I had a bank account which I closed back in 2002, and today I get a letter from a collection company telling me that I owe $40.37. Huh???
I seem to remember that after I closed it I got a bill for a monthly service charge, which I usually didn’t even have with my account…it was stuck on there because I was below the minimum balance. Yes, when you close an account and withdraw all of your money, you will indeed go below the minimum balance. :rolleyes:
At the time, I called said bank who apologized and told me not to worry about it, glitch in the system, etc. Now four years later I start getting hate mail over it. Seems the old bank has now been sold to another bank. Grrrreeeeaaaaat…
Other than the initial “oops…so sorry!”, I have not heard a damn thing from these people in the past four years.
Anyone out there ever have to deal with anything like this? I really don’t even know where to start to fight this thing. And get the erroneous information off of my credit.
Take it up with the bank ASAP.
Per the collection ageny’s first letter to you, immediately send certified mail to them disputing the validity of the debt.
That will bar them from attempting further collection without acquiring proof. They’ll have little trouble doing that, but they usually take 90 days or so to actually bother doing it.
In the interim, you’ll want to contact the bank in question and emphasize that their representative previously indicated that this was a glitch. Ask how it can be resolved.
If the collection agency hasn’t begun credit reporting yet and the bank acts the fool, the easiest thing to do might just be to pay the bill.
Thanks for the input. Sounds like a good place to start.
Further research shows that evidently, they alreadydid report it on my credit, so even if I pay the bill my concern is that it’s still going to show as a collection. Looks like I’m going to have to fight it.
Nice of them to do that when they never even attempted to contact me about this.
So now I am digging through 4 years of paperwork to try and find some supporting documentation. It’s been so long, I’m not even sure what I do or don’t have anymore.
I’d really appreciate hearing from those of you out there who might be in the know about what my options are for trying to clear this up. My credit’s always been good, and I want to make sure I protect that. Thanks!
About the credit report part, there are people on this board:
who really understand the credit reporting scene.
Unfortunately, there is a LOT of static there, too.
Good luck!
There is a quick way to get this off your credit report. First, determine which of the credit agenices has this on your record. Next fill out a dispute form online (all three do this now) and make the claim that you do not owe the bill. The company posting this mark against your credit then has a limited time (I think 30 days) to present documentation to the credit agency proving you owe the bill. If they do not then the listing is removed from your report. I’ve done this successfully 5 out of 6 times. Good luck!
http://www.transunion.com/index.jsp
http://www.equifax.com/
http://www.experian.com/