So does a business have to "sick" a collection agency on you  BEFORE reporting to a credit bureau? Thanks
99654
No, if you have credit with the company they usually report monthly or so. If you get your credit report it will tell you what months you were late over 30, 60 or 90. When it goes into Collection...well, thats a red flag. They have a section on your credit report for things like that and bankrupcy.
775008
As far as I know, as soon as the payment is past due they can turn you in to collections.  Usually it takes a few months though before they do that, as they will have to give a cut of the monies collected to the collection firm.
504030
Unlike a credit card, you didn't apply to get sick or hurt..\nI think because of that, those kind of bills are less likely to appear on your credit report...but you should make an effort to pay them...
145731
Actually any one can do it. If you owe a business money and you decide not to pay it most businesses instead of going to court will give it to a collection agency which intern sends you a nice letter and then if you dont pay it they put a nice spot on your credit.  Yes you know about any borrowing institututions who do it regually.  But through a collection agency almost anyone can.  If you see any you can dispute it though.
8545
I believe that credit consolidation companies work with any company that you owe money to, including original creditors and collection agencies.  You might want to ask before you sign up with anyone just to be sure.
1184395
It depends on what agency he used to pull your credit. Some creditors only report to certain bureaus. maybe they'll report to equifax and not transunion. If could be that the creditors you have may have only reported to two of the three agencys. Highly unlikely but possible. Tell your guy to use CreditPlus. That's who I use. I'm a mortgage guy too. Basically it costs money to report you to the bureaus. so if your creditors are cheap than it may just be that they only reported you to the cheaper bureaus and not all of them. Most credit cards will report you to all three bureaus but some smaller ones will only report you to some.
972602
Yes I do! But read because its not just that simple\n\n\nThat’s good that you tried to repair your credit yourself before you decided to pay someone. Now that you know how aggravating the credit bureaus are to deal with, you need to find a legitimate company. Let me tell you; they are far and few between. I tried to repair my credit myself and gave up. Then I hired a company in California called a “Fresh Start” they charged me $695 and stole my money. I never heard back from them. It turns out it was a complete scam. \n\nStill very serious and skeptical about repairing my credit, the 2nd time around, I researched quite a few different companies. I finally decided on a company in Florida called Credit Network. They are a smaller company and they really know what they are doing. They also didn’t charge anything upfront except for a small setup fee, after that they charge $49 mo, after the work is performed for the previous month. When I started I had 73 negative items between all 3 bureaus! That was about 8 months ago, and they have deleted all but 17 bad items. They were realistic when they said it could take over a year, buts that’s fine with me, because they followed through on what they said.     \n\nSomething very important….. The bad debts that you say you owe; you need to pay them off. I don’t care if you settle them or pay them in full, eventually you need to pay them off because if you don’t, there is a very good possibility they will pop back up on your credit after you delete them. I was told that debts get sold and resold, even after the statute of limitations. So if you are as serious as you sound about repairing your credit, you have to pay them off!! \n\nOh yeah, here is the link to them http://www.expert-credit-advice.com/credit_repair_service.htm  \n\nand the home page: \nhttp://www.expert-credit-advice.com/
174901
Please enlighten us!\n\nI've never heard of a collection agent calling and posing as a collection bureau.  What line did they use?
419453
Max, it's VERY important how the information is reported on your credit report, as it effects how your credit score is calculate\n\nBelow is what the law says.  I'm amazed at how many people keep getting this wrong.  It's written quite plainly so anyone can understand it.  \n\nThe date for reporting begins on the day you defaulted on the loan.  In your case, once your medical services were finished payment is generally due immediately.  If they send you a bill, there is usually a "pay by" date.  That is your default date.  \n\nIf anyone tells you it's the date of the last transaction, the day you last talked to them, the day you pay it off....they are either wrong or just lieing to you.  \n\nBy the way, if you pay off this debt, be sure to get IN WRITING that they will remove this listing from your report.  Otherwise, all they will do is show the account is paid, but the negative reports such as paid late, or sent to collections, will still remain.  Your credit will still be ruined, even though you paid the debt!  Does that make sense to you?\n\nHere is the law:\n\n\n§ 605. Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports [15 U.S.C. § 1681c]\n\n(a) Information excluded from consumer reports. Except as authorized under subsection (b) of this section, no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information:\n\n(4) Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years.(1)\n\n(1) In general. The 7-year period referred to in paragraphs (4) and (6)(2) of subsection (a) shall begin, with respect to any delinquent account that is placed for collection (internally or by referral to a third party, whichever is  earlier), charged to profit and loss, or subjected to any similar action, upon the expiration of the 180-day period  beginning on the date of the commencement of the delinquency which immediately preceded the collection activity, charge to profit and loss, or similar action.\n\nUpdated Reply...\n\nJC, this is another example of what pisses me off with you collectors.  YOU can't read!  Read my message again!  The law I quoted is right from the FTC website, and (to me) is fairly obvious.  Where does it say "last charge" or "last payment in the above paragraphs?  \n\nAnd the ONLY thing that can remain on your credit report for more then 7 years is a Bankruptcy.  We are not even discussing that, so why scare people by bringing that up?  \n\nAgain, I will ask you to point me to a source for your information.  I will not accept "because I'm a professional bill collector".  This only proves my point!  If you need more evidence, I will be happy to point out FTC commission position papers, case laws, and state laws that prove you wrong.\n\nEvery response I have seen from you in this forum is always the same. "Pay your bill!".  God!  You make a great collection agent!  You got that part memorized.  But what do you say to the 75 year old lady who just spend 3 months in the hospital and is now $25,000 in debt for medical bills, and can't make that $100 credit card payment?  Oh yeah, right...."Pay your bill!".
