What should I do about a debt from when I was a child?

by Ashley
(13308)

I have a debt that is over a thousand dollars and the debt is from when I was 14-15 years old and is from a cell phone company. I tried to talk to my parents who opened up the account but won't talk. I was wondering what my options were

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Nov 13, 2013
 What should I do about a debt from when I was a child?
by: Debtcollectionanswers.com

Ashley:

The debt is your parents' responsibility not yours, because as a legal minor, which you were when you got your cell phone, you did have the legal capacity to enter into a contract with the phone company. That is why your parents opened the account for you -- in their name. And by doing so, they also agreed to make the account payments. Therefore, even though you are now a legal adult and so you can open your own accounts, you cannot be held responsible for any payments your parents did not make when you were a child -- under age 18 in most cases.

If you are being contacted by a debt collector about the debt your parents did not pay, ask the collector to provide you with proof that you owe it. Put your request in writing, make a copy of the letter, and send the original letter via certified mail with a return receipt requested. The collector must respond to your request within 30 days. It's likely that it won't be able to provide you with the proof because the contact related to the debt will have been signed by your parents, not you. Therefore, the collector is legally prohibited from continuing its collection efforts.

You should also send the collector a cease contact letter if the collector is unable to prove that you owe the money and continues asking you to pay it. Again, make a copy of the letter, and send your original letter via certified mail with a return receipt requested. Here is a sample cease contact letter.

If the collector keeps contacting you after receiving this letter, I recommend that you contact a consumer law attorney in your area with specific experience resolving debt collection problems. Go here for a FREE consultation with a consumer law attorney.

Best of luck!

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