Renton-based debt collection agency Renton Collections Inc. must give $1.5 million in debt relief to Washingtonians in order to settle a lawsuit by the Washington Attorney General’s Office. According to AGO Nick Brown, the company failed to disclose the right to request “crucial information about their medical debt” to about 400,000 people.
“There’s a story behind each collection notice — like a neighbor just trying to stay healthy but caught in a downward spiral of debt. That’s why I’m passionate about fighting to make sure all consumers know their rights, especially when it comes to paying for health care,” said Brown. “Debt collectors must inform Washington consumers of their protections under the law, and if not, they will hear from us.”
Filed by the King County Superior Court on April 13, the consent decree that orders the debt relief also bars Renton Collections Inc. from “ever collecting fees, costs, or interest on the medical debt at issue in the case, and RCI must include the necessary information in debt collection notices from now on.”…