Bump
I can offer no answers but I'm going to hang out here with you waiting for some advice on the subject because I too want to know how to proceed. I made the decision earlier this year that I was going to pay off every last little debt I ever owed whether it was still on my CR or was so old it had fallen off. So when a collection agency called in April I happily answered the phone. I was completely willing to play ball and get it settled but they were very pushy demanding a $500 payment right there over the phone. Then they did a HP while on the phone and started reading off my CR like, "Oh well, you have a fingerhut account but you can't pay this debt you owe us?!" I just hung up. But recently I applied for a CC and was denied. The denial email mentioned part of the reason for the denial was that I have a collection inquiry on my CR. I'm floored. I wanted to pay that debt even though its so old that they cant report or sue anymore. I just wanted to do the right thing and I got burned.
Starting Score: FAKOs EQ 537 TU 497 EX 517
@proudnavymom wrote:I have a situation that I'm not sure what my next step should be. I have been getting phone calls on my home phone from Asset Acceptance for the past couple of months. I have not answered, and they never leave a voicemail. So far they haven't sent me anything in the mail, haven't pulled my credit or reported on my credit report or anything...just phone calls several times a day. Should I send them a DV letter or leave it alone? I have no idea of any account # or what debt this is for. I did have an account with them a couple of years ago and paid the settlement they offered me. I tried to get them to agree to a PFD but they wouldn't. They did agree to not reporting it as settled for a lesser amount and a few months after I paid them, it disappeared off of my credit reports.
Another situation--I noticed a couple of weeks ago that NCB Management Services did a hard pull on my credit report. So far nothing has been reported and I haven't gotten any phone calls from them that I know of. Today I got a letter in the mail that looks just like the privacy notice that companies send once a year. That is the only thing that was in the envelope. Should I send them a DV letter or just leave it alone? I have no idea what debt they are trying to collect or any account number for this one either.
Google the address for the number calling you, send a DV , ask not to be contacted by phone and to communicate with you only in writing. The next time they call you, answer the phone-let them know " I will be recording this call, consider this as my final warning to not to communicate with me by phone, the HP counts as initial communication" Do not verify your address, your name, your social or anything. Just simply say, communicate with me only in writing at the address you have on file.
Don't forget to send that DV now! Also, freeze your CRs. The CA has permissible purpose to pull your CR and they don't need your permission. There is no law that says the pull has to be coded as hard or soft. Freezing will protect you from indiscriminate HPs.
@goosedog wrote:That makes no sense.
A soft pull does not show up for people pulling your credit other than you. That would mean it was a a HP and it's illegal for them to pull a HP on your credit report unless you gave them permission so there's no way the CC company denied you because of a collection inquiry. There has to be other mitigating factors involved in the denial.
Second of all, its so old that it shouldnt be reported, than why is it still on your credit report? Collection accounts can only remain for up to 7 years or up to 4 years after a chargeoff if the OC is still listed on your report.
@hopingsoon wrote:Bump
I can offer no answers but I'm going to hang out here with you waiting for some advice on the subject because I too want to know how to proceed. I made the decision earlier this year that I was going to pay off every last little debt I ever owed whether it was still on my CR or was so old it had fallen off. So when a collection agency called in April I happily answered the phone. I was completely willing to play ball and get it settled but they were very pushy demanding a $500 payment right there over the phone. Then they did a HP while on the phone and started reading off my CR like, "Oh well, you have a fingerhut account but you can't pay this debt you owe us?!" I just hung up. But recently I applied for a CC and was denied. The denial email mentioned part of the reason for the denial was that I have a collection inquiry on my CR. I'm floored. I wanted to pay that debt even though its so old that they cant report or sue anymore. I just wanted to do the right thing and I got burned.
goosedog were you talking about my post? I have to reread the OP to be sure but if you were talking to me...
I'm sorry if I was unclear in my post.
It is my understanding that anyone who owns a debt that you owe already has permission to pull your CR. I don't have to give them permission. They did a HP. I applied for new credit and the denial email listed *part of the reason for the denial was that I had a "collection inquiry" on my report. I didn't not say I was denied based only on that. This debt is not on my CR anymore. That's why the HP bothered me. It is outside of the SOL so noone who pulls my CR should see any hint of it. A recent HP from a CA looks bad.
Recap
I have an old debt that became deliquent in about 2003, never to be paid again, it was CO in 2005. This debt is no longer on my CR. I want to clear all old debts and because it's outside of the SOL I thought there could be no harm in answering the phone when the CA called. I asked what the settlement offer was and how long the offer would be good for. I was told to hold while they look up that information but instead I think I was passed to a more seasoned rep who was ready to play hard ball. After a few minutes of verbally bullying me, I explained that I was unwilling to make $500 payment over the phone. I get calls all the time from unlisted numbers. Just because someone claims to be a CA collecting on a legit debt doesn't mean they are. I told her that I want to settle the debt and honor my obligation but wanted an address to mail payment. I asked if she could understand my concern. Specifically I asked, "Does that make sense?" She said, "that makes absolutely no sense. You applied for Fingerhut credit. That doesn't make sense to me. I wouldn't give them my information but you did and now you don't want to give us your information to pay your debts." This is when I hung up. I checked my CR the next day and found the HP that CA had done while we were on the phone.