Newbie w/a couple of questions

[kattman]

Well I found this site AFTER I got my free credit reports from EX and TU ... for some reason the EQ online thing wasn't working for me (anyone else have this probelm?) and AFTER I had already disputed a couple of collection accounts with the online dispute tool for TU and EX ... ack! So I've already messed up and wanted to find out the best way to proceed from here.

So here's the situation. On TU I've got two collections showing up which really represent the same original AT&T account. It seems that the account was just sold to (or transferred to) Palisades because I got a letter (dunning?) from them saying I had thirty days to dispute.

On EX I've got the Palisades collection account and another collection account I've never heard of before for $1800 from William Cohen or something like that (collection agency from Houston) for a company called Neteller?

So my questions are:

1) Should I go ahead and send back a DV letter to Palisades? I don't have their original letter but I have their address since I got my CR.

2) Should I send a DV letter to William Cohen?

3) Before I do 1 & 2 should I wait for the results of the online dispute?

Help. I hope I really didn't screw this up to badly.

Oh extra info ... the AT&T account dates back to 2003 so I think from what I've read here that its past SOL here in Texas and the other collection account is dated 8/2006 so its relatively new.

Thanks for your help.

Matt

[ConvexLes]

Ahhh! I'm a newbie too, and did the exact same thing as you did. Disputed everything online... and THEN found this place. (I'm glad I'm not the only one.)

Regardless of how you respond to the CA's dunning letters, I would wait to see what happens with your online disputes, and then just make a point to put all future disputes to the CRA's in writing. I have read many cautionary tales here about bombarding the CRA's with disputes... which I interpret as, not a good idea to dispute over the top of an already ongoing dispute, whatever the format? I wish I had not disputed online now, but that's life. It's tempting... but I see now first hand why it's a bad idea.

EQ messed up my online dispute, so I'm sending them a new one on paper tomorrow. If you have a current EQ report, you could work on sending a dispute letter to them while you are waiting to see how the EX and TU disputes come out.

As for the dunning letter, and the other CA's... I won't be much help to you in that area. If it were me, I'd worry about dealing with the newer debt first, since that will be causing you the most damage.

I recently talked one CA into keeping a newer collection item off my credit report in exchange for paying the two older ones. As long as I make payments on the new one, they will keep it off my reports. Most people here advise never to speak to CA's by phone... but if you could set up payment arrangements somehow, you could insist that the CA deletes the record from your reports, if you make all your payments on time. Just a thought...

[jestor151]

As far as Pallisades goes, if you plan on disputing the validity of the debt, DO NOT wait until the results of your online disputes come back before DVing Pallisades. If you wait for the dispute results, chances are you will be outside the 30 days allowed for a timely DV. DVing the CA at the same time as disputing with the CRA is not a problem (search 1-2 punch). Although Texas laws allow for DVs regardless of whether it is outside 30 days, I still feel it is important that you still dispute with CAs in as timely a fashion as possible.

[kattman]

Okay thanks for the kick in the pants.

I just sent the DV letter to Pallisades. Now I wait.