This appears close to being water under the bridge now, but is a good example of why it is important to periodicallly check your CR.
Take this is an example for future reference of how you could have addressed all of this almost 7 years ago.
You say that the collection was first posted to your CR back in 10/2003, and you were not aware of it.
If the CA had complied with the law back then, then there is no reason why you should not have been made aware of it, without having to monitor your CR to ferret out sneaky additions of collections to your credit file. That is one of the major reasons why the FDCPA was enacted.
More specifically, once a debt collector posts to your CR, they are then required, under FDCPA 809(a), so send you a written collection (dunning) notice within five days of that posting, advising you of their collection activity, and how to obtain validation of the debt. Clearly, the intent of the law is to avoid the crap you have faced. If they did not provide you separate, written dunning notice, then they were, and still are, in violation of FDCPA 808(a). Same goes for the 11/2008 CA posting.
If the collection was first reported back in 10/2003, then your DOFD on the OC account was probably at least 6 months prior, or back in 4/2003. EVen without any deltions granted by the OC or CA, the collections would probably drop around 10/2010, with or without any action on your part.
You say you paid the OC, and not the CA. That gives me minor concern as to when the CA will drop. An OC cannot, via payment with them, require deletion of separate reporting done by a CA. So it may be a few more months before the CA drops off because of natural causes. Has the CA already actually been dropped from your CR, or are you just relying upon promises from the OC?
