Please to forgive

[Iwonder?]

ca
I am sure that this has been asked a number of times. This thing is I did scour the boards to find my answer and I got impatient. I am ready for people to rag on me if they must but this is the situation.

I FINALLY got to look at my credit report, why I waited so long, heck if I know. I knew it was bad but really could do nothing about it.

Now I have about 4 negative marks ( lingo) on my report. All from the same credit agency all under $100 or about that. I want to consolidate them and I called to see if that could happen a few years back and asked for a statement of some sort.
I made a payment at the time.

They are all medical copay situations where I swear I never got ANY calls on them. Yes I got statements but am really bad at mail. So my bad I KNOW.

I am still able to see my doctor, they NEVER brought up the old balances... They barely ask for my co-pays.

So sorry to make a long story short. I want to get this off my report. I have a new one that I called on and they said let us call you back. I said I wanted to make a payment so it does not get on my record. and they said they would call me back. I called back after 3 days and said I was ready to make a payment .. And They Said They Would Call me back. One lady said they are so swamped they can hardly make calls out.

I want to know if I ever get a call back on this, and I pay them back in installments how do I ask them to consolidate and maybe get this stuff off my credit report.

I have nothing positive on my report at this time and want to do a "loan against myself" so I can get some credit started, but since I cannot even deal with the bad stuff, I am lost how it would help if I did.

Please to reply, I am not a deadbeat just a fool. I only maybe owe <$500 but want to make sure when I do honor these debts I am not just a teenager starting out with no credit.

Help?
I have perused your answers and really respect a bunch of you. I hope I have supplied enough info.

Thanks in advance.

 

[echogirl3142]

simple answer is to pay them. then see if a bank or credit card company will give a secured loan/credit card to start building positive credit.

 

[Iwonder?]

um well thanks...

I am planning on paying, I guess I did not make myself clear. I need to get all of the charge-offs settled and they are all from the same creditor... The other charge-offs I have had in my life I have paid in full, they were the most persistent. Those now still show on my report because I did not deal with the creditors but the collection agencies. (I have had dealt with my share). they are to "drop off" soon. (within a year so I am not so worried about them)

This Collection agency takes the cake. I call them to make a payment and they say let us get back to you, HUH? I thought maybe the building was on fire, or Johnny Depp walked in... something? They do not pressure me and this time I want them too! This is the last bad stuff on my report!

So I heard that if I speak with the creditor ( My doctors office) that they may make a deal with me and they could tell the collection agency ( who will NOT call me back) to take these petty charge-offs off they are the newest so will show the longest on my report ( 4-7 years). The billing office does not have records going back far enough to let me know what I owe, and I want to find the total out from this collection agency so maybe we can make a deal. But they WILL not call me back. I am embarrassed to say I lost my free credit report with the account numbers and I am also a dunce as if I can get another one free without paying too much. Or if I should How I should.

I am sorry If I am not using the correct lingo. I have seen StephenH and others here to really be coherent and try to let us know the way to go. I hope to get someone who really knows this stuff.

Thank you,

 

[Proserpina]

I am planning on paying, I guess I did not make myself clear. I need to get all of the charge-offs settled and they are all from the same creditor... The other charge-offs I have had in my life I have paid in full, they were the most persistent. Those now still show on my report because I did not deal with the creditors but the collection agencies. (I have had dealt with my share). they are to "drop off" soon. (within a year so I am not so worried about them)

This Collection agency takes the cake. I call them to make a payment and they say let us get back to you, HUH? I thought maybe the building was on fire, or Johnny Depp walked in... something? They do not pressure me and this time I want them too! This is the last bad stuff on my report!

So I heard that if I speak with the creditor ( My doctors office) that they may make a deal with me and they could tell the collection agency ( who will NOT call me back) to take these petty charge-offs off they are the newest so will show the longest on my report ( 4-7 years). The billing office does not have records going back far enough to let me know what I owe, and I want to find the total out from this collection agency so maybe we can make a deal. But they WILL not call me back. I am embarrassed to say I lost my free credit report with the account numbers and I am also a dunce as if I can get another one free without paying too much. Or if I should How I should.

I am sorry If I am not using the correct lingo. I have seen StephenH and others here to really be coherent and try to let us know the way to go. I hope to get someone who really knows this stuff.

Thank you,

Go to the free credit site again - you're entitled to a free report every year from EACH of them.

Just pick one of the two you didn't use last time.

 

[applecruncher]

So sorry to make a long story short.

You haven't - you made a short story long.

Forget about phone calls; waste of time. You're going around in circles mkaing calls and waiting on return calls. Don't get into discussions with collections agencies - communicate in writing and insist that they do the same.If you owe the debts, pay them and insist on getting a letter saying the debt is paid in full.
You can easily dispute something on your credit report yourself - you can do it online and then check back wiht the credit reporting agencies to make sure things have been resolved.

 

[Iwonder?]

my bad

Proserina thanks! I feel like a dweeb that I do not know these things. I will do that and how! I appreciate your answer.

Applecruncher

I am sorry to have made long story longer.

I just thought if I could get the numbers together with the billing manager with the Creditor rather than the collection agency I would have some what do you call it, I do not know, um Leverage? to get them to take off the charge-offs.

Well thank you very much for your input, I knew I was a a novice at this. I am now at a later age cleaning up my act and just wanted to know the best way to do it.

I cleaned up everything else but it still shows until it "drops-off" I just thought I got lucky having the same 4-5 dings from the same creditor and could work with them.

In writing, I got it. ( I just wish they had sent me something themselves.. hindsight)
Thank you again.

 

[echogirl3142]

not to be rude, but you have no "leverage" for anything, and honestly you don't need any.

you owe the money...it's already in collections (or so it sounds)...pay it...in 7ish years it will "drop off" your report...

until then work on building POSITIVE credit(something like a secured credit card, secured loan, maybe even something unsecured if you can find someone willing)

NO ONE is going to "remove" a valid debt from your credit report if it's already on the report and is valid(and you've said yourself it's valid), and if you dispute valid debts with the CB's you're just wasting more of your time.

good luck.

 

[Iwonder?]

You weren't rude. I know I owe. I just wish I could go thru this life doing all the right things, you know start over.( don't we all_

I am just trying to do that with my credit, right my wrongs. Thank you for the advice.

I just use search engines too much and saw that I can try to get things cleared on my credit by working with them.

Next life I will try not to be such a loser, promise.