Repairing credit

[NafZ]

Hello all. I'm sure this is a recurring topic here. I've searched around the forums, but haven't been able to locate something to address this issue. Of course, if there is a previous discussion about this, please share the link.

 

A few years ago, when I was 19, I was in the hospital for surgery. The hospital charged an exorbitant fee, with extraneous charges. As these charges were being disputed, the bill went to collection.

 

The bill has since been paid, to the collection agency, but, of course, it's a stain on my credit report. The bill was paid off by my father, btw, who really doesn't have any legal access to my accounts.

(I'm not blaming him, I'm thankful for it, but I'm curious how the collection agency can accept his closing of the account.)

 

Anyway, I have gotten a letter from the collection agency saying that the account has been paid in full, but I'm curious if there is a way to remove this from my credit report entirely.

 

Thank you in advance, and with much appreciation.

[bbjdb]

If the bill was paid to the CA. You can try the Pre-Hipaa letter to remove. Because it was to the CA there is no guarantee it will work. Please opt out and delete old addresses. Wait about two weeks and send as directed.

http://whychat.5u.com/

 

PRE HIPAA LETTER MEDICAL DISPUTE

 

You dispute medical accounts this way:

 

Dear CRA,

My name is xxxxx xxxxxx , my SS # is xxx xx xxxx.

I am sending this dispute certified mail # xxxx to make sure you receive it.

I have no knowledge or records of account # xxxxx on my report # xxxxx.

Please advise me as to the name and address of the medical provider, the date and type of service,and to whom the service was provided.

If you can obtain this information, I also would need the name of the person providing this data, and the manner in which it was provided in order that I may pursue additional legal remedies.

Very truly yours,

 

xxxxxx

Make sure you HAND ADDRESS the envelope, use personalized stationery and purple or teal font, ( preferably italic).

 

DO NOT send it RR -WAIT FOR THE FULL RESPONSE FROM THE CRA BEFORE CONTINUING WITH THE HIPAA LETTER PROCESS

Why Chat's Credit Confusion Home

[NafZ]

Ok, showing my newbie colors here... why should I use the font color you mentioned, etc. Is it just to show that it is clearly not an official letter? Thanks.

[bbjdb]

Ok, showing my newbie colors here... why should I use the font color you mentioned, etc. Is it just to show that it is clearly not an official letter? Thanks.

From earlier post by Whychat:

 

The idea is to make your dispute letter unscannable with the automated computer reading programs. The BEST way is to use hand written, longhand on yellow legal pad lined paper. If doing it on your computer, use a script font and purple or teal font, which is also more difficult for the "reading"programs to decipher ( at least with the current computer programs the CRA's use). RR = return receipt. You send it certified mail but NOT with a return receipt ( green card) requested as that requires someone signing for it at their Post Office. It is VERY important that you hand address the envelope, ( printing legibly) this will insure that your dispute is OBVIOUSLY a "consumer" dispute and will be afforded LIVE handling in the USA by a person, and not shifted into an automatic response system.

[NafZ]

Ok, awesome. Will do. I'll update as it happens, and thanks so much.

[NafZ]

Ok, I sent out a letter to the CRA (Experian), but I suppose I should have sent one to Equifax as well (interestingly enough, I don't seem to have a credit report with TU) I also sent a letter to the CA.

 

Here's a bit more of the story.

 

I was never informed from the hospital that the account will be going to collection.

 

Furthermore, after receiving from the hospital an itemized list of charges, many charges were disputed (like $590 for a bed sheet, etc.) While this was going on, it seems, the account went to collection. Can I use these facts as leverage against the hospital? Should I send a letter to the hospital? And, since the item already went to collection, and was paid to the CA, would sending a letter to the hospital solve anything?

 

Thanks, again.

 

 

Neil

[NafZ]

<bump!>

[NafZ]

Ok...

 

Got mail back from the CA, which verified the account, had my signature on some stuff from the hospital (grrr), etc.

 

I just fired off a letter to the hospital (the OC) telling them to delete the TL, cause they didn't tell me the account was going to go to collection, and the account was under dispute when it did. Hope it works.

 

Just a question; do they even have the power to remove the TL if it was reported by the CA to the CRA? Thanks.

 

 

Neil

[Why Chat]

Ok...

 

Got mail back from the CA, which verified the account, had my signature on some stuff from the hospital (grrr), etc.

 

I just fired off a letter to the hospital (the OC) telling them to delete the TL, cause they didn't tell me the account was going to go to collection, and the account was under dispute when it did. Hope it works.

 

Just a question; do they even have the power to remove the TL if it was reported by the CA to the CRA? Thanks.

 

 

Neil

I don't know what kind of letter you "fired off" to the OC, but if you didn't use the HIPAA letter, insert "b" you will likely not have much luck in getting a deletion.

 

http://whychat.5u.com/hipltr.html

Edited June 17, 2007 by Why Chat

[NafZ]

I couldn't really use HIPAA, cause I already communicated with the CA. Instead, I used a variant of the nutcase letter, and HIPAA, saying that they had no right to send my account to collection while it was under dispute. And, as well, they never informed me that it was going to go to collection.

 

I hope something of that sort works. I suppose if it doesn't I can formulate something else....

Thanks for the response, WhyChat.

 

 

 

 

Neil

[NafZ]

Update!!!

 

I got a letter from the CRA that the account is verified. "Additional information has been provided from the original source regarding this item".

 

Does that refer to the letter I got from the CA? Because I also sent a letter to the CA, and they sent me back information, but I don't know if it's because of the letter I sent them, or from the CRA.

