Hi guys, I have a $500 AMEX Optima charge-off that I'm looking to pay off. (Both to clear my name w/ AMEX, and to possibly get it removed from my credit account). The charge-off is from 1998, and NCO is "contracted" to collect on the acct., but they only recently sent a letter, and the only entry for this account on my credit report is from AMEX. I remember hearing in past posts that a few people had luck getting AMEX to remove credit report entries for paid charge-offs. Any advice on this? I'd ideally like to pay directly to AMEX, and have them remove the account from my reports. Thanks, jmart
Whatever you do, don't pay NCO. Amex won't "make a deal" with you for deletion, but have deleted paid chargeoffs for several posters here. First try paying your debt directly to Amex by simply writing a check with your old Amex account #. Endorse it: "Payment is made in goodwill and does not signify acknowledgement of debt". (This is not "restrictive endorsement" in case you were wondering). Then call Amex Credit Bureau Unit. Once your chargeoff is marked paid, they'd normally agree to remove it from your credit reports. Saar
I had an $800 charge-off from them. I paid it off via NCO over a span of a few months and then asked that it be removed upon full payment. Initially AMEX refused but then I wrote this long letter about how I was only a kid when I got the card (I was...only 18 and with NO job), but that I'd grown up, become responsible and so on. I further added that I met my financial obligation with them and that most people never even do that. Two weeks later I got a letter saying that the entry would be deleted from all three credit reports and to hold onto the letter in case it didn't happen. Case closed.
Yes, I'm at work now but I'll post the address tonight when I get home and look at the letter. Or do you know it already?
Thanks guys! AMEX is refusing to take my payment, so I may have to pay NCO.. Either way, I'll definitely write to the Credit Bureau Unit afterwards.. jmart
You won't know that until you send them a check. Disregard what they tell you over the phone (their contract w/ NCO requires them to say that); In practice, we've never had a single report where they've actually refused to deposit a check. They've taken Dogman's check for a debt discharged in BK over 2 decades ago! Saar
FYI: Writing a letter to AMEX did me no good.. They flat out refused to change the account notation. I called the credit bureau and argued a bit, and the CSR was nice enough to delete my paid charge-off account from all 3 credit bureaus.. Woo hoo! jmart
I paid my AMEX charge-off with NCO faithfully every month for almost a year. It wasn't until my last month of payment that I discovered this board and realized I had no leverage with AMEX to get them to delete record of it from my credit reports. I wrote them and asked them to please delete upon final payment and they refused. So then I poured the sugar on and wrote this horribly sweet letter about how I had fulfilled my financial responsibility with them, that I paid them everything I owed and reminded them that not alot of people do that, that I was only a stupid JOBLESS! kid when they gave me the card, but now I'm an adult, blah, blah. I laid it on thick...and two weeks later, a letter came saying that they were going to delete it from all 3 credit reports. So it never hurts to try. Go for it!
Oh my god, I'm a stupid-o! I didn't realize this was an old message that I had already applied to once. Damn my new mouse with that neat little scroll button in the middle!
