...Just popped up on Creditexpert today and it looks like it's staying around until 5/2008. What is my first step? I owe the money, so should I call the CA and ask for deletion upon payment? PLEASE HELP ME!!!
1. Payment for deletion can cause the CA to lose their access to the credit bureaus. 2. $60 isn't worth their time, eventually you will just pay it in full. Try, but don't be suprised if you meet heavy resistance against deletion. Who would jeopardize their livelihood over $60? Good luck. Sometimes its easier to pay off, and just dispute it, they will eventually get tired of having to verify the information..
I totally disagree with Sam. First....offer to pay for deletion while making sure you DO NOT acknowledge the debt is yours. For example, say you'll pay since it's just a small amount and you just want it to go away as long as they will give their word in writing that it will be deleted upon payment first. If they balk, threaten them with validation. Send them a validation letter from these forums. If they fail to update the listing as "in dispute" after they get your validation letter, they have violated the FDCPA and you can sue them. If they don't properly validate, they must remove the entry since the debt then doesn't technically exist.
Even if you pay the original creditor, the CA's entry on your report will remain as a Paid Collection - not good.
Called the bastards...they said they WILL NOT DELETE!!! I need to buy a home in 2003 and cannot afford this black mark!
get their fax number too... I really doubt they will put much effort into collecting this, they even spend a little amount of time on it they lose money.
Hey Folks, I just fired off a validation letter to the CA. I got my receipt and now I just gotta wait for the green card to come back. When it does, I'm gonna dispute it with the CRAs. Time to wind the 30-day clock...
Not necessarily, if you pay the original creditor, you could then dispute with the CRA that the account was paid before it went to collections. This isn't foolproof, but what may happen is when the CRA goes to verify with the original creditor; the original creditor may just come back with a response that account was paid through them, and not the CA, or in otherwords, paid before it went to collections.
Folks, thanks for your help and support. I want to keep everyone posted as this is the first time I disputed a *brand new* collection and it'll be interesting to see what transpires. Here's the timeline: 2/2/02: CA reports $60 collection to Experian and Equifax. 2/4/02: I discover that it was reported (thanks, CreditExpert) and immediately call CA requesting payment for deletion (only after asking for advice here first!) The CA says "screw you...we don't delete..." Later that day: In "full-blown, pissed-off, gonna-get-a-house in 2003 and ain't nobody gonna stop me mode", I fire of a validation letter (per LK, with some Andrew finesse) and send it CRRR. Let's see what happens next...
UPDATE: 02/07/02: CA signed the CRR and now has my validation letter. 02/14/02: While checking my Experian file online, I note that CA is reporting the tradeline as "consumer disputes this information" so for now, they're playing by the rules. Green card arrives in my mail box. So here I wait for my answer. They've got 'til Friday, March 8th. The clock is ticking...
2/15/02 CA sends me their version of "verification": a computer printout of some apparent account information which gives me no clue as to where it truly came from or who produced it. And to top it off, they once again demanded payment in the very same correspondence. Looks like they are going to help me build my case against them for me. On March 7, I will send off the next letter, as it will be 30 days at that point. :-D
