might try asking for a payment plan. With a payment plan, you plan to pay the full amount in installments. To see how it works, let’s consider an example:

Example: Josephine gets a letter from Professional Debt Mediation saying she owes $600. She can’t pay it all at one time. She emails the collector and asks if she can pay over time. Professional Debt Mediation says that she can pay $100 per month for six months. Now, Josephine can pay the debt without compromising her finances.


Want some debt negotiation tips from a lawyer? Check out SoloSuit’s helpful video below:

Don’t pay without a fight!

Some people end up paying debt collectors because directly negotiating seems too stressful. However, if you can handle a little stress in the short term, it might save you hundreds or thousands in the long run. Remember you aren’t alone — SoloSuit is with you every step of the way!

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