268725
HELL NO YOU CAN'T GET IN TROUBLE!!!! stupid collection agencies will say anything to get you to pay up. a company called me once saying that i must really hate my preemie newborn if i wouldn't cough up the $20,000 for his medical care which the insurance handled eventually. idiots told me they could have my son taken away. \nthe worst thing they can do is report it to the credit bureau and if you're in collections they have already done that. \nbesides, you keep going off on them like that and maybe they'll quit calling you back.
660755
Again, many wrong answers.  Wish you folks would take the time to read the Fair Credit Reporting Act and get your facts straight.\n\nYou have two dates to worry about.\n\nThe credit agencies report your debt for 7 years, beginning on the day of default.  NOT the date of charge off, date the collection agency reports it, or the date it's sent to a new collection agency!  If you owed a bill on Jan 1, 1999, and missed that payment, THAT is your default date, and it will not change!  There is even a position paper issued by the Federal Trade Commission that states this fact very clearly.  I do not understand why collection agencies tell you otherwise, other then the fact they are lying!  \n\nMany times, when a collection agency gets the account, they may not know the deliquency date, or they will bump the date up for whatever reason.  This is called "aging the debt" and it's illegal!  \n\nYour other concern is the Statute of Limitations.  This date varies from state to state from 4-10 years.  So you need to check what your state's SOL is...see the link below for that info.\n\nThat date begins on the last recorded transaction.  Again, using the above example, of you made a late payment on March 1, 1999, that is the beginning of your SOL.  There are a few other examples, but they get legally involved, so I won't go into it now.\n\nAfter the SOL has run out, you no longer have a legal obligation to pay the debt.  If they attempt to sue you, you simply file a motion to dismiss based on the expiration of the SOL, and it will be quickly dismissed by the judge.\n\nSo....do you pay?\n\nThat's where you gamble.  If the debt is large, it may be worth the effort of a collector to sue you.  If that collector is in the same area/state, that makes it even easier and more likely they will sue.  \n\nIf you want to try and hide out for another year, it's up to you.  but once they find you, and if they win a judgement, that will be on your credit report for 7 years, and they can continue to try and collect for a long time.
276139
If they send your account to collection and they report your payment delinquency to the credit bureaus, then that could hurt your credit rating.\n\nI suggest you first check out your contract. I'm sure there will be provisions as to what happens when you pull out of it. There will be penalties but paying a few hundreds can still save you a lot of money compared to paying for the whole thing. I'm sure that you are not the first who have pulled out of the contract after signing it.\n\nTalk to them and explain your situation that while you want to honor the contract, your circumstances have changed and you have decided otherwise. \n\nThere are easier (and cheaper) ways to start an online business. But I can see how the promise of them handling everything for you can be very attractive to some. This is a costly mistake, so next time before signing anything, check first if the contract provides for an exit door :o)
184747
If you don't pay off your credit card, the debt will be turned over to a collection agency.  It will stay on your credit report as a bad debt until it is rectified.  In extreme cases companies have been known to file a lien against an individual and their assets. (It does not go to a "credit bureau")
192357
Once a bad debt (charge off) is reported to the credit reporting agency, it stays there for 7 years.  It will stay there unless the creditor tells them to remove it.\n\nTherefore, if you pay off the debt, the creditor >>>CAN<<< remove the negative report.  However, many of them will not do it unless forced to do so.\n\nOnce you have paid them off, you no longer have any leverage to force them to do anything.  Remember, collection agents don't give a darn about you, they just want their money.  \n\nThat is why it's so important to GET IN WRITING before you pay them anything that they will remove the report from your record once the debt is paid.\n\nWhy in the world would you pay them and still have a bad credit rating?  \n\nUse the sample letter below as a guide, and negotiate a settlement with them.
774735
Most companies don't sue right away for credit card debt; they send it to collection agencies first to try to collect your balance or work out a payment plan.  However, first answerer is correct.  If they do file suit against you, then they must have a summons issued and served on you personally (whether by cert. mail, the sheriff, a process server, etc.), then you have time to answer in the court case.
1147915
Some do... at the FatWallet forums (which I'll link to), they've compiled a list of the financial institutions (as well as some other companies) that are known to do a "hard pull" on your credit report (which messes it up) for non-credit accounts.\n\nhttp://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?start=0&catid=52&threadid=260724
276293
A negative report looks the same on your credit report no matter how much it's for.\n\nI am finding that the medical field has a very good group of collection agents.  It takes an expert just to figure out your insurance policies.  \n\nWhat do they pay?  What do you pay?  Did you get pre-approved?  Does it cover the proceedure?  Do collection agents get a discount on brain surgery?\n\nWhen the patient is sitting in front of the insurance person in the hospital, they really don't care what it cost or who is gonna pay...they are in pain!  \n\nWhen the bills finally come, it's a terrible feeling.  Now what are they going to do?\n\nJust do your best to work with the medical provider.  They usually will bend over backwords to work with you, or help you get some assistance.