Okay, I'm learning a ton of stuff reading all your information. I'm ready to send off a dispute letter. My question is this: Do I send the dispute letter to the CA or to Experian, or to both? The creditor claims to have no dealings with this particular debt b/c it is old (8/99??) Should I send one to the creditor as well? I guess that is more than one question, but I'm *finally* ready to do this thing. Also, I'm working with major baby steps here. Thanks so much, Jaxmum
Dispute letters are sent to the CRA's. Validation ltrs are sent to the collection agencies. You could do a combination of them both. I.E. send a validation ltr to the CA, wait approx 2-3 weeks, then dispue with CRA (if you're mailing your ltrs, be sure to send CRRR, and only wait 1-2 weeks). The CA may just get lazy and not respond, and the CRA should delete.
you dispute the debt with the cra, namely in your case, experian. You could choose to request validation from the collection agency so that they can prove that 1) the debt is yours and 2) that they have a legal right to collect it. You could choose to use a single strategy or a combined strategy. both have been utilized by folks on this board.
I know this may sound like a stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyway. I am beginning the process of cleaning up my bureau reports by first disputing the items with the CRA's. I just have some logistical questions about how the process goes. 1) Can the letters be faxed to the dispute fax numbers, or do they have to be originals? I would think that a fax confirmation would be the equivalent of a certified mail green card, but want to check to make sure. 2) Is my signature a required element on the dispute letter or ismy typed name sufficient? Reason I ask is because USPS is offering this nifty new Certified Mail Return Recieipt service that is totally electronic--you send them the letter via .doc format and they print & mail it. The only catch is that at the present time the system can't handle graphics or logos (like signatures)--only characters. You can then view the tracking and RR info online rather than dealing with all the papers. The price seems right to me. Thanks for your help everyone. Wish me luck with this.
