Personal issue: I moved about 6 months ago. Called and canceled my Dish Network service. Asked if I owned anything, etc. â??Nothingâ? said the rep I get a $500 collection notice in the mail. So I called, its for the equipment, a piece on the dish, a box in the attic, and the receiver. They sent a box and I returned the parts. Iâ??m looking at my credit report, and there is now a paid collection of $500 from Dish Network!!! Iâ??m looking for advice to remove this from my credit report. They didnâ??t say anything about returning the equipment when I canceled. (looking back I should have asked, but heck, I have old dish equipment on every apartment building I own) The bad: I did received letters from them, but though it was junk mail. They could have called, but the number they had was part of a bundle package with DSL and Dish. I never even hooked a phone up to the line. What to doâ?¦ What to doâ?¦.
This is a tough situation because the best time to deal with the collection would have been when you first got the notice in the mail before you actually sent all the equipment back. Now they've got their stuff, so you don't have much leverage, and they really have no incentive to remove the negative mark from your credit reports at all. They'll likely even tell you they can't based upon their reporting agreement with the credit bureaus. You could always try disputing something that's missing or inaccurate regarding the account through the CRAs in hopes that DISH just doesn't respond now that they've got what they wanted in the first place. Or, you could beg DISH to show some goodwill and update your account as "Paid in Full" or something similar, but they really don't have to do anything.
Under the situation you described, the Customer Rep for DN dropped the ball. If you had taken it upon yourself to return the equipment without a return equipment box or label, DN would not have accepted the return. It was up to the Customer rep at the time of subscription cancellation to inform you they would be sending you either one. IMO, there are two options for you in this situation. 1. File a complaint online with the BBB. Explain the situation using facts without sounding aggressive. Let them know had the customer rep offered to send the return label or box, the equipment would have been returned soon after you cancelled your subscription. 2. You can have "your side of the story" (short) posted on your CR showing the problem which was not late payments but an equipment return mix up. Good luck... the BBB option worked for me.
If I were you, I would dispute the entry at each bureau where it is reported. If the information is verified and remains on the report, I would then contact the Supervisor of the Collections Department and explain that I have been a long-term customer and my desire to continue to patronize the company. I would then ask for a retraction, I am sure you'll have no problem. I am a trained negotiator and I deal with matters like this all the time.
