collection agencies...

I'm looking for some advice from anyone who has had to deal with this kinda problem or works in the industry...

3 years ago I had some basic medical lab work done at UCI medical, total was about 65 dollars...ofcourse I had full health insurance and it was 100% covered.

I then got a plesant phone call from a collection agency on behalf of UCI medical for the outstanding bill, ofcourse I did not pay it (maybe I should have, it would have been easier). Needless to say the threat of "we will put this on your credit report immedietly" was used...I called UCI medical...got it all straightened out, turns out they had the wrong address so my insurance company denied the claims. Needless to say they got the correct info, the insurance company paid out and I was assured that UCI would get the collection place straightened out.


Its 3 years later...I got a nasty collections ding on my credit and I don't even know where to start to get this crap off my credit report. Any suggestions? (other than going postal at the offices of this nameless collection agency).

Not to mention, I don't have the record for what my medical insurance was 3 years ago...<bangs his head in frustration>. I just know it was blue cross of california.


Thanks

Your local Credit Counselling service will be the place to start. They exist to help people rehabilitate credit. In your case, it should be an easy job since the mark on your rating is there in error.

You can challenge the mark on your credit report with the credir reporting agencies. With proof they will remove the erroneous entries.

there is no need to go to a 3rd party for this and I would never trust a third party with this. You need to obtain proof that this bill has been paid, present it to the collection agency, get a letter stating that the debt is paid, and then present that to the 3 major reporting agencies.
I would start with filing a report contesting the information with the 3 major reporting agencies (equifax, experian and transmedia). Then I would contact your insurer. obtain proof that they paid the collection agency's client. You can skip this step by telling the collection agency it was paid and to check with their client but I bet you will need the proof of payment from your insurer so I would get ball rolling on that immediately. collection company's client should be showing a zero balance on your account and if so, you need collection agency to send you a letter stating that your account is paid in full. Dont trust them to report this. Get a letter, make 3 copies and send one to each of the three reporting agencies with a request to correct the mistaken information. Make sure you get a followup letter advising you correction has been made and then check yourself. You should be given a copy of your report free while contesting an error. Good luck

I was gonna suggest pretty much the same thing Merentha said. It's always better to actually contact the credit reporting agencies themselves to deal with this kinda stuff. It can be a pain, but it'll be a lot easier than messing with the collection agency about it.

And just as a side note, I believe it's TransUnion, not transmedia....in case this makes anything easier....

As far as I knew Medical stuffs shouldn't be showing on a credit report anyways.....

I'm dealing with a similar issue myself and I'd like to know for my own purposes if what I said is true. If so, then how do we go about getting the reporting agency to realize that what they have done is wrong?

I, too, had some medical expenses on my credit report for some time. Silly me for not reviewing my credit report like I should.

Anyway, in the weeks that followed that I tried to get this cleared up, I learned a very important piece of information about the credit reporting agencies. If you contest an item that is on your credit report, THEY have to prove that it is, in fact, supposed to be there. If it is indeed paid in full, then it should take a reviwer all of about 30 mins to figure it out.

Sadly, I have been on the receiving end of clerical errors of this nature too. Here's some information that may be helpful to you:

There are 3 primary credit bureaus. Each of them has a concept of a "fraud security alert", which essentially is a flag that can be put on one's name. When so flagged, additional scrutiny (i.e., verification phone calls) is put upon new requests for credit. Whenever fraud has occurred/is suspected, a fraud security alert should be activated.

If fraud is suspected, the bureaus will provide one with a free credit report, which should be carefully scrutinized for unauthorized accounts, as well as old, stale accounts that should be closed.

Contacting just one of the bureaus is not sufficient; it is an oligopoly, not a monopoly. All of them need to be contacted in order to ensure that your record/name is clear.

Credit Bureau Contact Information:

Experian
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
(888 ) 397-3742

TransUnion
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022
(800) 680-7289

Equifax
P.O. Box 674402
Houston, TX 77267
(800) 525-6285

Good luck,

Celsus

Contact the Credit Report agency and dispute the claim. Its their job then to contact the reporting agency and establish proof. Since it was covered the proof wont exist.

Also usually when you dispute a mark on your credit, the company that made the original claim will ignore the request for proof if you caught up with them and they won't provide the proof of the mark and the mark will disappear.