 

There is no 'additional information' from the original source in the letter that the CRA sent to me. So all in all, I'm just confused.

 

 

I sent a letter to the hospital itself, certified, and tracking has said that it hasn't been picked up yet... Any way to get them to pick it up, while still having it tracked?

 

Confused and abused here.

[NafZ]

<bump!>

[Why Chat]

<bump!>

It is very difficult to help anyone who refuses to pay attention to the advice that is given here.

 

OF COURSE the CA "verified" your disputed "paid" collection account, you made SURE they would because of your ongoing and extensive correspondence with them and the OC.

 

Your account was paid, your reports show a paid collection account, that is ACCURATE reporting.

 

You "threw away" your ONE opportunity to get a deletion by your ongoing communication with the CA and the OC while you were disputing.

[NafZ]

The contact that I made with the CA was before I even heard of creditboards. It appeared to me that the logical thing to do would be to speak to the people trying to get money from me. Never even occured to me that ignoring them would make the problem go away...

Now that I'm here, though, I realize I got myself into an awful mess. The problem is, is it possible to get out? This where I stand:

 

The CA itself sent verification, and the CRA sent a letter saying that the CA will send verification. The collection itself is paid, and that is what is being reported.

 

The issue that I have, though, is that the hospital didn't inform me that the debt was going to collection, and furthermore, sent it to collection while the debt was under dispute. So, I was wondering if I can get a deletion, not based on Hipaa, but based on the fact that they didn't follow the OC rules.

 

Also, the debt was paid to the CA by my father, who legally, should have had no access to the account. Can I force a deletion through the CA, seeing as they allowed others access to my account?

 

Please excuse the ignorance. Just looking for some advice...

 

Thanks WhyChat!

Edited July 4, 2007 by NafZ

[Why Chat]

The contact that I made with the CA was before I even heard of creditboards.

The CA itself sent verification, and the CRA sent a letter saying that the CA will send verification. The collection itself is paid, and that is what is being reported.

 

Please excuse the ignorance. Just looking for some advice...

 

Thanks WhyChat!

OK, lets start over.

Whats done is done.

You have NO WAY of "unwinding" the payment by your Dad to the OC. His payment DID NOT create any HIPAA violation as apparently your bill was sent to HIS address and he opened it and paid it.

 

Have you opted out??

Have you deleted old addresses ( if you have moved)??

 

There is NO "violation" of any OC directions by the CA as the OC properly notified the CA that the bill was paid and the CA properly reported it as paid.

 

A PAID medical collection account on your reports is NOT hurting your credit scores very much ( if at all).

 

Is your report absolutely CLEAN other than this one account??

 

If so, then wait 6 Months and try an "obsolete" dispute on this paid medical account.

 

You dispute accounts this way:

 

Dear CRA,

 

My name is xxxxx xxxxxx , my SS # is xxx xx xxxx.

 

I am sending this dispute certified mail # xxxx to make sure you receive it.

 

I have no knowledge or records of account # xxxxx on my report # xxxxx.

 

Please advise me as to the name and address of the original creditor, the name of the account holder, and the reported date of first delinquency,as any account I might have had at one time would be obsolete.

 

If you can obtain this information, I also would need the name of the person providing this data, and the manner in which it was provided in order that I may pursue additional legal remedies.

 

Very truly yours,

 

xxxxxx

Make sure you HAND ADDRESS the envelope, use personalized stationery and purple or teal font, ( preferably italic).

 

DO NOT send it RR

[tawny]

Ok...

 

Got mail back from the CA, which verified the account, had my signature on some stuff from the hospital (grrr), etc.

 

I just fired off a letter to the hospital (the OC) telling them to delete the TL, cause they didn't tell me the account was going to go to collection, and the account was under dispute when it did. Hope it works.

 

Just a question; do they even have the power to remove the TL if it was reported by the CA to the CRA? Thanks.

 

 

Neil

I don't know what kind of letter you "fired off" to the OC, but if you didn't use the HIPAA letter, insert "b" you will likely not have much luck in getting a deletion.

 

http://whychat.5u.com/hipltr.html

 

Please forgive a newbie question.....whycat, why the teal or purple font when sending the dispute letter?

[NafZ]

Thanks for the info.

 

I have already opted out, and have no old addresses. I have also already sent that letter to the CRA. The response was what I have detalied above. Basically, verification of the account. I'm not sure where to go from there.

 

As per the previous posters question, the reason for the font color is so that the letter must be read by a human being. It's difficult for those colors to be scanned and read by a computer.

 

The reason why you want a human being, is because a computer may just give you a formulaic response.

I think.

 

 

NafZ

[Why Chat]

The ONLY solution that MIGHT work is a bombardment of complaints to the FTC and your State AG office and the BBB and continued disputes on line and by mail against the CRA and the reporting/verifying CA. I don't really see any leverage against the OC unless you can PROVE communication between the OC and CA after the account was paid in full.

[NafZ]

Gotcha. Ok, will try. Let's hope it works, and thanks for the info.

 

 

 

NafZ

[tawny]

Thanks for the info.

 

I have already opted out, and have no old addresses. I have also already sent that letter to the CRA. The response was what I have detalied above. Basically, verification of the account. I'm not sure where to go from there.

 

As per the previous posters question, the reason for the font color is so that the letter must be read by a human being. It's difficult for those colors to be scanned and read by a computer.

 

The reason why you want a human being, is because a computer may just give you a formulaic response.

I think.

 

 

NafZ

 

Geez....I've learned more since joining this forum than I ever dreamed! I just want to thank everyone for all the information....this forum has given me hope when I was very much ready to give up.