I contacted Apex Asset Management to make a $65 payment on an outstanding bill that was on all three of my credit reports. Before I gave my payment information, I asked the representative to confirm the total amount due and she told me $253.
I was shocked and asked why is that possible when I had a bill in my hand for $65 and all of my credit reports show only a $65 bill. She told me that $188 was from another issue from 2003. From the conversation we had, I have a feeling that this was from an emergency trip to the hospital for my former girlfriend.
My issue is that she kept badgering me to make a payment or to schedule a payment on this charge. I told her that I was not in a position to discuss anything about this charge without having any documentation. I asked her to send me all the documentation that she could and then I could make a better decision at that time.
She also said that this would now appear on my credit reports. I now have a payment letter noting that $188 is still outstanding. Here are my questions:
- Does Apex Asset Management have the right to put this on any of my credit reports now?
- Will this $188 charge adversely affect my credit score?
- Should I wait to see this entry on my credit reports before I pay it?
- If yes, should I send a Pay for Delete letter to see if they will take the entry off of the reports?
- If no, should I get anything in writing from Apex Asset Management stating that my account is cleared?
