Collection Account

[Anonymous]

Please help anybody. I got a letter on 5/30/07 from collection agency about a past due bill. I admit

totally forgot it very small amount. My thing is they sent it to me only after reporting it on my credit

report. Legally aren't they suppose to give you an oppurtunity to pay before reporting to the bureaus?

They reported on 4/22/07 and the agency had the nerve to apologize for sending the bill out late.

What do I do to get this crap off my reports?

[Anonymous]

Check your statements. They are allowed to notify you they are going to report you delinquent to the CRAs on your monthly statement.

Message Edited by Noah_Bodie on 06-09-2007 04:52 PM

[Anonymous]

Francis, first... don't panic. If this is indeed a "small" amount of money as you stated, you should be able to work this out and remove it from your bureau. Do two things: contact the ORIGINAL creditor and ask them if they will allow you to "retrieve" the account from the collection agency if you pay them in full. Speak with someone high-up in the company about this and plead your case nicely and be very clear about your needs. Offer to bring in the funds immediately and just be honest about forgeting to pay the obligation. Let them know your goal to remove the item from your credit reports. If that doesn't work, offer to pay the full amount due to the collection agency, and find a way to speak with the OWNER of the collection agency. Be firm and ask them if they'll agree in writing to remove the item once it's paid in full. Don't give up. Try the ORIGINAL creditor first and see what happens. Most people are reasonable if you are. Good luck and let us know what happens!