1 item in Collections???????

[memevertical]

Hey Everyone, I have a question. Yesterday I got a ScoreWatch Alert about a new item in my wife's credit report, a public record about a medical bill in collections. First of all, we dont remember going to a hospital and getting a bill like that. Second, we never got any bills. So my question is:

Scenario#1:

Lets say we did go to a hospital, and they wrote down our address wrong or something, and we do owe that money, can I just pay it and the collection item on the credit report would go away? Or is it there for good?

Scenario#2:

It is indeed a mistake, how fast can it be taken out of my wife's credit report.

All this has me very upset because in January we were going to apply for a home loan, and now I dont know if a $3000 dollar bill that is already in collection would affect our chances of getting the loan.

Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!

[Achase]

well hypothetically speaking if it is your bill you can call the hospital direct and pay them direct....do not pay the collection agency.

Pay the hospital direct and then dispute the collection account.

However, if it is not your account the just dispute it through the credit reporting agencies and they will investigate and then remove it from your file

[Anonymous]

Hi I'm Anisle, memevertical's wife. I'm the one with the little issue

So, you're saying that if it is my account, I should NOT deal with the collection agency, and talk directly to the hospital??

So, lets say I call the hospital today (if I can figure it out which hospital), and agree to pay, and I pay TODAY. Would that make harder for me to take the collection item from the credit report? Or that would make it easier?

Thanks, I would just like to know the reason behind your response......Thanks again!!!!

[Achase]

well in the event that you can find out the hospital and are able to pay them direct...then it will be easier to get the collection removed from your credit file because once you pay the  hospital then you actually are not in collections anymore and the collection agency will have to remove the acct from your report. now if you contact the collection they will tell you that you can not pay the hospital...which is true sometimes but most of the time it is BS.

You should call the collection agency get all the info regarding the acct....the name of the hospital and the file number that the hospital would have for you and then call them.

ive had an issue like this b4 and i dealt with the original creditor direct and then had them contact the collection agency and pull the file....the collection company was highly upset but they had to comply.

if you pay the collection agency then they do not have to remove the account off you report and 9 out of 10 times they will not do it not matter what agreement you make with them

[Anonymous]

Ok, I see.... I'll try to call today and see what they say.

Now, in your opinion, if the hospital's first answer is "its already in collections, you have to talk to them"....should I try to make a deal with the hospital? Like push to see if I can make a deal with them? Or usually if they say that, there is nothing else to do there?

Thanks!!! Your helping me a lot!!!

[Achase]

if they say the account is no longer with them than yea you might be out of luck but lets just hope that the hospital still has the balance in their system and is willing to accept payment. i would try my best to get the hospital to accept it direct through their payment system...make sure they do try to transfer your call back to the collection company though...

but in the worst case scenerio and you have to pay the collection agency tell them that you will pay only if they agree to remove it off of your credit report other than that you will not pay anything...that usually works they prolly tell you that they cant remove it but if you pay it

all you have to do is dipute it throught the credit reporting agency and when they will not verify it.

that works as well.

[Anonymous]

Even if you pay the collection agency because the debt was sold, if they do not agree to a PFD (which is the best and easiest way if they accept PFD) you should follow the HIPAA process. It will take a little longer to use the HIPAA process but the outcome should be the same. 

Do a search for HIPAA on google for how the process works, because of the terms of service we are not allowed to discuss the process. But you should be able to find all you need by searching the internet. Good Luck

[AndySoCal]

Instead of calling the collecition agency call the customer service with the bureau they should be able to tell you.  Call the original creditor and get some debt validation first. If is is yours see what they will do to help if it is not yours then work with them to get it off your report.

[RobertEG]

If you contest the accuracy of the debt, then my recommendation is to immediately file a direct dispute with the party who posted the information to your credit file (i.e., the debt collector).

Apparently, only the debt collector has reported to a CRA, so dispute with the OC is apparently not an option..  You may need the records of the OC to support your dispute, but the direct dispute would be directed to the debt collector

So the task, as I see it, is to build sufficient documentation of the lack of the debt itself.  If successful in that dispute, the debt collector must delete their entire CA reporting from your credit file.   You could first DV the debt collector, and thus attempt to get debt validation.  I dont discourage this, but they have no set period for response (unless you live in Texas) to provide debt validation, and even if they do comply, they willl only spit back at you the name of the OC, and the amount of the alleged debt.  DV is not a credit reporting dispute process.  Do it, but dont sit back and rely on it.

To support a direct dispute, I would first pick up the phone and contact the OC, and ask them a few questions, and hopefuly get them to put their response to you in writing.

First, does the OC have internal account records showing accuracy of a debt owed to them, and can they tell you the date and amount of the alleged debt? 

Second, did the OC ever assign or sell the alleged debt to the named debt collector?

If you can get the OC to answer "no" to either, and hopefully both, of these questions, you have documentaion of unverifiable information posted to your credit file, and can demand its removal.

The following sample direct dispute letter spells out what you must provide, and when and how they must respond:

“This is a Notice of Direct Dispute with you, under the provisions of FCRA §623(a)(8)(D), of the accuracy of information you have reported to my credit file.

“This is a direct dispute of credit reporting. This is not a request for debt validation/verification  under FDCPA §809(b).”

.
 “In compliance with FCRA §623(a)(8)(D), and enacting regulations published at  16 CFR § 660.4, this Notice of Direct dispute includes:

 “Identification of the specific information being disputed:
           (specify the account number, and the specific information that is disputed under that identifying account)

“Basis for the dispute:

            (how the reporting was inaccurate;    was any reporting in violation of any statutory or

             regulatory provisions?  account or express agreements?  CRA reporting gudelines? Account/debt not

              yours? etc.)

“Supporting documentation:

            (all documents that support your dispute; make sure to include,

             as part of your documentation, at least a copy of the portion only of your

             recent credit report showing their reporting of the disputed information was

              actually reported to your credit flle.  The implementing rule strongly suggests that you provide a showing

               that it appeared in your credit report)

“Under the provisions of FCRA §623(a)(8)(E) and 16 CFR §660.4,, you have the duty to review all of the information I have provided to you,  to complete your investigation of this Direct Dispute within 30-days of my Notice of Direct Dispute,  and report back to me the results of your investigation within 5-days of your completion of your investigation.” 

“Should you find the disputed information to be inaccurate or incomplete, or you cannot verify the accuracy or completeness of the disputed information, you are additionally required, under FCRA §623(b)(1)(E), to promptly notify the credit reporting agencies of correction of this information, or of its deletion from my credit file.”

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone, here's a little update and a question:

After HOURS dialing different numbers and talking to a lot of people, I was able to talk to someone at the hospital. They did have my address wrong, and it is my bill. It was a visit to the ER a year ago, I just never imagine it would be that much, but anyway.

The lady told that she believes I should be able to pay the hospital directly, and she gave me another number that I have to call. Now the question is, if I pay in full, I know the account in collections has to go away, but if I make a payment arrangement with the Hospital, would the account in collections also dissapear? Or would it stay until is paid in full?

Thanks everyone!!!!!