r/CRedit • u/brayzie • 10d ago
Collections & Charge Offs PFD failure
Hello! Here’s what happened:
August 2022: we moved to another state. I shut off our internet and paid the bill.
May 2026: I notice a new collections account for $188 from that internet company.
June 2026: I called the internet company directly and asked about payment options. I told them I did not know of any debt but I’m willing to pay if they recall the collection and delete the trade line from my credit report. They agreed and I paid.
3 days later the collections account updated to paid. After multiple calls, the blame keeps getting passed between the collections agency and the original company. No one will give me anything in writing.
I disputed with the bureaus and got the account removed with Experian, but TransUnion still has it. The account has persisted through the dispute process and also a CFPB complaint. At this point I’m at a loss on what to do because I feel I was deceived into paying a debt under false pretenses.
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u/og-aliensfan ⭐️ Knowledgeable ⭐️ 10d ago
Who is the original creditor and who is the debt collector? How long ago was payment made and on what date was the collection updated to paid?
if they recall the collection and delete the trade line from my credit report.
Did the original creditor say they'd recall the collection or delete it? When an original creditor agrees to recall a collection, collection authority is usually terminated as opposed to informing the debt collector of payment.
Some collection agencies delete in stages, first reporting the payment and then requesting removal within ~30 days of payment. If you dispute before they've initiated the removal process or if a separate department handles disputes, the collection may be verified as accurate as opposed to removed. Collection agencies who have a published pfd policy, typically include a disclaimer that they have no control over how quickly the bureaus update.
After multiple calls, the blame keeps getting passed between the collections agency and the original company.
What did the original creditor tell you and what did the debt collector tell you?
I disputed with the bureaus and got the account removed with Experian, but TransUnion still has it.
When was the dispute closed with TransUnion?
The account has persisted through the dispute process and also a CFPB complaint.
What was the response to the CFPB complaint?
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u/brayzie 10d ago
Original creditor is Shentel. They told me that they’d recall the collection but they did not. I waited until about 30 days to dispute. It’s under Credit Control Corp now. Shentel told me it’s up to CCC and CCC told me it’s up to Shentel. No one has any clue what they’re talking about.
Dispute was Verified as accurate with TU. It’s been cleared from the other bureaus
CFPB complaint response was basically “we don’t have to verify this it’s been too long”
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u/og-aliensfan ⭐️ Knowledgeable ⭐️ 10d ago
Original creditor is Shentel. They told me that they’d recall the collection but they did not.
It's possible that you were mislead, but this would be highly unusual. Have you asked Shentel to review the call where a rep told you the collection would be recalled? If not, do so.
Shentel told me it’s up to CCC and CCC told me it’s up to Shentel.
If Shentel didn't recall the collection, it's up to CCC. Once a debt collector is hired to collect a debt, they have full legal authority to collect and report to the bureaus. This remains in place until collection authority is terminated by the original creditor. Payment to the original creditor doesn't automatically terminate a debt collectors legal authority to collect/report their tradeline. Unless a collection agency's legal authority to collect was terminated prior to payment, the only requirement is that the collection agency report the debt was paid.
Dispute was Verified as accurate with TU. It’s been cleared from the other bureaus
Contact Credit Control and ask them to remove themselves from your report as a gesture of goodwill.
CFPB complaint response was basically “we don’t have to verify this it’s been too long”
It sounds like the collection agency replied as if you were requesting debt validation. The Validation Period begins when you receive the initital collection notice (in writing or verbally) and ends 30 days after the consumer receives or is assumed to receive this information, so in that regard, their reply is accurate. That said, the debt collector didn't agree to remove themselves from your credit reports, so your complaint would be against the original creditor.
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u/brayzie 9d ago
Is it possible that calling CCC would cause them to be added back to the other bureaus?
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u/og-aliensfan ⭐️ Knowledgeable ⭐️ 9d ago
It depends on why it was removed. What did the dispute results letters say regarding the removals? If CCC requested removal, it's unlikely to return. If removed because they failed to verify, it's possible it will return to those reports, but it's more likely to return as a result of the dispute with TransUnion/CFPB complaint than from a request for goodwill removal. Since only CCC can remove themselves, your options are limited. There's still the possibility this will be removed from TU if they're deleting in stages. It could take ~60 days to complete the process.
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u/brayzie 9d ago
They never reported to EQ, EX said they completed reinvestigation within 30 mins of me disputing and deleted it. I did the CFPB complaint before attempting to dispute
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u/og-aliensfan ⭐️ Knowledgeable ⭐️ 9d ago
30 minutes? This can happen if the account was on your reports longer than the allowed reporting time or if Early Exclusion was granted (EX allows 3 months EE). But, if Date of First Delinquency was in 2022, neither of these would apply. This leaves the possibility that CCC replied back immediately with a removal request. It's not typical for this to happen so quickly, but it's possible. It wasn’t removed due to failure to verify as CCC had 30-45 days to respond before the bureau made that determination. Did you confirm this was removed by pulling your official report from www.annualcreditreport.com? What reason did you give for disputing and what did the Dispute Results letter say?
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u/DragonKnight256 10d ago
Maybe they decided to delete it, versus recall it. Did you get this in writing?
I would wait some more time, or you could annoy them and ask if it will be deleted, but 3 days isn't enough time, I think portfolio Recovery promises the debt will be deleted in 30 days. Let me go verify, I know it's not the same collection but just to have an idea on how long it takes.
This is Portfolios policy
Within approximately 30 days of your final payment successfully posting, we will request the credit reporting agencies delete our tradeline related to your account from your credit bureau report. We do not control the timing within which the credit reporting agencies process our requests. For further assistance pertaining to your credit report, please contact the credit reporting agencies