How to Go About Removing Year Old $241 Collection From Experian Report

[SunriseEarth]

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@RobertEG wrote:

If the debt is legit, there is no basis for deltion of their reporting of the collection other than obtaining their voluntary agreement to do so, such as accepting payment in exchange for deletion (PFD).

That requires contact with them,and making the PFD offer.

There i always potential peril in making a PFD offer if the SOL has not expired on the debt.

In review of your request, they will pull your file, and may decide to bring legal action,thus securing a judgment ordering payment of the debt, with no need for any concessions on their part.

However, that is not as serious as it may sound, as you can always simply pay the debt prior to trial, and thus resolve the issue without a judgment.

I would make the PFD offer, and see if they bite, providing you have the funds and are willing to pay should they take the legal route.

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+1.  If you do attempt a PFD, be prepared to pay the full amount if they respond in this manner.

[mrjohnsonsgoals2]

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@SunriseEarth wrote:

I think it's good you're taking steps to resolve this issue.

I think you could try calling Time Warner and see if you can pay them for the debt.  If not, then deal with the CA.  If they reported as recently as January, you're not causing yourself much harm to have it updated as Paid a month later.

There are many examples of PFD letters on this site.  If they don't go for it, then PIF and GW later.    Good luck!

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I think I might try calling Time Warner at my first point - it's the part when/if I have to deal with the CA that worries me. And oh, no - that was reported as recently as January 2013, not January 2014. So it's been about a year!

But I will probably try calling TWC first and then PFD later. How would a PIF and GW differ from a regular PFD? Is it just the longer process?

[titanofold]

It can be a longer process. With a PFD you're getting an agreement upfront that the TL will be removed from your report. Going the GW route, you don't know when or if they're going to delete the TL.

[mrjohnsonsgoals2]

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@titanofold wrote:

It can be a longer process. With a PFD you're getting an agreement upfront that the TL will be removed from your report. Going the GW route, you don't know when or if they're going to delete the TL.

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Ahh, I understand now.

Would it be dumb to even think about calling the collection agency and trying to deal with them? Their BBB complaints page says that they've resolved everything that's come their way, it seems. I'm considering it. 

[titanofold]

A few people have been successful in getting a PFD over the phone. However, it can be tricky as the frontline likes to try to trap the debtor in one way or another. You have to be exceedingly careful as to what you say.

I tend to get a bit too much adrenaline coursing through my veins, which is why I prefer writing.

[mrjohnsonsgoals2]

I think that describes me perfectly! There's a lot of adrenaline that goes through my veins...I've been reading around and I've seen people do it over the phone, so I figure I'd ask. I can't seem to decide if I want to write a PFD letter of my own or with a template or to call - I don't know if writing dramatically (I am a journalist for a living, after all) and sharing why this is impacting me will work ontop of offering them 100% of payment. I almost feeling like writing that "I do not acknowledge the debt is mine" is a bit silly because I darn well know it is...but it's protocol?

I think what I'm afraid of is what I read in the sticky - originally, the debt was only reported to Experian (which is major, especially if I want something like an AmEx card), but TU and EQ show a clean slate. So I really want to do a PFD, but as I begin with my first credit card and start to build it up, I feel like I could be opening the floodgates!