Removing collections paid to original creditor?

[wigalc]

I have a unique situation and I hope someone can give me some advice.

I have two collection accounts showing on my credit report which I just noticed recently that wasn't there last time I checked my reports. Here are the situations:

First collection:

I am active duty military and the first collection is from Credit Control Corp because I failed to return a cable box "on time" to the cable company after terminating my account with them. When I cancelled the account, Cox told me a representative from Cox cable would pick up the box but he never showed up. I deployed and the box sat in my car for 8 months. As soon as I returned from my deployment, I returned the box to the cable company and now the collections agency is showing "Paid"...but it's still a derogatory remark that I would like completely removed.

Second collection:

After turning in the first cable box, I moved into an apartment with a roommate and started another account with Cox cable. As it turns out, I never officially moved into the apartment as my fiance finally agreed to just let me move in with her. I cancelled the account at the apartment (and gave Cox my forwarding address) and was told again a representative would pick up the equipment. This time, the representative did show up but no one was home. I didn't live there anymore and my roommate was already deployed again for a few months. I never heard from Cox even though I "thought" they had my forwarding address and even my phone number and I thought everything was taken care of. I check my credit report recently and see yet another collection against me for this cable box. I was able to gain access to the apartment and get the equipment and turn it in but again, the collection is still on my credit report as a derogatory statement.

Anyone have any ideas of what I should do first to get these removed? I never received any mail from either collection agency or Cox about either cable box (even though I'm sure it was sent...just to the wrong address).

Thanks in advance!!

[94B]

First do the basics of credit repair if you haven't done so(i.e. get actual hard copies of credit report directly from individual CRA's, opt out, remove old address, multiple names,outdated info,etc..from the personal section of your credit reports).

Then dispute these accounts with the CRA's via snail mail.

On the first collection account, did you pay Cox or the collection agency? So are these collection accounts showing as paid or what exactly?

[onekulemom]

I have a "paid collection" on my credit report and it is killing my credit report.

My situation. I went through a divorce and moved to a new house with my kids. When my x husband moved out of the old house, he never paid the last gas bill. It was a join account at the time. About 4 months after he moved, the notice came to me that it was unpaid. I paid it to the original creditor when I got the bill, it was only around $50. I didn't think anything of paying it, it was just another bill my x left for me to clean up. And I knew I did not want the gas company to come after my current account by not paying the old one.

So I paid it directly to the gas company. Then I got a recent copy of my credit report. I could not figure out how my score dropped so much, almost 70 points. Then I noticed I had a collection. I called the collection agency, they said it was for the gas company which I had paid.

- I sent proof to the collection agency that I paid the gas company, then they changed my credit report to say "paid collection"

- I sent the 3 credit bureaus proof the debt was paid with original creditor, not with the collection agency and the agency has no right to collect.

The collection still has not come off my credit report. I have sent proof to everyone.

How can I get it to come off my credit report considering it was paid to original creditor? What wording should I use to show the bureaus that they need to remove?


Thanks for any info

[chane]

Originally Posted by onekulemom

I have a "paid collection" on my credit report and it is killing my credit report.

My situation. I went through a divorce and moved to a new house with my kids. When my x husband moved out of the old house, he never paid the last gas bill. It was a join account at the time. About 4 months after he moved, the notice came to me that it was unpaid. I paid it to the original creditor when I got the bill, it was only around $50. I didn't think anything of paying it, it was just another bill my x left for me to clean up. And I knew I did not want the gas company to come after my current account by not paying the old one.

So I paid it directly to the gas company. Then I got a recent copy of my credit report. I could not figure out how my score dropped so much, almost 70 points. Then I noticed I had a collection. I called the collection agency, they said it was for the gas company which I had paid.

- I sent proof to the collection agency that I paid the gas company, then they changed my credit report to say "paid collection"

- I sent the 3 credit bureaus proof the debt was paid with original creditor, not with the collection agency and the agency has no right to collect.

The collection still has not come off my credit report. I have sent proof to everyone.

How can I get it to come off my credit report considering it was paid to original creditor? What wording should I use to show the bureaus that they need to remove?


Thanks for any info

You really don't want either account on your credit report. Proving that you paid a collection account proves the collection account was valid. It will be almost impossible to remove now. It will remain as a "paid collection" which is still a negative account on your credit report for 7 years.

You should have just disputed both accounts. Give no reason. You don't have to - it's their job to prove it, not yours. Stop sending the CRA's private documents.

Remember, you are dealing with FOR-profit, private companies. You don't owe them any explanation. By law, they must verify any account that you question...within 30 days!

[94B]

Originally Posted by chane

You don't have to - it's their job to prove it, not yours. Stop sending the CRA's private documents.

Completely agree with chane about sending documents to the CRA's.

If you haven't done the basics of credit repair, do that first and then go onto what chane suggested in terms of disputing the account with the credit bureaus.

Also I hope that isn't your real name in the email address you posted, it isn't a good idea to do that on an internet message forum. And there are too many spammers, etc.... around to post your email for that matter. If you can edit your post you should do so or alternatively contact Admin to remove the email address.

[onekulemom]

Thanks for info. I originally did the basic credit repair. I disputed everything, I brought my score from 580 to over 720 within 60 days. Everything came off my credit with disputes. Then this bill popped up. I disputed it originally through the 3 bureaus. They said "verified". So then I disputed with the collection agency, they also came back saying that I owed the debt. I originally disputed it was not mine, as it belonged to my x, and he got all debt in the divorce. I then tried another letter asking for proof of debt, and they all came back with saying that I owed the debt. I then went directly to the gas company asking them to stop the collection since they had been paid months earlier.

Then it changed to a paid collection. I disputed this as the collection agency could not report a debt they did not collect.

I thought a collection agency could not report a collection if they did not collect the money. Only the original creditor could report as paid if they are the ones who collected the payment. I was told when I first started doing my credit repair to never pay a collection agency, because any payment to a collection agency gives them permission to then report. But if no contact or payment is made to a collection agency, then they cannot report the paid collection? I was told to always pay original creditor to prevent this problem.

Any other ideas to get this off my credit report? It belonged to my X-husband when I did not live there. It also was paid within just a few months, and was paid directly to the original creditor. It had not gone to collections when it was paid. I know this because I logged online and the account was still "active" online when I paid it.

My credit has fallen below 620 and this is the only thing on my credit report. I cant move, get any credit, or do anything because of this one thing.
The worst part, is I paid it, and it was only $50

Thanks for any help to get this off. Any sample letters, or ideas of any tricks to get this off??

[94B]

Originally Posted by onekulemom

I was told when I first started doing my credit repair to never pay a collection agency, because any payment to a collection agency gives them permission to then report. But if no contact or payment is made to a collection agency, then they cannot report the paid collection? I was told to always pay original creditor to prevent this problem.

Any other ideas to get this off my credit report? It belonged to my X-husband when I did not live there. It also was paid within just a few months, and was paid directly to the original creditor. It had not gone to collections when it was paid. I know this because I logged online and the account was still "active" online when I paid it.

My credit has fallen below 620 and this is the only thing on my credit report. I cant move, get any credit, or do anything because of this one thing.
The worst part, is I paid it, and it was only $50

Thanks for any help to get this off. Any sample letters, or ideas of any tricks to get this off??

Have you been disputing online or via snail mail?

Your best bet at this point is to directly contact the OC(gas company), hopefully someone in higher up position and tell them you have a CA reporting a paid collection account on your credit report. Let them know you paid the gas company directly while the account was active. Were you told that this account had gone to collection? Was the CA reporting on your CR at the time you paid the OC?

What happens most often is that people pay the OC without any type of agreement in writing that the OC will recall the debt from the CA collecting on their behalf and tell them to delete their TL. And when that doesn't happen the OC lets the CA know the account is paid or turns the payment over to the CA and the TL gets marked as "paid collection".