Anonymous Posted April 3, 2003 Report Share Posted April 3, 2003 First of all, just wanted to ask a few questions...just to make sure I get it all clear.1. If I have bad credit and want to dispute something on my report, what do I do 1st? Do I send a letter to the credit bureau? Do I send it to the originator? To the collection agency? 2.Which kind of letter do I send first? A "not my debt" letter? cease and desist? Which one?Please break it down for me...i have spent hours on this board and it is fantastic with all te info but sometimes its hard to decipher everything. I appreciate any info I can get. I am buying a house in a year and want to get it all taken care of now...I need a step by step 'guide" on what to do. Treat me like I am 10 years old. HA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb9tbq Posted April 4, 2003 Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 First be sure to buy copy of your credit reports from all three CRAs Experian; Equifax; & TransUnion.Second make note of the last activity date (or the date you know you last paid the creditor) need to determine first of all if your accounts are still within SOL (statute of limitations) meaning if the creditor can still legally sue you for the money owed.Also take stock of what type of negative reporting it is showing on your credit report. The ones that only show lates - these you don't dispute with the CRAs; you would want to try first goodwill letter to the creditor. Better to save a tradeline then it is to have it deleted - so it can still be there to affect credit score positively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anonymous Posted April 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 ok, heres an example: I have a collection account from the Gas company for $50, It shows as unpaid. Should I just go ahead and pay the $50, although I have never ever HAD a Gas account? If i pay it just to get it off my report, how will that be reflected on my credit report? Is it better to dispute it or pay it off since its such a small amount? I also have a charged off account from years ago. How do I tackle that one? HELP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted April 4, 2003 Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 <blockquote>Originally posted by Bigchiefok, heres an example: I have a collection account from the Gas company for $50, It shows as unpaid. Should I just go ahead and pay the $50, although I have never ever HAD a Gas account? If i pay it just to get it off my report, how will that be reflected on my credit report? Is it better to dispute it or pay it off since its such a small amount? I also have a charged off account from years ago. How do I tackle that one? HELP!</blockquote>No definately NOT pay it. Paying it doesn't remove it from your reports. Try disputing it as "not mine" thru the CRA's and hope it comes off. If not, come back here and we'll help you with the next step which includes DV letters and more disputes. Settlement should be your last resort after you've tried other avenues unless you're under a tight deadline applying for a mortgage or something that requires no outstanding collections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anonymous Posted April 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 Do i do this for all my collection accounts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasen Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 I would. Worst they'll do is report back to you that it was verified and not remove it. Then you start attacking the CA holding the account now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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