HELP with how to proceed!

[Anonymous]

So I have a collection for $197 from an old cable bill.  It was just reported on Equifax this month.  I contacted the Collection agency to verify the debt, which they did, and in their verification, they mailed me the account number and amount for the cable bill.  So I called the Cable company, gave them my information, and paid directly in full to them.  I have a confirmation number from them and a printout from my bank showing the amount paid and to who.  So, my question is, now that I paid in full directly to the original creditor, how do I get the account removed from my credit report?  Should I email the collection agency a copy of my conf. number showing I paid and ask for them to remove the account from my credit reports, or should I mail this info directly to Equifax and ask for removal because I paid the original creditor?  I should add that when I spoke to the original creditor, they said they will update the account with the collection agency on Tuesday, March 8th to show a $0 balance.  My thought process for paying the original creditor was that if I paid them, the collection agnecy would no longer be in authority of the debt and would have to remove it from my credit reports.

[Anonymous]

Your thought process is pretty good, however, to accomplish what you were trying to do, you would have to get the OC (cable company) to agree to recall the debt from the CA before you paid them.

It looks to me like you are in a sitauation now where your payment will zero the debt, and the CA can update the reported amount to zero, but they can still report the debt.  It also matters if the CA was acting as an agent for the OC.

Paying the debt is the right step and will help you, but will not automatically remove the CA.  You can ask the OC to remove them now, but they arent obligated to do it.  There is a chance the OC will do it if you ask.

GL

[RobertEG]

You should send a good-will request to the debt collector, not the OC.

The reporting is by the debt collector.

Only they can report its deleiton.

You could call the OC and ask that they contact the debt collector and request that the debt collector to delete.

However, they may decline to do so, as deletiion based on payment of the debt is contrary to their credit reporting agreement with the CRAs.

The normal process is to obtain a pay for deletion agreement directly with the debt collector, and then send payment to them, not the OC.

You then have a separate, enforceable contract with the debt collector that requires their deletion of their reporting.

[Anonymous]

UGH.  I called the original creditor again and asked if they could pull the account back form the collection agency since it was paid in full.  NOPE.  She said we don't pull anything from anywhere, we just report to the collection agency that the account was paid.  So, what a waste of my money!!  I know it's the 'right thing to do' to pay my account, but now it's going to stay on my report!   That won't help my score at all, it's still going to report as a dang collection.  I seriously would have just kept my money if I had known that.  Now they got their money and I'm still SOL!!!

[Anonymous]

I had a medical collection pop up on my report two years ago, a day after I paid the bill straight to the provider. This was all before I discovered these forums, so I had no clue what to do. I finally disputed the collection via all the bureaus and said the debt had been paid before going to collections. It came off my report in less than a week, and I had no communication with the CA or the OC during that process.