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Good ole' Swim got a letter in the mail from Hunt & Henriques (H&H) recently.... The letter claims the amount owed to CapitalOne (CO) is ~$6,000.00. Swim responds well within 30 days via Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested (CMRRR), with a simple request for validation. Something along the lines of... "I dispute this. Validate. P.S. Don't call me." H&H wastes no time and sends about a years worth of statements from the alleged CO account, which includes a page from CO that the account was charged off. That's it. A few days later H&H sends their notice of intent to file suit: Swim lives in Southern California, and already checked -- arbitration is out the window due to CO removing that clause. From what Swim can tell, H&H didn't actually validate the debt, and the SOL is in effect for a few more years. Not sure is CO owns the account and H&H represent them -- or if H&H is a Junk Debt Buyer (JDB). And at this point does it make a difference? Should Swim respond and further dispute the alleged debt? Or simply sit back, continue to read up on California threads on https://www.creditinfocenter.com to formulate a game plan, and wait for their next move (which is likely to be what?)? Presumably, with COVID, H&H has collections up to their eyeballs, and Southern California courts are experiencing delays... it could be some time before this makes its way into a courthouse? Or is that wishful thinking? Good ole' swim isn't an easy target, and isn't going to roll over. What's the best course of action to get a jump start to defend against this alleged debt, presuming H&H follows through on their intent to file suit? Thanks! ~Swim

Ok, so I had a cable bill collection on all three of my reports. I paid the cable company and the CA updated it as paid (don't judge, I had no communication with them at all, not even a letter from them). I gave it a few months and disputed the paid collection with TU and in response to the dispute, the CA added the same collection to all three bureaus as a new collection (separate from the one that has been paid for months), and this time it shows unpaid and the amount due. The date assigned, amount, etc are all different. What is the best way for me to handle this? I would like to take advantage of the situation to make them remove BOTH collections, the paid one and this new one from all 3 of my reports. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

A few years ago, T-Mobile billed me for an unreturned handset, for 300 and some odd dollars. I disagreed. A month and half before, I called them letting them know my handset wasn't working. It was still under their warranty, so they agreed to exchange it free of charge, however they required I return the faulty handset within 7 or so days of receiving the new one. I got the new phone, but no packaging materials. I called them letting them know that I couldn't return the old handset until I received shipping materials. They apologized, said they would send me the shipping materials, and extended the time it was due another two weeks. After a week or so, I left for a two month assignment in another state for my job. I hadn't received the shipping materials yet, and called T-Mobile informing them I hadn't received it, but was going out of town, so I wasn't sure that I would be able to get out the handset by their deadline. The agent I spoke with said she would make a note of it. My assignment only permitted me to come home on the weekends, if we weren't busy. I did make it home one weekend, found the packing materials and took it with me so that I could mail it off when I had time during the week. I mailed it off about a week after I got the packing materials. But a day or so later, I received a letter at my new address from T-Mobile (I had my mail temporarily forwarded), saying they were charging me for the handset. I called immediately speaking with a rude agent, who seemed to take it personally that the handset wasn't returned within the original 7 day time frame. I explained the situation to her, but she was not moved. According to her, T-Mobile gave me sufficient time to return the handset, even accounting for their gaff of not mailing the shipping materials, and she didn't see an additional extension of time. I said "Well, you can't charge me for the handset, I sent it to you." She insisted it does not matter and they were charging me anyways. I said I wasn't paying for a broken handset, that I returned to them. Then, she told me if I didn't pay, they would shut off service for my phone. Pissed, I say "OK" then after getting off the phone immediately call Verizon and have my line transferred from T-Mobile. Eventually T-Mobile sent me a bill for the handset and the cancellation fee, plus some other extraordinary fees making my bill to them nearly $1,000. Obviously I don't agree to any of this ish, and I felt I was forced to switch services given their stance on the charge for the handset. Within a month or two , they transferred my bill to Midland, who have called me incessantly. I told one agent "I didn't agree with T-Mobile that I owed the money, why on earth do you think I'm going to pay YOU?" Midland reported in 2012 sometime, so it is about two years old. How should I go about getting it removed?