Ask OC to Pull Back Debt From CA?

[Anonymous]

I have a very small medical debt that I stupidly let fall through the cracks and it went to collection (after spending years and years trying to clean up my credit).  I was advised that before I contact the CA with a PFD, I should contact the OC and see if they will pull back the debt.  My question is, when contacting the OC, should I call or write, and in speaking with them, should I acknowledge that I owe the debt at all? Or, should I address the OC in the same way I would when sending a PFD to the CA (ie, "I am not acknowledging that this debt is valid, but I will pay in full if the debt is pulled from the CA," etc.).  I just want to be sure that I approach the situation in the best way possible. 

Some additional info:  although the OC is not reporting, only the CA, the correspondence I received from the CA indicates that they are collecting FOR the OC, not that they bought the acccount from the OC.

Thanks for any input.

[smackmaster2]

I would use the old KISS strategy...

OCs i have dealt with, medical, tend to be very nice and understanding. If anything, they are uneducated on the whole process. I wouldnt worry about the "i dont acknowledge this debt" thing unless you are speaking with the CA.

Call them first, feel out the CSR, then the manager if necessary. Most of these people dont even know whether they can pull it back or not.

Make sure you have a good reason for why you didnt pay this bill. And dont try to BS. Be honest and straightforward when dealing with the medical OC.

YMMV, but it has worked for me in this way.

[RobertEG]

Debt is not pulled back from a debt collector.  The debt collector, if the OC still owns the debt, is just a collection agent. Unless the debt collector owns the debt, what they are reporting to the CRA is the amount they are authorized to collect, and not a debt to them.

If the creditor terminates their agreement with a debt collector, they cannot require the debt collector to delete any prior, accurate reporting of their collection.

From the day a debt collector receives collection authrrity from a creditor, they can report the fact of their collection to the CRAs.  That is their business, and their reporting.

While a credtor can request a debt collector to delete their prior reporting, they cant compel it.  If you pay the creditor, it is against their reporting guidelines with the CRAs even for them to delete their own prior, accurate reporting, let alone request a third party to delete their reporting.

When a creditor terminates debt collector authority, that terminates their further collection, and requires the debt collector to report their collection as closed, and the balance they are authorized to collect as $0.  That is all.

[Anonymous]

Thank you both for the input.

RobertEG - if I was to pay the OC and they terminated the CA from further collection, the collection would still be on my report, but would report as "closed" and a balance of 0?  Should I then bypass contacting the OC first and go straight to the PFD with the CA?  Or should I contact the OC, pay, have them terminate further collection from the CA, then send a GW letter to the CA?

I'm sorry for all of the questions, but sometimes this really is overwhelming.

Thanks again.

[Booner72]

I had more luck getting the CA itself to delete than getting anything pulled back.  The worst was when the water company totally agreed w/ me that I deserve redemption, but the CA REFUSED.  I thought the CA would want to keep good business w/ the water company but I guess not.

[RussianPassion]

In case with utilities, phone and insurance bills that were sent to collection agencies... How do I know who owns the debt? In case with credit card company and collection agency it is easy to know by looking for 0 balance.

[YHWHUDAH]

Ok, this is what I did and it worked. I had like 7 that were in collections about 5 years ago. I went to the OC at the hospital and just asked about my account and paid in full. About a month later, I disputed every last one of them, and when I check my credit report they were all gone. I did have 2 other collections that I paid to the CA and those remain on my report. I did all this before I found about HIPPA. Fastfoward to today, I have one that is in collections that posted 2009. After finding out about HIPPA, I called the OC and inquired about my account and not the debt. She pulled up the information, and I asked to pay on 10/01/2011. Now, I plan to do what I did 5 years ago, dispute.

[YHWHUDAH]

RobertEg

This is not true when dealing with medical collections, I had over 5 years of reports moved because the OC and the medical HIPPA Process. By law the account cannot be validated so all information has to be deleted.

[RobertEG]

Agreed.  Thanks for the clarification!

[YHWHUDAH]

You are welcome, and no problem brother.