Help me with credit issues

[lex787]

Hello to everyone, 

I was reading boards at this forum for months, and it helped me alot in understanding how credit system works... but i still have few baddies on my cr.. so I need an advice.

The first one - I have one collection with Robinson, Reagan & Young, P.L.L.C. (balance 364.18) - I tried sending pfd letters to them with no luck, they even don't answer my letters, but when I call to them - all they say is that I need to pay the balance, but they cannot remove it from credit report... I called to original creditior (CenturyLink) - and they still have my account... Should i pay to centurylink ? if i pay , how do i remove it from my cr? 

Second - 30 day late at bank of america and 30 day late at comenity bank... I tried sending goodwill letters and all I get back is that information is accurate and they cannot remove it.. same thing on the phone when i called to backdoor numbers... 

Please help me with cleaning my cr...

[unusuallyconfused]

I'm gonna try and tackle your first issue:

Since the debt is still with the original creditor - but assigned to a collection agency - I'd NOT DEAL WITH the collection agency.

Without question, you should pay the debt, in full, to the original creditor.

First, that option is great because you stick it to the collection agency: they don't get any money for collecting your debt since you paid the orginal creditor directly.

Second, and most important, if you pay in full with the orignal creditor, you have a better chance of asking them to remove the negative from your credit file (you can go the PFD route or pay and then ask for a GW). Getting the collection agency to take it off your report would be pretty difficult as you can see since they won't even reply to you PLUS the collection agency would have to get permission from the orignal creditor to do that anyways.

My plan:

1. Contact the original creditor's internal billing/collections department and IF you are prepared to pay in full, call them up and ask right away to be transfered to a supervisor or manager of that department - you won't get anywhere with a normal customer service drone who has no authority to do anything for you other than take your payment. If the customer rep asks why you need a manager, tell him/her that what you need requires somebody with more authority and decision making authority than a CSR. 

2. One you get somebody in authority, ask flat out if you can pay the amount owed, in full, in exchange for the courtesty of removing the negative from your credit report. If they say, "no," don't be rude and just okay that's fine you'd still like to pay in full. 

After you paid in full then start writing letters to the original creditor - start with their president, CEO, etc. Tell them you paid, give them your sob story, ask them for the courtesty of please removing the tradeline.

And update your thread so people know what's happening with your situation! 

[lex787]

thank you very much for so constructive answer. 

but does it make any change - if it is collection agency who reports to bureus? 

I just called to centurylink, and I spoke with supervisor, all she could say that they can collect the payment, and mark it as paid but no way for them to remove it completely... 

If i pay it how are my chances to remove with gw leters? 

[unusuallyconfused]

Well first, no it doesn't matter really that it's the collection agency reporting: if the original creditor wants it off, they usually order their assigned collection agency to remove it OR the orginal creditor recalls the debt from the collection agency and deals with the tradeline on your credit file themselves. So don't get confused by that issue at all.

Another thing to keep in mind about your concersation with the supervisor: he/she said: there is "no way" to take it off, just update it as paid.

That's wrong. There IS a way and it's been done before. It's just that particular supervisor either doesn't know or doesn't want to help you. The key to this process is FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON WHO WILL AND WANTS TO HELP YOU.

If you're timid about calling again fearful you'd reach the same person, I'd pay the debt and make sure it's updated on your credit file as "paid" with a zero balance. And then, I'd find out everything you can about the company - who's in charge over there and what their email/street address is (business address). After that, i would send GW letters to all of them. 

The right GW letter in the righ hands will increase your chances.

Nobody can tell you what your "chances" are to get it deleted from your credit file - the chances depend totally on hard you want to work to get it off, finding the right person who can help you at the company you paid AND the company's past history of honoring GW letters (I'd do a search of the boards and see if anybody here dealt with the company you're dealing with right now and see what their experience was - also GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND. See if others outside these forums had GW success with them)?

And regarding your 30 day lates - I'm not expert at all about getting those off - but one thing I know: Each month that goes by, the 30 day lates have less and less effect on your credit file / score.

If you got the collection removed and were just left with the 2 30 day lates, you're still in great shape. Time is your friend regarding the 30 day lates [the people you talked to were right: the 30 day late IS ACCURATE so they can't change it to "on time" - BUT THEY have no legal obligation to report it - you might want to ask if they can simply not report for the month that you were late??).

[DaBears]

So there is no confusion. The OC can not tell a CA to remove their TL from ones credit report. They can ask them nicely too, but they don't have to. The only way for a CA to delete their TL is for the OC to recall the account back from the CA then at that point the CA transfers back and loses collection authority and must delete. If the CA sold/transferred the account to another CA, they have to delete. 

Since the OC still owns the account but the CA has collection authority to collect, by paying the OC the only thing the CA would do is update their TL to show a $0 bal. In regards to lates 30-60 are consider minor and only impact your score for a couple of yrs. 90-120 day lates are major derogatories and can affect your score for nearly the entire 7 yrs.

Community Leader, 

DaBears

[lex787]

awesome, I really love that forum, and appreciate your advices.
I will try call again tomorrow - hopping to get to another supervisor and ask about requesting ca to remove it, if not - just pay it off and send them gw letters...
thank you

[Shogun]

uhm...  I got nothing to say.  You've received some really great advice IMHO.  

Good luck!

[lex787]

ok here i'm with an update on my case)
when i called OC other day to offer pfd they refused it, and i just paid it... week later i searched for CEO email address and sent gw... and few hours later a nice lady from ceo office contacted me... and after 2 day of their researches and communications she said that centurylink contacted CRA's about removing that collection from report!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was so happy to hear that!!!

thank you to everyone for your advices!

[guiness56]

Nice, congrats!