CA won't remove from CR

[chadwick37]

Before I found this site I called up a CA to pay off an unpaid traffic ticket. Instead of negotiating to have it removed from my credit report I just paid them the money and figured I was done with it. This was about a month ago and as of today only one CRA was reporting that the debt was paid. So I've disputed it with the other CRAs. I also called the CA to ask them if they would be willing to remove it from my CR. The lady, if you can call her that, said that they cannot remove it because they signed agreements with the CRA's that they would not. I told her she was wrong and that they could remove it. Then she said that it was their policy not to remove it. At that point the conversation went nowhere accept with her insulting me for not paying my ticket in time. Is there anything else I can do or am I just going to have to live with this on my record for 7 years? And when does that 7 years start? Is it from when they first started reporting or is it from when I paid?

[Sarris]

I would say that your screwed unless you can find someone at the CA with a sympathetic ear and a willing personality... but not likely.

I am not sure about tickets, but for collections it starts from the date of first deliquancy (sp)

[ba0501]

Maybe you can periodically dispute different things about the TL and one day get lucky and it will come off.

[Robert Nashville/Savannah]

CAs certainly CAN remove derogatory information from bureau reports if they want to.

However, the credit bureaus don't want them to make those kind of agreements and I suspect that providers (like CAs) are obligated by contract to report accurately and not make deals with consumers on what they will or won't report - after all, bureaus clearly don't want data providers to falsify data they submit (either actively or passively) as ultimately, that undermines the entire credit reporting system.

Another thing to consider, a fine (such as a traffice ticket) is a different animal than a simple debt and the CA may well be bound by the government agency that retained them.

Also, I seriously doubt that the employee you were talking with has any real clue or first hand knowledge of what the CA (as a company) had or had not agreed to - she was probably just making excuses based on thinge she assumed or heard.

Finally, whatever leverage you may have had vanished the moment you paid the ticket...the CA has zero incentive to do anything for you at this point even if they would have done so before paymet.

[chadwick37]

i pretty much figured that was the case but I thought I'd ask. Thanks for the responses.