Hi, I'm new to credit repair and my first atempt has got me stumped as to what to do. I first started by disputing some CA accounts online with the CRAs, last week. Today I called and spoke with one of the OC's and the lady I spoke with could not find any records of one of the CA accounts. So I went online and checked my report with Experian. It states that the debt was verified Jan 2007. What do I do next?
Who is reporting to Experian? The OC, or the CA? Did you dispute with Experian? If you disputed an account on your credit reports, thru the CRA, the CRA should have contacted the DF (whether an OC, or a CA), and the DF should either have verified or corrected. See FCRA. If the CA is reporting, and you dispute, the CA can verify indicating that what is on your report is what they intended, but that does not mean they contacted the OC or checked anything with the OC. They may now be held responsible for errors, however. Before you disputed thru the CRA, the CA would be off the hook for errors. See FCRA. If you request validation from the CA, then they must obtain it directly from the OC and forward it to you. If you request validation within 30 days of the first letter you receive from the CA, they must suspend all collection activity until they provide such validation. See FDCPA. What type of account are you dealing with? Did you actually have an account with the OC? Have they even accurately identified you as the correct debtor? How old is this alleged account? When did it originally go delinquent?
Hi, thanks so much for responding so quickly, I am really stressing over this. This is a medical bill from 7/03. The CA has two listed from 7/03, one for $194 and the other for $76. I called the the OC this morning, and yes I do owe the $76 bill. I specifically asked if I had any other unpaid bills to include anything in for the amount of $194. I was told no, just $76. I did everything backwards. I disputed with the CRA first instead of the CA. What should I do next? I would also like to add that I never recieved a dunning letter from the CA. If they sent one, they sent it to an old address.
What indication is there on your credit reports regarding who the original creditors are? Does it just show the CA, or does each item also list the OC? Are you sure that the amounts $76, and if you ever find a bill for it, $194, are legitimate after accounting for insurance payments and reductions? Have you matched both of these against any EOBs from your insurance provider, if any?
I didn't have insurance at the time. I was on the sliding scale fee, and I didn't think I had to pay because at the time I was broker than the ten commandments. When I spoke with the OC, OC name was listed on my credit report, I was told that my fee range had expired at the time of my visit. Both of the charges are listed by the same CA, with the same DOLA, but different amounts. The OC told me that I didn't have any overdue balances but the $76. (I don't mind paying the 76$. I'm now in a better financial situation and I know that my payment will go toward other who are in the same situation that I was in 3 years ago.) I plan to send the $76 payment into the OC with a HIPAA letter. My concern is that I've got this 194 bill that the CRA has verified. Should I send a dispute letter to the CA?
"When I spoke with the OC, OC name was listed on my credit report, I was told that my fee range had expired at the time of my visit. " What does "expired" mean? You may want to get the legitimate bill out of the picture by paying the OC before you begin pressuring the CA on the bogus one. Did the OC say they still own the debt? You could of course send a dispute and validation request to the CA on the remaining one, or on both for that matter, especially if the first one is already paid, even if they have not dunned you for either. Is the $194 bill showing as owed to the same OC?
Sliding scale arrangements are typically setup for an x month period; then they can be reviewed to see if the consumer's financial status is the same. Apparently the provider didn't mention that the previous scale arrangement had ended.
No I wasn't told the arrangement had expired. Now this story takes on a very strange twist. I was called by the OC and told that the 194 bill is for my son, Christina. In addition to that the date he was seen was 10/18/03 in the Moline, Illinois clinic. The thing is that we were living in Texas at that time. I am still at a loss. If I were living in the area, I would personally go into the office and look at his medical records, just to see who drove him over 1000 miles to take him to the doctor for strep throat.
