Hurray...Hurray! My wife and I bought our first home back in NOV 2003. Her scores were super...around 740...my scores were poor...around 550-575. I had to pay off my outstanding debts as a condition to close our loan. I did not know what I know now... My "friends" at Sherman Acquisitions made an oral (nothing in writing) promise to accept $400 on a $750 debt. I paid. Fast forward to March 2004...I checked my credit reports and I discovered that SA was reporting a paid collection with $0.00 balance to Experian and TU, but was reporting an open collection account with a $300 balance to Equifax. I blasted off this letter a DV to SA and about two weeks later I disputed SA's TL with EXP, EX, & TU: __________________________________________________ Sir or Madame: This is not a refusal to pay, but a notice that your claim is being disputed. I do not recognize your company or this debt and I do not believe I owe you or your company this debt. Your company is reporting to the credit reporting agencies that the previously mentioned account number is an open account with you and that it is in arrears. In good faith, I attempted make this black mark go away from my credit file by paying your company for a deletion of this trade line. Again, I declare that I do not believe that I owe this debt to you or anyone else. A customer service representative (Taleba @ 877-414-1906) promised that all would be taken care of...needlessly to say, this did not happen. I am forced to invoke my rights and force you to prove what you say I owe. Under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) I have the right to request validation of the debt you say I owe you. I am requesting proof that I am indeed the party you are asking to pay this debt, and that there is some contractual obligation that is binding on me to pay this debt. This is NOT a request of verification of correct address. Below are a few questions to answer, which may help you to resolve these mistakes. In addition to the questionnaire below, please attach copies of: ·Agreement with any of your clients that grants you the authority to collect on this alleged debt · Agreement that bears the signature of the alleged debtor wherein he agreed to pay the creditor. · Any insurance claims been made by any creditor regarding this account · Any judgments been obtained by any creditor regarding this account Kindly give this matter the attention it deserves. Your response is expected within thirty (30) days under the auspices of the FDCPA. Sincerely yours, __________________________________________________ This debt would have fallen off this summer...I realize that they did not have to validate being so far away from the initial 30 days; however, I am trying to force SA to get off of my back by making the CRA's perform a resonable investigation... It's working...I checked on PG and SA has fallen off of EXP and TU and my scores have risen about 20 points! Hurray...Hurray!!! I am interested in a critique of my gameplan, especially by Hiding90, Butch, Flying*, and the other heay hitters...but all are welcome to comment...thanks! Now to take care of the other paid collections... Sorry about the length...
