How to Beat DCM Services

Dena Standley | February 24, 2023

When you beat DCM Serivces ^^

Summary: Is DCM Services coming after you for a debt? SoloSuit can help you know your rights, request a debt validation, and win in court.

Have you received multiple calls and voicemails from DCM Services? Are their emails cluttering your inbox? If so, it is probably because a deceased loved one had an unpaid debt with them.

DCM Services LLC is a debt collection agency that collects the debt of a person who has recently passed away from their immediate family members. DCM's primary purpose is to collect an overdue debt from you, even though it is not directly yours.

DCM is a legitimate, average-sized debt collection agency founded in 2006 with its headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. It is also known as Balogh Becker Ltd or Deceased Case Management Services. The Better Business Bureau accredits DCM Services with an A+ rating but a poor customer review of one out of five stars.

It may seem impossible to beat DCM Services, but it is possible to stop their calls and prevent further harm to your credit score with the right approach.

Know your consumer rights before dealing with DCM Services

DCM services use agents to make calls and send emails to prompt you into paying the debt of a deceased loved one. They sometimes use unlawful methods, and it is essential to know your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practises Act, which prohibits debt collectors from:

Calling you multiple times a day.
Contacting you at unauthorized hours—before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
Threatening you with arrest.
Lying to you or giving misleading information.
Using abusive language or mistreating you.

If you are a victim of any of these actions, you're not alone. In fact, many consumers have reported DCM Services for violations of the FDCPA, and others have submitted online complaints to fight back.

DCM Services has received many complaints

In the last three years, DCM Services has received 48 complaints through the Better Business Bureau. Out of 71 Google reviews, the company only has an average rating of 1.6 out of 5 stars. In these complaints, DCM Services:

Fails to provide information about the debt.
Sends dozens of letters and makes weekly calls that feel like harrassment to people who have recently lost a loved one.
Claiming false debts.

Here is an example of a complaint submitted in DCM Services's BBB profile,

Example: “My 25-year-old son passed away in June, and we keep getting letters regarding his estate. He did not have anything. No money, nothing. There is no estate. I just want his relatives' letters and phone calls to stop.”

If you experience any mistreatment, report DCM Services to the Fair Trade Commission or submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If your situation is legitimate, you may be exempted from paying the debt.

How to respond to DCM Services

Do not be intimidated by the size of the company or the confidence the DCM agents have when they contact you. Consumer law protects you from debt collectors, and you can legally respond to them in the following ways.

Send a Debt Validation Letter.
Dispute the debt with the credit bureaus.
Negotiate a reduced payment plan.

Now, let's break these options down a little further.

Send a Debt Validation Letter to DCM Services

The next time you receive a call or email from DCM Services, request that they verify that the debt belongs to your deceased loved one. You implement this by sending a legally-binding Debt Validation Letter that asks them for more information about the creditor and a further breakdown of the debt.

The letter also requires them to send a statement saying you have the right to ask for more information about the debt and dispute it if you still doubt its legitimacy. The FDCPA law stipulates that the consumer should send the Debt Validation Letter within 30 days of being contacted by a debt collector.

You do not need a lawyer to draft the letter for you. SoloSuit's software can help you customize a Debt Validation Letter that is effective and professional. Watch this video to receive a step-by-step guide on how to write it.

SoloSuit – How to make a Debt Validation Letter - YouTube

Dispute the debt with the credit bureaus

If you find discrepancies in the validation notice from DCM Services, send a dispute letter to TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. Attach any documents that support the errors. The credit bureaus will investigate with DCM Services and either remove or correct the debt on your credit report.

Negotiate a reduced payment with DCM Services

Ideally, when a person dies, the law allows debt collectors to get their money from their estate. If a balance remains, it should be paid by the immediate family members.

At this point, you can negotiate with DCM services to allow you to pay less than the original amount. In most cases, debt collection companies buy debt from creditors at pennies on a dollar, which means they are usually willing to settle for a percentage of the debt amount. If you are convincing, you may even get the debt reduced by 50%.

Let's consider an example.

Example: Selena finds out that DCM Services is suing her for a debt that her mother owed before passing away last year. Selena finds out that DCM Services purchased the debt from a credit card company for pennies on the dollar. She uses SoloSettle and gets DCM Services to reduce the debt by 40%. Selena is able to pay the reduced amount and get DCM Services off her back.

In addition, you can request that they delete the debt from your credit report once you pay most or all of the remaining amount. Get the settlement agreement in writing and wait for 30 days after paying the debt before checking your credit report to confirm the changes.

Start the settlement negotiation process by sending an offer for free with SoloSettle.

What if DCM Services is suing me?

Do not panic when you receive a lawsuit letter from DCM Services. The first step to winning a debt lawsuit is to respond. You can represent yourself and respond to the debt lawsuit with SoloSuit's free Answer form. The form includes a section for you to reply to each claim listed against you in the Complaint document from DCM Services. It also allows you to assert your affirmative defenses, or any legal reasons that DCM's case is invalid. Finally, SoloSuit can also file the Answer on your behalf in all 50 states.

You must submit your Answer to the court within 14–35 days after receiving the lawsuit, depending on which state you live in. Representing yourself will help you save the money and stress of finding a lawyer. Check out this video to learn about three steps to take to respond to a debt lawsuit against DCM Services:

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to fight debt collectors.

You can use SoloSuit to respond to a debt lawsuit, to send letters to collectors, and even to settle a debt.

SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James

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>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate