What to do with this medical collection?

Feb 152011
 

I have a medical collection from a few years ago (within SOL). Every year we’ve paid off a huge chunk of outstanding debt and this year we are able to pay off the remainder of our baddies.

 

I contacted the OC to pay them directly, however, they said the debt is no longer on their books. I asked if they’ve been paid by the CA and they told me no, meaning they wrote off the original debt and do not have retrievable records of it any longer.

 

The CA is still attempting to collect this debt, but it seems they don’t own it, yet are still attempting to collect on behalf of the OC. The OC also informed me that if any payment is made to them they would just forward it to the CA.

 

My questions is, if the OC doesn’t have any record of the debt and the CA hasn’t bought the debt, does that mean the CA still has a legal right to collect and report the debt as outstanding. I’ve attempted to dispute this a few months ago just to validate the debt and it came back verified. Now I’m wondering how they were able to verify it.

 

What should I do in this case? Should I attempt to dispute it again, do I take the HIPAA route, etc.?

Help! Collection Agency concern

Feb 122011
 

     On Dec. 19, 2010 one of my CC was charged off because I wasn’t able to give payments for 5 months.  On Jan 18, 2011, I got a letter from a 3rd party CA.  It stated the name of the CA that bought the debt and the amount owed which is about $1400.  I did not validate the debt because I knew I owed it since was it had been charged off just a month before.  I called sears and was told that Sherman Financial bought the account.  The name on the letter I received names the creditor as LVNV Funding.  I googled both and found that they are the same company.  I agreed to a 12 month payment plan and have already given 1 payment. They did email me the payment arrangement letter, and i have kept this and I printed the statement from my Visa card as proof that I made the 1st payment.  

      This is my debt, and I do want to pay it.  My concern that is that by not validated the debt, I do not have proof that the CA I’m paying is legally authorized to collect for Sherman Financial.  Is it too late to validate now since I already gave a payment.  I’m still within the 30 days to dispute the debt, but that’s not really what I want to do.  I just want to make sure I’m paying the correct CA. 

     The CA I’m currently working with has done somethings that make me have doubts to their honesty.  First I did not receive a confirmation  # when I made the payment over the phone.  They told me to call back because they were having problems with their system..  I never did call back for the # but I’ve go proof it was deducted from my cc.  Then they said they would email me another payment arrangement because they made a mistake and I should be done with the repayment in 11 months instead of 12.  I never got the email.  I called the credit manager, but he put me on hold and never got back to the phone.  Anybody have any advice for me?  I was happy to be paying the debt, but now I’m getting scared.  Do they have to validate that they are authorized to collect if I send it in writing or have I lost my consumer rights by giving the 1st payment and agreeing to the payment plan?

Original Debt Expired!

Feb 092010
 

Surely this question has been asked here before but I can’t find it. Here’s the situation…I finally had a major credit card debt to expire after they’d been illegally reporting since 2000. They are no longer reporting negative info to the credit bureaus. However, a certain collection agency, who’s bought the debt, is reporting the info with an assigned date of Feb. 2007. I was sure that the collection agency could not continue collecting on a debt when the original creditor was not. The debt fell off in Dec. 2009; wasn’t the collection agency supposed to stop reporting the same negative info as well?

GW CO for hard inquiries? Anyone have experience/advice?

Feb 052010
 

I tried addressing this in another thread to no avail.  So…

 

Background:  Several of my TLs where sent to collections recently.  They have since all been settled and the CA are no longer reporting, just the OCs.  When the CA bought the debt, they did the standard hard pull on my report.  From what I’ve read on this wonderful forum, it’s PP.  I have about 20 inquiries on any given report.  I understand they will not be factored into scoring after one year and will be gone after two. 

 

Situation: I need to qualify for an auto loan, move into a new apartment and build better credit through one strategic new TL, all later this year.  That will add three new PP hard inquiries, for a grand total of 23.  Future DH and I hope to qualify for a mortgage by the first quarter of ’11.  It would behoove us to have some of these removed (if possible) to make way for the three new expected pulls and the ding that they will cause my score.  Too, it’s a hurdle on a manual read.

 

The question: is it bad voodoo to GW a CA for removal of a hard inquiry that are no longer reporting?  I know most people will think this is a waste of time.  I’m OK with wasting my time.  I just want to make sure I don’t shoot myself in the foot.  Can I wake a sleeping dog and they start reporting again?  Are there any other bizarre scenario that I’m not even thinking of that they could do?

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks, everyone!

 

My Credit Saga;

Charge offs and Sold debt

Jan 272010
 

I am rebuilding credit and I have some debt that was charged off years ago from the original holder. These don’t even show up on my credit anymore EXCEPT as account inquries from companies showing they bought the debt (or whatever the do to get it) and now they are harassing me, there is no phone number listed for these people…any of them…though I supoose with some googling I could get it, but can I really tell them to shove off since technically the debt was once mine even though it wasn’t with them and since the original account no longer shows on credit…? These are accounts listed as inquiries seperate from promotional inquiries (I.e. geico) which I just learned I could opt our of and did. 

I sometimes get mail from these people, but honestly if I get mail with my maiden name on it that was changed more than a decade ago I chuck it.

Help in understanding my “rights” …