gym membership in collections

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm trying to rebuild my credit and I found out that an old gym membership is in collections but I haven't been contacted about it in years.  I think it went into collections in 2005. Do they ever just drop it? Also I apparently owe 1500 dollars. I don't know how they came up with this amount. I moved away from the gym in May of 2004. 

[pritchardhallhokie]

Is the gym membership through National Fitness by any chance?

[Anonymous]

No, it's a gym called Gym of the Rockies. It's in Ft.Collins, CO. I think they just kept charging me after I moved away.

[RobertEG]

I am not sure what you mean by "Do they ever just drop it."

If either the OC (the gym) or the debt collector has reported to your credit file, they can legally continue to report it forever.  So their initial or continued reporting can only be disputed if it was inaccurate. Their reporting does not "drop" from your credit file due to age under any provision of the FCRA.

What "drops" is not their reporting, or the account itself, but only the continued ability by the CRA to include, after prescribed time limits set forth in FCRA 605(a), the inclusion of certain types of derogatrory informtion under the account in any credit reporting they make.That also, since FICO can no longer see the drog, removes its impact on FICO scoring.

How long a collection can remain in your CR is clearly specified under FCRA 605(c), and has zero to do with any dates reported by a CA.

The CRA will go back to the OC account, locate the date of reported first delinquency on that OC account in the most recent chain of account delinquencies that preceeded the collection.  That is called the DOFD on the OC account.  The CRA will then add 180-days to your DOFD.  That sets the running of a period of 7 years from that date,which,thereafter, the responsibillity resides with the CRA to therafter "cloak" this CA from inclusiion in any future credit reporting they provide.

Do you know your DOFD with the gym? 

If, for example, you moved from the gym in 5/2004 with  your first, unpaid debt remaining, then your DOFD on the OC account would be around 5/2004. The CA posted on this debt could then remain until after approx 11/2011.