Question regarding a collection given to 2 differnet agencies for 1 account

[Jerseysoulja]

Sounderella, i'm not sure I understand what you mean. Are you saying I should get proof that I did pay the collection agency through my bank? Would I need that information plus the statement from the collection agency stating that I paid as well? As far as Sprint, i'm done with them. Everytime I call them its like talking to a wall. They dont know what they're doing. Their rep accessed my billing information and all it says is that the account was closed in August of 2006. She couldnt find anything about collections. It seems like every time I call I get a different answer about my account. Hopefully thats good news for me, as far as the investigation from the credit bureaus is concerned.

[sounderella]

Yeah Jersey...that's what I'm saying. When we bought our house we got an FHA loan and with those loans you cannot have ANY collections. Well my dh had some back from when he was a lot younger.....although there were some he had paid. So we had to go waaaaaaay back and find canceled checks. I wouldn't trust Sprint at this point. They were quick to send you to collections even though you paid, I would just do everything to cover my butt at this point.

Although if Sprint doesn't show anything regarding a collection, the dispute will probably prove fruitful. When you dispute something the collection agency must have proof that you indeed owe the debt.

[Saving in So Cal]

Somewhat off point -- you mentioned you were "deployed" at the time of the collections. That suggests to me that you might be in the military service. If so, do you have access to any free basic legal services through the military? For some reason, I thought a company could not send the debt of a military service person to collections while the person was stationed outside of the country. In my experience, military legal personnel are very aggressive in protecting these types of rights and will sometimes write letters to offending companies. You may wish to inquire at your base. It could help you get things resolved more quickly.

Also, IMHO if a Sprint representative has acknowledged that something has been reported inappropriately, then Sprint should be doing what needs to be done to rectify the problem. It irks me when company makes a mistake and then takes the position that it is the customer's obligation to fix it.

[Jerseysoulja]

Saving in So Cal, yes I am in the military and you have a good point. I didnt even think of involving the military, or at least seeking advice from them. Also, in a previous post I stated I filed disputes with the credit bureaus over the phone, which after the fact I realized wasn't enough, as they can only investigate what is on your credit report, and any other information helping with the investigation would have to be sent to the credit bureaus themselves. I dont know if you read my situation but it involves 2 different collection agencies, AFNI and RPM. I paid AFNI in full, they didnt report anything. RPM sent me a collections notice later for the same account, they did report it. That is my dispute. My plan was to send the bureaus both statements to help with the investigation. AFNI did send me theirs, however it seems RPM is giving me the run-around. They said they sent the statement over a week ago, now they are saying it wasnt sent until earlier this week, and it will take 10 to 15 days to recieve it. My question is by that time would it be too long in sending this information to the credit bureaus, as I originally filed the dispute at the end of december? Could I just send the credit bureaus the statement from AFNI, as they could access the information they need from RPM directly, as they are on my credit report? I hope all of that was explained clearly. Thanks.

[Saving in So Cal]

I honestly don't know how long a credit bureau keeps a complaint file open, so I can't help you there.

Also, the fact that you've paid the $40 does not necessarily mean the matter comes off your report. It has been awhile since I've dealt with such matters, but I believe there is some type of "late, but paid" category.

The reason I've suggested you talk to your base legal services is that, even assuming you owed the money, which is not clear to me, the items probably should not have been sent to collection while you were overseas. If I am right, then you may be able to resolve the whole mess by simply providing the bureau with proof that you were deployed at the time the collections activity occurred.

[Exile]

The reason I've suggested you talk to your base legal services is that, even assuming you owed the money, which is not clear to me, the items probably should not have been sent to collection while you were overseas. If I am right, then you may be able to resolve the whole mess by simply providing the bureau with proof that you were deployed at the time the collections activity occurred.

What Saving in So Cal is referring to is the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act, which was originally enacted to protect civilian draftees. It may not cover those who were already in the service at the time they incurred debts with which they later had a problem, even if they were later deployed overseas.

This was the interpretaion by which the last company that I worked with, an auto finance company, made its determination for example regarding lowering interest rates for those who enlisted before they bought and financed their vehicles. And believe me, we had a quite a few military accounts.

So Jerseysoulja, you may not be protected after all, but this is strictly IMHO, so do get a qualified legal opinion in this matter.