How To Deal With Capio Partners

What Is Capio Partners LLC?

Capio Partners LLC is a third-party debt collection agency that specializes in collecting medical and healthcare debt. The company is headquartered in Sherman, Texas and also has offices in Lawrenceville, Georgia. They collect debts from people across the United States and have been in business since 2008. 

Why Is Capio Partners Contacting Me?

Capio Partners is probably contacting you to try to collect on past-due medical debt such as a hospital or ambulance bill. Capio likely purchased your debt from a healthcare provider, hospital, or doctor’s office. That’s why you’re hearing from Capio now instead of the medical facility you originally visited.

Medical providers usually contact patients several times to try to get them to pay their medical bill(s). After some time, it’s common for these companies to charge off the debt, or sell the collection account to a third party. At that point, the debt collection company takes over trying to get you to pay the past-due debt.

Is Capio Partners Legit?

Capio Partners is a legitimate third-party debt collector, but many consumers have filed complaints against them. 

Capio is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a nonprofit organization that helps people find trustworthy businesses and resolve consumer complaints. They are rated by the BBB, however, and currently have a “B” rating or grade. Capio’s consumer review rating with the BBB is 1.16/5 stars, with nearly 500 consumer complaints on file.

Additionally, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has fielded over 1,200 consumer complaints regarding Capio Partners.

Many consumers claim that Capio Partners:

• Contacted them about a debt they didn’t owe or wasn’t theirs

• Didn’t provide enough information (including the original debt contract and account information) for the consumer to validate the debt

• Didn’t provide legally required debt dispute information

These complaints may illustrate common violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The FDCPA is a federal law that prohibits third-party debt collectors from harassing or deceiving consumers. It also requires that debt collectors provide a timely debt validation notice that includes information on how to dispute the debt. In short, it helps protect consumer rights.

Note to reader: These reviews and complaints highlight relevant issues, but they may not represent all consumers’ experiences.

Is Capio Partners a Scam?

Capio Partners is a legitimate debt collection agency, but beware that scammers may use their name or the name of another legitimate collection agency to try to get money from you. It’s important to know the biggest red flags of debt collector scams so you can protect yourself.

If you’re contacted by someone you aren’t familiar with who claims to be a debt collector, ask them to validate the debt before you give out any information. They should have details about your debt account, and it’s a big red flag if they ask you for your bank account information or Social Security number.

Do I Have To Pay Capio Partners LLC?

It depends on whether you truly owe the debt or not. To figure out if the debt is legit, make sure you’ve received a debt validation notice from Capio Partners. This letter should include information about the original debt account and the medical provider where the debt was incurred, as well as the amount they allege that you owe.

If they haven’t sent you a debt validation letter or you want more information about the debt account, send them a verification letter to get clarity.

Step 1: Send a Debt Verification Letter

Third-party debt collectors like Capio are required by law to send a debt validation letter before they first contact you or within five days of their first contact. This letter should include information about how to dispute the debt if you disagree with it. 

By law, you get a 30-day window to dispute the debt. If a debt is in dispute, this should be noted on your credit report, and Capio shouldn’t make phone calls or otherwise try to contact you until they’ve responded to the dispute.

If you dispute the debt in the 30-day time period provided and Capio can’t verify the debt or never replies to your dispute, they should stop all further collection efforts and you shouldn’t have to pay the bill.

A dispute letter is sometimes also called a debt verification letter. However, you can also send a debt verification letter to request further information about a debt account if the debt validation letter leaves you with questions. 

Here’s the main difference between these two letters:

Step 2: Decide What To Do Next

If Capio Partners has validated your debt, you get to decide your next move. You can:

• Dispute the debt if you disagree with it.

• Make a debt settlement offer (or pay the debt outright, if you’re able to).

• Ignore the debt (but this comes with serious consequences, so it’s not recommended).

Let’s explore each of these options in more detail.

