Utility Bill from open from 2004, reported as charged off by the utility company in 2006

[Anonymous]

Hi, 

I recently pulled my experian credit report and there is a charge off from a utility company on it.  The date the account was opened was 2004, but the date it was charged off is 2006.  I moved from the address in 2005, and I believed everything was paid off.  My first question is what, if anything, can I do to get the charge off removed from my credit report?  I have no credit cards and only two student loans in my name.  It is the only thing bringing down my score.  My second question is, shouldn't the time it stays on my credit report start from the date of last activity which would have been in 2005 not 2006.  

If i can't get it removed, maybe it doesn't have to be on my report for so long.

my transunion and equifax scores are 730 and my experian score is 655, and I'm trying to apply for a credit card.  Any advise would be much appreciated.  

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hi, 

I recently pulled my experian credit report and there is a charge off from a utility company on it.  The date the account was opened was 2004, but the date it was charged off is 2006.  I moved from the address in 2005, and I believed everything was paid off.  My first question is what, if anything, can I do to get the charge off removed from my credit report?  I have no credit cards and only two student loans in my name.  It is the only thing bringing down my score.  My second question is, shouldn't the time it stays on my credit report start from the date of last activity which would have been in 2005 not 2006.  

If i can't get it removed, maybe it doesn't have to be on my report for so long.

my transunion and equifax scores are 730 and my experian score is 655, and I'm trying to apply for a credit card.  Any advise would be much appreciated.  

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There can be up to 180 days between date of first delinquency and date of charge-off. 

[Anonymous]

thanks for the response O6!

I moved from that address in 09/2005 and I haven't paid anything since then.  The charge off date is 07/2006. 

Should I call the company and ask them for information about the account.  I don't want to start snooping around and have them report it to all three agencies.  

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

thanks for the response O6!

I moved from that address in 09/2005 and I haven't paid anything since then.  The charge off date is 07/2006. 

Should I call the company and ask them for information about the account.  I don't want to start snooping around and have them report it to all three agencies.  

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It does seem that they might be a few months off on the charge-off date.

Dependng on your state, the debt may be beyond the statute of limitations so they're not apt to sue you -- not that utility companies tend to sue anyhow.  My guess is that contacting them will not cuase them to report to the other CRAs, but I suppose there is always that risk. 

How much do they say you owe?  If you want to get it off your credit reports entirely, try a PFD.  Basically you tell them -- better in writing -- that you will pay the couple of hundred dollars you owe them if they agree to remove it from your credit reports. 

[Anonymous]

It says I currently owe them 430. I think they are way off from the date of first deliquency. If it is the account I think it is, then it was stopped being paid for awhile even before it was closed. My roommates were supposed to pay it, but they didn't. I tried to login into the account on the utility's website, but I could not obtain any information. I just recvd error messages.

Should I write Experian online and request a clarification on the date of first delinquency? Or just send a PFD letter to North Electric? Below is the information Experian has on the report:

account name: North Electric

account type: Unknown- credit extension, review, or collection

balance: $443

date opened: 2/1/2004

account status: closed

payment status: charge-off

terms: unknown

comments: credit line closed- consumer request- reported by subscriber.

In another place on the website it states that it has been 4.1 years since negative information has been reported on my report. So, I assume I have three more years before it falls off my report because it is the only negative thing on my report.

[AndySoCal]

I would call the utility company. I would use an approach like this Iwould say I moved from that address in 2005  when I moved I thought  all bills had been received and paid off.  If you had any mail forwarded state you did not receive that bill. I recently pulled my credit report and saw this account being reported. I am willing to pay it in full in exchange for removing the trade line from my credit report.  See if they are willing to work with you and if they see what can be worked out.

[Anonymous]

You can always call EX and ask what the DoFD is. I called and got the DoFD of all my negative accounts, it was actually a quite painless call, believe it or not

[Anonymous]

i did, but they didn't have it.  They said the charge off date was the date of first delinquency.  And the Company could consider my account not delinquent until 2006.  Even though the account was out of my name.  in at the latest 2005.  Are you considered delinquent the first time you don't pay a utility bill?  Or can they say that they never considered you delinquent until a year after you closed the account?

[guiness56]

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@Anonymous wrote:

i did, but they didn't have it.  They said the charge off date was the date of first delinquency.  And the Company could consider my account not delinquent until 2006.  Even though the account was out of my name.  in at the latest 2005.  Are you considered delinquent the first time you don't pay a utility bill?  Or can they say that they never considered you delinquent until a year after you closed the account?

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There is a difference in being delinquent and a delinquency leading to a CO.

Being delinquent is just being late.  You can make a payment and you aren't  delinquent any more.

When an account is CO'd, it means it was delinquent for several months in a row, generally 90 days or  more.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

i did, but they didn't have it.  They said the charge off date was the date of first delinquency.  And the Company could consider my account not delinquent until 2006.  Even though the account was out of my name.  in at the latest 2005.  Are you considered delinquent the first time you don't pay a utility bill?  Or can they say that they never considered you delinquent until a year after you closed the account?

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Chargeoff dates are not the same as date of first delinquency.  An account is not charged off until up to approximately 6 months after default.

How do you know that you were actually removed from the account?  You should check your state's public utility laws because there are states that allow holding any occupant of the dwelling responsible for utilities.