I asked Junum for advice and they suggested I contact a lawyer. I'm not looking for any free legal advice, but what would you do if you were in my shoes. I'm looking for options or suggestions. Thanks. I just recieved a letter from the law firm of Bowman, Heintz, Boscia & Vician stating that "A lump sum cash settlement of $1590.00 is acceptable to your creditor. Make payment directly to this office within 5 days. Failure to comply may result in legal action for collection of the full balance due." The letter states it is regarding Creditor: Midland Credit Management vs ME. What do I do? They do have an office in Chicago so they very well could take me to court (I live in the burbs). If I pay this settlement, I have no leverage with Midland for getting it reported favorably on my credit report. Bowman & Heintz said they have nothing to do with my credit report, and Midland won''t talk to me. They keep telling me that Bowman & Heintz is handling the acount. I''m at a loss. This account wasn't disputed during my first round at Junum.
It may be worth your time to spend a few dollars to consult with an attorney on this, and have him write a response to them. If you want to settle with the condition no negative items are entered on your credit report, they will be much more willing to cooperate with you if they know you are also in contact with an attorney. They know that an attorney is likely to advice you to file BKR and they will get nothing. Asking for negative reporting to be removed is not requiring much from a creditor in exchange for liquidating the debt. Just my two cents, others may offer you different options from their experience.
One more question, Junum's site indicates they have a Debt Negotiation service, did you inquire with them on this?
You could also contact a Debt Negotiator. They are trained to negotiate with law offices and are very inexpensive. They only charge you a percent if they settle your debts. You can learn a little more at DebtNegotiations.com or search the web for DN. A collection lawyer is nothing more then a collection agent. He just uses his law degree to leverage collections. A DN will step in and represent you for a heck of a lot less then a lawyer plus they are trained in this. Also, check out Hoffman, Brinker and Roberts DN firm. Good Luck Kristi
Debt Negotiations I have a ton of articles (Free ones of course) on settling old debts, dealing with collectors and using restrictive endorsements. If your debts are too small for DN to take, you really should read up on doing it yourself. It's easier than you think. Kristi
Kristi Hi stranger, nice to see you are still around. Just to stay on topic, I still have yet to settle that darn 246.00 bill, they refuse to delete and claim they never reported the lates and blame it on Equifax who claims they didn't report the lates, and I am applying for a mortgage within the next couple of weeks, so I will have to just have it marked paid. But I haven't given up just yet, I am trying my hardest to get them to atleast code the account right, his score was 577, only negative was the 1995 collection, even Fair Issac said that was not a correct score for such an old collection. does it ever end?? Mom
Re: Kristi No kidding. Score seems awfully low for that. Does he have a good combination of other credit, low INQ., good ratio in relation to limits? Also, if they are blaming Equifax and Equifax is blaming them why not cc both of them with a letter to the FTC and local consumer protection agency? Sometimes when you talk about how horrible you've been treated by a company but you don't address it to them, it's almost like they are overhearing a conversation and get offended. Sometimes the best options are the most creative. How annoying over $246.00. Mom, I really have never had that kind of trouble with such an insignificate amount. Tell your Mortgage broker that it is in dispute and that letters have been sent to FTC ect. I would even take a photocopy of Denise Richardson's lawsuit which involved a creditor and bureau and send that to the bureau nd creditor. May be time to get down and dirty to be heard. Good Luck Mom! Kristi