As a matter of practice, I order my credit report from the big three agencies on my birthday every year. I have had all kinds of odd things show up on my reports, all of which I challenged and had removed.

You should have proof ready for your challenge, but if the company that put the mark on your credit doesn't respond within a given timeframe (I think it's 45 days), then the credit agency MUST remove the mark from your record.

A lot of "credit repair" companies try this tactic first. It is shady and dishonest. They the to catch the reporting company with their pants down, so you can get stuff removed when they don't act fast enough. There is no such thing as credit repair... the only repair for bad credit is time. If there is really something wrong, present your proof and you will be redeemed.

I could go on and on about credit (or security... take your pick), but I will save you all from my soapbox tirade for now

Forget the reporting agency. Go straight to UCI medical and tell them what's happening.

The credit agency are just doing their job but UCI made the mistake. If you explain to them that their mistake is not being rectified by a stubborn agency you'll have a letter of apology from the agency within the week.

And always remember these words "I'd really appreciate this because I can't see any alternative then to seek legal advice" Does wonders.

Stop calling 900 numbers and refusing to pay with the excuse that you didnt know you would be charged......




Halfa
UI

Do what Celsus said. I'm in the middle of "fixing" my credit report from my ex-wife having put me on a credit card WITHOUT my signature. Believe me, writing a letter to the credit reporting bureau AND the credit agency (experian, equifax, transunion) is the best way to fix it.

It helps to submit written (and/or notorized) statements from the medical company and your insurance company concerning what happened.

Good Luck!!

Hey Bubu, this is a sample letter you should send out to all three credit reporting agencies to dispute the info. Since you have paid it before it was sent to collections, they won't be able to verify it and it will be removed. I grabbed it off a website I used to help clear up my girlfriend's credit. Send the letter certified, return recipt requested with the green card. Make sure you have a current copy of the credit report so you can quote the actual tradeline. They have thirty days to clear it up.


«Your Name»
«Address1»
«Address2»
«City», «State» «Zip»

«Company»
«Address1»
«Address2»
«City», «State» «Zip»

«Date»

Dear Sir/Madame:

This letter is a formal complaint that you are reporting inaccurate and incomplete credit information.

I am distressed that you have included the below information in my credit profile and have failed to maintain reasonable procedures in your operations to assure maximum possible accuracy in the credit reports you publish.

Credit reporting laws ensure that bureaus report only 100% accurate credit information. Every step must be taken to assure the information reported is completely accurate and correct.

The following information therefore needs to be investigated as it is not my account. I respectfully request to be provided proof of this alleged item, specifically the contract, note or other instrument bearing my signature. Failing that, the item must be deleted from the report as soon as possible:

Name of Creditor/Agency, Account #_________

The listed item is completely inaccurate and incomplete, and is a very serious error in reporting. Please delete this misleading information, and supply a corrected credit profile to all creditors who have received a copy within the last 6 months, or the last 2 years for employment purposes.

Additionally, please provide the name, address, and telephone number of each credit grantor or other subscriber.

Under federal law, you have thirty (30) days to complete your re-investigation. Be advised that the description of the procedure used to determine the accuracy and completeness of the information is hereby requested as well, to be provided within 15 days of the completion of your re-investigation.

Sincerely,

«Signature»
«Your Name»
«Your SSN»


Kerna Sanders :smokin:
Retired Crusader of Emarr

*Punts Halfa/Revel clear across antonica*
Go back to da stinken hole yar crawled outa gnome!

On an upbeat note, I followed the advice listed here and called UCI medical billing...the helpfull and nice lady said "oh yes, we forwarded your billing infromation to the collection place over 2 years ago (since the debt was sold to them)"...yes...I have the e-mail right here...I had to schoomze and kiss major booty but it got me results.

UCI wound up having docummented proof in the form of an e-mail that the collection agency was provided with the correct insurance billing info. They ofcourse never billed the insurance...and the claim went past its statute date so they wanted the $ from me instead. What's funniest is that I got a letter from the collection agency...that said "on the request of our customer we are removing all record...blah blah blah"

Screw you NCO Financial of Torrance CALIFORNIA! Sleazy bastards can't even appologize for @#%$ your credit through their incompetence.

Now that that's taken care off...I'm quite curious how much this thing disappearing will raise my credit score

Nco is the worst. If it was your only derog and you have no late pays showing, 50-80 points