Option 1: Dispute the Debt

If you don’t agree with the amount Capio Partners says you owe, the account doesn’t belong to you, or you (or your medical insurance company) already paid off the account, you can dispute the debt.

Instructions for disputing the debt should be on the bottom of the debt validation letter. You can learn more about this process in Upsolve’s Guide To Disputing a Debt You Don’t Owe.

Generally, when you dispute a debt with a creditor or debt collector, you should also check your credit report to see if there are inaccuracies. This is quite common, and these inaccuracies can hurt your credit score if they go unaddressed. This is also important with medical debts, but they’re treated a little differently on your credit report. If the debt is $500 or less, it shouldn’t appear on your credit report, regardless of the account status, according to the CFPB.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you the right to access your credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The FCRA also gives you the right to dispute any errors you find on your credit report. Here’s a guide to disputing credit report errors.

Option 2: Negotiate the Debt and Make a Settlement Offer

Let’s say you read the validation notice and agree that you owe the medical debt Capio says you do, but you don’t have the money to pay the debt off. You can contact Capio to set up a payment plan to try to negotiate a debt settlement agreement.

You can call Capio Partners at (888) 502-0303. If you want to negotiate a debt settlement, it’s best to send your offer in writing. (You can use Upsolve’s template to write your letter.) Call to ask what the best mailing address is for settlement offers, or try to negotiate over the phone and ask the representative to send the agreement in writing.

How Does Debt Settlement Work?

Capio Partners likely purchased your debt for a small portion of what you owe. Because of this, they may be open to negotiating the amount you have to pay to resolve the collection account.

Debt negotiations are more common than most people think. Collectors are often willing to settle for 40% to 60% of the total debt. So if you had a past-due medical bill of $1,000, you could offer to pay just $400 to settle the account. Be prepared for a few rounds of negotiation. 

You can learn more in Upsolve’s Guide To Beating Capio Partners.

Can You Negotiate Every Past-Due Debt?

No. But you can usually negotiate past-due medical bills, credit card debt, and other common consumer debts that aren’t tied to property such as a house or car. The IRS even has a special process to settle past-due tax debt.

Car loans and home loans are usually non-negotiable because the property itself backs up the loan. If you don’t pay the loan, the creditor can take your car or home.

Student loans are also in a category of their own. Most lenders aren’t willing to negotiate student loan debt, but in the last few years, the number of student loan forgiveness programs has grown considerably. These programs can help if you’re struggling with student debt.

Option 3: Ignore the Debt (Not Recommended)

While ignoring the debt is technically an option, it’s not recommended. Ignoring Capio Partners probably won’t make your debt go away, and it might make your life more stressful in the long run.

While medical debt under $500 isn’t supposed to appear on your credit report (or hurt your credit score), Capio could choose to ramp up their collection efforts if you ignore them. For example, they could file a debt collection lawsuit against you to try to get a wage garnishment order from the court. If this happens, you’ll also likely owe more as court and legal fees get added to your debt bill.

Bottom line: Your future self will thank you for addressing your debt with Capio Partners, and now you have the information you need to dispute or settle your debt and close the account for good.

Can Capio Partners Sue Me?

Yes. Third-party debt collectors (and original creditors, too) are allowed to sue you for unpaid debt. But this is rarely their first move.

If you get sued, you’ll receive official court documents called a summons and complaint. These are often handed to you in person or left with an adult in your home. These papers tell you that you’re being sued and why.

If you get sued for debt, it’s crucial to respond! If you don’t, you’ll probably lose the case by default and the debt collector can get a court order to garnish your wages.

Let’s Summarize…

Capio Partners LLC is a legit third-party debt collection company that focuses on past-due medical bills. If Capio contacts you, make sure they validate the debt before anything else. If the debt is valid and you agree that you owe it, set up a payment plan or try to negotiate a debt settlement agreement. If you don’t agree that you owe the debt, dispute it. Though it looks like they don’t often sue consumers, Capio Partners could bring a lawsuit against you if you don’t respond to them.