Help please.

[Anonymous]

I have a collection pop up on my credit report from an old utility. I have no problem paying but something is fishy. 

According to my credit report:

Last payment made July 2014

Date of first default December 2019

Estimated date of removal 2025. 

I've disputed the date of first default through TU and it came back as verified accurate.

I've called the original creditor, the CA and next I may call an attorney.  I'm not going to pay this if it's going to stay on my report till 2025. Please help me understand. The last payment is right because I was laid off for a couple years around that time. How on earth could the DoFD be 5 years after the last payment received. 

[RSX]

how much is it?  if small, contacting an attorney may end up costing more than just getting it paid down to $0 

whether they PFD or not, that is your best option - $0 balance

[Anonymous]

I have met life legal plan through my work. They would just advise me but it's free to start. I'm just not sure if what they're doing is legal and I don't want to waste anyone's time. The OC never said anything about pfd. I didn't ask the Collection Agency. The Agency is Diversified Adjustments.

[7774x]

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@RSX wrote:

how much is it?  if small, contacting an attorney may end up costing more than just getting it paid down to $0 

whether they PFD or not, that is your best option - $0 balance

This debt is timed barred in most states ...uncollectable by law..  meaning SOL with a july 2014 debt , unless some poster' actions restarted

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[FireMedic1]

So they put a DoFD and/or a collection posted for a date passed the 7 yr mark from when it was last paid? Shouldnt even be on your credit report after 7 yrs. Something isnt passing the smell test. This doesnt happen often. I'll ping @Remedios and see what she says. She may have more questions too to get to the bottom of this mess.

[Remedios]

@Anonymous  DOFD cannot be years after the last payment, so something definitely does not make sense.

Did OC ever report this account?  What did they tell you when you called? Did CA bought this account or is CA collecting on behalf of OC? 

Did any other CA report this account during last 7 years? 

In any case, if you already contacted OC, you've completed first step, direct dispute.

If you disputed with CRAs, you did a step two, "normal' dispute. 

Your next step should be CFPB complaint. 

Describe your situation exactly as you did here, upload copy of your credit report and any other supporting evidence you might have, and describe steps you've taken to resolve it yourself. 

You probably want to include details of your call with OC and CA. 

Complaint shouldn't be only against CA but also against CRA for failure to conduct reasonable investigation.  

[Anonymous]

OC never reported this on my credit report. I got my report completely clean and about a month after this shows up. 

The CA is collecting on behalf of the OC. 

When I talked to the OC they said the CA on my report is 100 percent on the CA if the info is not correct, then I talked to the CA and they said something along the lines of that 2019 wasn't the dofd but when it activated or something. I'm not 100 percent on their exact wording but they had no interest in fixing it. 

[FireMedic1]

Thanks @Remedios . I kinda figure what you said would probably be the case. Wanted a second opinion and didnt want to post the wrong info. This puzzle had missing pieces that didnt make sense. There ya go @Anonymous