I was looking at some Sample Letters and noticed that within the dispute process, some consumers wrote to the BBS as well. For instance, in this particular case, the consumer requested validation and not only did the CA continue collection efforts but refused to validate. The consumer contacted the BBB in the state of the CA explaining the situation. They'd managed to get both Asset Acceptance and Midland deleted. What roles does the Better Business Bureau play in the dispute process?
For the most part very little. You'd likely see a bigger push from the AG (your state and theirs), any financial regulation office in their state, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I've included the BBB in my own quests, but it was more so to have the Offender have one more agency to deal with to hopefully push them into deleting and going away.
Again, it depends on the company, some companies care what the BBB says, others don't. I've had success with tag teaming my state and their state's BBB's and my state and their state's AGs, in addition to the CA/OC/DF and CRAs.
When you write to other organizations, should you submit your inquiry online or send a hard copy via postal mail? Is it CMRRR?
Online should be fine, it's been my method of choice. You don't need a signature for sending a letter to the AG/CFPB, etc. and you usually get some sort of e-mailed confirmation of receipt of your submission. Save the certified dollars for the CA's, at over $6 a pop, it adds up.
Update My 2 cents: check to see if the company is a BBB member. If they are, it may help a ton in your dispute. I filed a complaint against Midland. Midland sent me a letter in the mail saying they'd instructed the 3 bureaus to delete.
Congrats on both your deletions! If a CA can't validate a debt, they can't continue any type of collection activity, which includes reporting it, so your case may be a YMMV with what role the BBB played in all this, as in my experience the BBB has done very little (much more from my state's AG and even the CFPB), and I question as to whether BBB accredited members (who are "protected" in my eyes) receive any real discipline.
Just remember the caveat is that they can CONTINUE to report, they just can't VERIFY... Updating isn't collection activity, it's an automated process, and they are required to, at least, update the trade line with the notice of dispute... MANUALLY VERIFYING the information as a result of a dispute received by a credit reporting agency is collection activity... Hence, the one-two punch in the dispute process...
jam: Updating a balance would be considered collection activity though, correct? Ex: CA receives DVL but has not responded and subsequently increases balance on collection account. And no notice of dispute either on report.
nope, not if the balance update is just reporting updated interest or other changes of the like, AUTOMATICALLY. The factor is whether or not there was a manual intervention in the reporting.
Hmmm....but if a consumer could prove balance remained fixed for several months and only increased suddenly after DVL, that could suggest manual intervention?
