Pay For Deletes

[skipwin1]

Hello.

I sent out a pay for delete letter to a collection bureau which carried 3 old medical bills of mine. They wrote me back saying, " they would make an endeavor to make a  request for deletion to the consumer reporting agencies, upon receipt of the payments", but "do not have control of the timeframe in which they process the request."

Does  this sound like a typical response. Would they actually ask for a deletion? I thought their contract with the CRA's didn't allow this?

Also, after paying the collections, what should my next step be? Do I need to send out a dispute to the CRA's about these 3 items and hope that the collection agency does not respond in  back to them so that they will delete them? Or would the collection bureau actually send out a request for delete?

Thanks,

Skip

[queen_britt2003]

To me it sounds like they are saying they will delete upon payment but cannot guarantee it will be updated overnight. 

If you choose to pay then I would give them 30 days to update.  Do not dispute with the CRAs and say "the company agreed to delete" - this is not permited under their agreement.

[madmann26]

Yes, they are offering to delete once paid.

It could take a day, week, or 90 days to update with the CRA's as some places only send updates during certain times.

[skipwin1]

Thanks for the replies.

So you think the collection agencies actually send out "requests for deletes" or would they more typically not respond within 30 days of a dispute, if they actually were going to fulfill their end of the agreement?

[skipwin1]

Thanks.

All three balances are at $0 now, so it looks like they updated, but not deleted. That's why I asked if I needed to pursue with a dispute to the CRA's , basically saying that these are not mine, not that the bureau agrred to delete for payment.

[BarryNTexas]

I need to PFD on some medical collections myself.  Would you be willing to share your example letter with me in PM? Thanx

[skipwin1]

This is basically the same as another letter I found on t his forum, but I have deleted some items and obviously included my personal info.

January 27th, 2014

To: XXX Collection Bureau

From:

 Re: Collection Account for

Account # 1

Account # 2

Account # 3

To Whom It May Concern:

This is not a dispute of accuracy of credit reporting, and is not an admission of validity of the above debt.  It is an attempt to resolve remaining issues concerning your collection on the asserted debt.

In the spirit of compromise, I am willing to pay these accounts IN FULL if you agree to immediate deletion or early removal of these accounts from any and all credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). The purpose of this settlement is merely to have these items removed from my credit files. It is not to be construed as an acknowledgment of liability for these debts in any form.

If you agree to the terms and accept this agreement, certified funds for the settlement amount of Five Hundred & Ten dollars ($510.00) will immediately be sent to XXX Collection Bureau in exchange for full deletion of ALL references regarding the above accounts from my credit files and full satisfaction of the debt.

If you agree to the above, please send correspondence agreeing to the same terms as the above settlement offer, signed by an authorizing agent.

Please address all correspondence regarding these accounts to:

Thank you,

[RobertEG]

It is best to keep the CRA entirely out of any PFD issues.  PFDs are contrary to their policy of retaining accurate information in their files.

Sending them a request to delete based on the furnisher agreeing to do so in exchange for payment of the debt is asking them to intervene and delette for a reason that is directly contrary to their policy.

If the debt collector simply reports deletion of their collection to the CRA, they need provide no reasons.  The CRA would have no basiis to question the deletion.

A debt collector would be a bit less than smart to force the consumer to notify the CRA that they have made such an agreement.

Thus, the process is, in my opinion, to enforce your private agreement with the debt collector as a contract issue, not to involve the CRA in the matter.

It is also a poor business practice on their part, so a complaint to the BBB would be appropriate.

It is not a violation of the FCRA, so I would not involve the CFPB.

[skipwin1]

Yep,

After 3 months all 3 of the collection accounts have been deleted. Worked like a charm.

Thanks for all the good info on this forum.

[AAG1903]

I know it's very soon since, but have you noticed if your score has been affected in any way since these were paid?  I have numerous I plan to tackle in the next few months, and I'm hoping that will improve my score.

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@skipwin1 wrote:

Yep,

After 3 months all 3 of the collection accounts have been deleted. Worked like a charm.

Thanks for all the good info on this forum.

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