Repeatedly haunted by ex-husband's collection account - advice?

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

I left my freeloading loser ex husband in August 2011.  I've been working hard to rebuild my credit ever since and have made great progress.  There's one collections account that keeps slapping me in the face and I don't know how to get rid of it for good.  Here's the background, and I apologize if it's too long:

• I bought a home as a single person in 2002, married him in 2004, and refinanced to add him to the mortgage/deed sometime around 2006 hoping it would help his credit.
• He ended up out of work for so long, we couldn't survive on my income alone, so we stopped making the mortgage payments sometime around 2010
• I tried to work with BofA to restructure the loan for almost a year, and they wouldn't work with me
• I finally left him in August, 2011.  He stayed in the house, I moved into a rental.
• He refused to try to short sell the house
• Filed for divorce in October 2011, divorce final Jan 9, 2012
• The foreclusure was final and the house auctioned in August 2012

When I moved out of the house, I cancelled all the utilities because they were in my name, and made him open all new accounts in his name.  The ONLY one who didn't want us to do this was DirecTV.  I tried to cancel so he could re-apply, and they said no, we'll just remove you from the account and he will be 100% responsible for it, otherwise you'd need to send back the DVR and we'd have to send out a new one, blah blah.  I asked 13 ways from Sunday if they were SURE I wouldn't be responsible for any future charges, and they swore I wouldn't.  I then moved into my rental, opened my own new DirecTV account in my new home, an account which I still have today.  Never heard another word about the account he kept.

Fast forward to about a year ago, when a collections account shows up on my CR.  A bit of investigation shows it's from DirecTV for $575.  Guess who never returned his DVR when he finally moved out of the house?  I call DirecTV, of course they can't find a delinquent account in my name, and my account with them is current.  They can't help me. 

So I write a letter to the collections company, tell them it's not my debt.  I dispute with the credit agencies, and they remove it from my reports.  Done, right?

No.

Every time I dispute it and have it removed from CR's, it gets sold to a new collections agency, and shows up again.  I've been through this "appear/dispute/remove/appear again" process three times now over the past year.  He won't pay it.  Is there anything I can do to get them to leave me alone and get away from his debt once and for all?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

It's sad to say but I was in a similar situation. And it was hers. So I eventually paid it. To get it off my CR here's how I handled it.
I got the original account number from DTV, I then called the CA said it wasn't mine etc. o then called DTV with the account number and just paid it.
DTV is now owned by ATT. The really don't sell the debt per se. The send it to an outside source to collect the debt. In turn said CA gets a %. But if you can pay DTV directly they will pull it back. Just make sure you dispute it first with the CA. Does it stink you will probably have to eat the 575. Yes. I had to eventually eat 1200$ For a DTV bill. but for me it was better to make it just go away for good. My ex wife did the same thing.
1. Call the DTV get the original account number and amount owed.
2. Call the CA tell them it's not yours. It's your exhusbands and you are divorced. They will kick it back to DTV
3. Call DTV and pay it. Then DTV won't send it back to an outside source to collect it.
Or you could just keep fighting it.
Wish I could be more help

[Anonymous]

I'll also add make sure that you call the utilities company's and let them know you are divorced and have no ties. My electric at one point was shut off because she owed a bill at a different address. We had already been divorced 3 years. Some guy showed up shut my gas and electric off!! I called and they said well we have a Mrs harley14 has an outstanding bill of X amount. I'm like I've been divorced for 3 years!!! So they had to come turn it back on. Lol.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Fast forward to about a year ago, when a collections account shows up on my CR.  A bit of investigation shows it's from DirecTV for $575.  Guess who never returned his DVR when he finally moved out of the house?  I call DirecTV, of course they can't find a delinquent account in my name, and my account with them is current.  They can't help me. 

So I write a letter to the collections company, tell them it's not my debt.  I dispute with the credit agencies, and they remove it from my reports.  Done, right?

Thanks!

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Just a thought here, but since DTV says they have no deliquent accounts in your name, can you have them send you a letter to that effect?

And if you have the account number of the deliquent account have them specifically state that you have no obligation for that account if they will.

[undrtkr65]

I also have a old direct tv account from years ago and it's already gone from my credit. Since AT&T took over direct tv will I still need to pay this old balance before I could start new service. I haven't contacted them in about 2 yrs and when I buy my first home I plan on getting their service back.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

Fast forward to about a year ago, when a collections account shows up on my CR.  A bit of investigation shows it's from DirecTV for $575.  Guess who never returned his DVR when he finally moved out of the house?  I call DirecTV, of course they can't find a delinquent account in my name, and my account with them is current.  They can't help me. 

So I write a letter to the collections company, tell them it's not my debt.  I dispute with the credit agencies, and they remove it from my reports.  Done, right?

Thanks!

---

Just a thought here, but since DTV says they have no deliquent accounts in your name, can you have them send you a letter to that effect?

And if you have the account number of the deliquent account have them specifically state that you have no obligation for that account if they will.

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If its being sent to collections theres an account number. Sometimes you have to give the old address for them to find it. The issue maybe its a pre att merger account. Att bought direct tv, but it also bought those debts. Att is actually real easy to deal with. If you pay them directly they will recall almost any debt. 

[Anonymous]

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@undrtkr65 wrote:
I also have a old direct tv account from years ago and it's already gone from my credit. Since AT&T took over direct tv will I still need to pay this old balance before I could start new service. I haven't contacted them in about 2 yrs and when I buy my first home I plan on getting their service back.

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No if it's gone of your credit report. They do a credit check..the only way it may show up is if there system cross refrences your SS# to an old DTV bill . I havent heard it happening, atleast as of right yet.