Vance & Huffman: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Vance & Huffman, LLC; Vance and Huffman, LLC; V&H; VHLLC

Headquarters

Smithfield, VA

Phone numbers it lists

(855) 206-6697

Website

vhllc.co

Who Is Vance & Huffman?

Vance & Huffman, LLC calls itself "a different type of debt collection agency." Its BBB business profile lists it as a limited liability company at 55 Monette Parkway, Suite 100, in Smithfield, Virginia, incorporated on October 30, 2013 and in business since January 2014. The company's privacy policy shortens its name to "V&H" and "VHLLC." Its website says its board and executive team have a combined 160-plus years of experience, and it describes collections, customer service, call center, credit resolution and settlement work. The Texas Secretary of State's debt collector bond records show an active bond for Vance and Huffman, LLC, filed March 13, 2014, at the Smithfield address. We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Vance & Huffman.

Why Vance & Huffman May Be Contacting You

The company's website does not name its clients or say which kinds of debt it handles. Its page for prospective clients lists debt recovery, "debt sales & purchasing," credit reporting and a "pre-legal/legal network," and says accounts are placed with a team that works in the client's industry. In practice, that means a letter, call or text from V&H could concern almost any consumer account, and the original creditor's name may not be one you recognize right away. Its consumer site, payvhllc.com, takes payments, disputes and complaints, offers Spanish-speaking representatives, and carries the required notice that it is a debt collector.

How to Check a Debt Vance & Huffman Says You Owe

Because the company does not publish what it collects, start by pinning down exactly what the account is.

• Read the validation notice. Within five days of first contact, a collector must give you a notice naming the creditor, the itemization date and the balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). See what a validation notice is.
• Dispute in writing before the validation period ends if the account is not yours or the balance looks wrong. Collection must pause until V&H mails verification. Our page on disputing a debt explains how.
• Ask who owns the account now. V&H mentions debt sales and purchasing, so ask whether it is collecting for the original creditor or for a later owner, and ask for that owner's name.
• Match the numbers against your last statement, and ask for an itemization of any interest or fees added since.
• Check the dates. In Texas, most suits on a debt must be filed within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and a debt buyer may not sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states have different deadlines, and a payment can have consequences, so check before you pay on an old account.

What Vance & Huffman Can and Can't Do

A company whose business is collecting debts owed to others is a "debt collector" under the FDCPA, 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6). If it buys accounts and collects them, it can also be a debt collector under the "principal purpose" part of that definition, even though Henson v. Santander (2017) held that owning a debt alone does not make a company one.

• It may not call you more than seven times in seven days about one debt, or within a week after a phone conversation about it (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)); see how often collectors can call.
• Texts and emails must include an easy way to opt out (12 C.F.R. § 1006.6(e)); see texts and emails from collectors.
• It may not report a debt to a credit bureau until it has spoken with you about it or sent you a notice and waited a reasonable time for undeliverable mail (12 C.F.R. § 1006.30(a)), and a reported debt you dispute must be marked as disputed (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(8)).
• It may not misstate the amount owed or threaten action it does not intend to take (15 U.S.C. § 1692e). In Texas, wages generally cannot be garnished for ordinary consumer debts (Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 28).

If you think a line was crossed, see our Texas FDCPA attorneys page.

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Vance & Huffman or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• Vance & Huffman: home page
• Vance & Huffman: information for potential clients
• Vance & Huffman: consumer payment site
• Vance & Huffman: privacy policy
• BBB business profile: Vance and Huffman, LLC (Smithfield, VA)
• Texas Secretary of State debt collector bond search (Vance and Huffman, LLC)
• CFPB enforcement actions search

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Vance & Huffman has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.