I am in Ohio and I have 2 collections that are on my credit report that I sent validation letters to a month ago. One of the collections may actually be mine and I'm more than willing to pay if that's true. I believe one of them is a duplicate of the original debt (a doctor bill) from 2006. These are old collections that I have not been receiving any phone calls or letters from the collection agencies since 2006. They are simply on my credit report and I want them gone: either from me paying, or me proving that they aren't owed (I had a BK in 2006 and the original collection may have been included). I have only received one response from one of the collection agencies. It's a single sheet of paper, on 'their' letterhead that only states the name of the original 'client' (the doctor's office), a reference number (I'm guessing the original account number from the doctor's office?), date of service and the amount they are claiming I owe. That's it! I was very specific in my letter about what information I was requesting so I'm wondering if this is considered a 'valid' validation letter?? I have heard nothing from the 2nd collection agency. Now what? Since these aren't recent collections, what's the next step? I originally contacted all 3 credit bureaus in an effort to dispute these same 2 collections but never got a response (I did a dispute request online). I am at a loss as to the next step and/or steps. Thanks
How long ago did you dispute them through the CRAs? You need to at least give them about 30-45 days to respond. Also, what you received from the CA in response to your DV letter may very well be sufficient. They don't necessarily have to send everything that you requested. If the debt is within the SOL and it's legit, I would move on to the next step and start negotiating payment. How much debt are we talking about here? Oh, and if any of these debts were included in the BK, they should be updated to a 0 balance along with a notation that they were included in the BK.
Thanks for your reply. It's been almost 2 months since I got my green card back on the registered letters I sent to both CRA's. It's not much - $185. The problem is, there are 2 collections within a few months apart that show for $185! That's why I believe one may actually be mine and the other is just another CRA trying to collect on the same debt! So now what do I do?
So it sounds like this debt wasn't included in your BK. Also, one CA responded to your DV and the other one didn't, right? If you feel that the CA who responded legitimately has the right to collect this debt based upon what they provided you, then you should move forward and try to get the collection removed in return for full payment. I would dispute the other collection through the CRAs as a duplicate entry if you haven't already.
I have tried to correct this thru the credit reporting agencies and they would not remove either collection! That was online. How do I request the correction thru the mail? Now I have the proof I sent a validation letter to both agencies and the one did not respond at all. Help!
I think it's best to avoid online disputes. Send a letter directly to the CRAs and dispute the duplicate entry. Have you responded to the CA that you think legitimately owns the debt yet?
I will try the direct mail dispute and see where it gets me. I have not responded to the CA yet for fear until the other collection (the duplicate) is removed, I may forced to pay both. When I contact the CA should I offer a payment of less to clear it? I know I have to get everything in writing, but I have never negotiated like this before!
We're not talking about a lot of money here. If you want to convince them to remove the negative mark, you're probably just going to have to cough up the $185.
