“Dear Steve,
I had a credit card with Sears back in 1996 and due to job layoff’s I fell behind in payments and the account was sold to a collection agency. Well over time I used other credit cards and I was out of control that I used a credit counseling agency to help me pay down my debt.
Well Sears charged the account off with a 0 balance, but another collection agency bought the account and now they reported to the credit bureau as collections misc. and a balance of $1040.
The original bill was $800.Sears has a charge off in the month of FEB this year. I really want to get rid of this account for good and I want to pay it off,but if I pay it and I still have a bad score what is the use.
what steps can I do to get this off my credit report?
Midland Funding Collection Agency reported and I haven’t spoke to nobody from the agency.
Can I get two bad credit ratings for the same account?
Priscilla”
Dear Priscilla,
So let’s see if I’ve got this straight. You stopped paying the Sears account in 1996 or did you make payments on the Sears account through a credit counseling program?
You said you used a credit counseling program to pay down your debt but not pay off your debt. So are you still on the credit counseling program?
About what month and year did you make your last payment on the Sears account either by yourself or through the credit counseling agency?
And it appears Sears charged off the account but do you know if Midland Funding is a third-party debt collector or the owner of the account now?
Let’s start with the last payment question and work our way forward. I just need some clarity to best help you.
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Priscilla, Sears is reporting a $0 balance because they sold/transferred your account to either Midland or another lender. The account will not go away until you make some arrangements on the account and keep to them. Usually a creditor will send your account to a new collection if payments stopped at the old the collection agency. I can imagine your balance was always higher with the new collection compared to the last time you paid a prior agency, as interest was probably added. Unfortunately, there is no magic way to get your bad debts off your credit report, but by contacting Midland with a plan to pay off your account should be a start in the right direction to resolve your account.
Hi Steve,
To answer your question I opened the Sears account in 1996 and I made payments to a credit couseling only after I got in trouble.I paid down all my cards except Sears.I figured that I could pay this one on my own without the fee’s the agency was charging,so I thought I could handle it myself.Collections agencies were calling every few months and I paid some of them but each time it was a different one the balance started over. I felt like i was being taken advantage of so I stopped paying.Haven’dt heard from anyone until now and it’s been at least 5yrs or more.MidlandFunding I think owns the account now and the phone calls are endless.Why is Sears reporting a 0 balance in FEB of this year and it.s been years since a payment was made,How do I handle Midland Funding?
Ultimately it is less of a deal than you think it is. The Sears account is most likely in there because they held on to it and the last payment you made was less than seven years ago.
Pay off the new owner or settle with them and let’s move on to rebuilding your credit. https://getoutofdebt.org//50766/my-free-and-easy-credit-repair-guide
Hi Steve, I did what you asked and paid Midland Credit and they said they would report to the three credit agencies that the account was paid. Well I checked my credit report and needless to say not only did they have the amount I owed but said I was 120 days late and my score went down 60 points. They told me that it would show a zero balance and the account was paid. How do I get them to hold up their end of the bargain? I kept my receipts and sent them a lump sum payment via certified mail. They sent me a letter stating they received payment but failed to acknowledge my credit reports. Will this still stay on my credit report seven years? How can I fix this?
Priscilla
Do you have the agreement in writing from them?
No, I didn’t receive anything in writing I just used the payment coupon that came in the mail from them and talked to a rep of theirs on the phone.He told me that once the payment was cleared they would send me a statement saying that the account was paid and the credit agencies would be notified and the account would show a zero balance.I haven’t received that letter yet,but I did get a receipt from them saying that they did receive it.I took a lump some payment of $623.80 instead of the $1040 that was originally owed.One agency Experian dropped 60 pts and equifax 41pts and Transunion 2pts.Can anything be done?
It will take 30-60 days for your credit report to reflect the change. Did you get a statement in writing from them showing the balance is paid in full?
Were you 120 days late at one time?
Keep in mind that settling it does not remove any past history and the account will remain on your credit report for 7 years from when it was last reported delinquent.
For information on settling see https://getoutofdebt.org//51523/debt-settlement-is-credit-card-debt-relief-really-possible-if-you-settle-pros-and-cons
As I previously suggested, it’s time to get to rebuilding your credit. https://getoutofdebt.org//50766/my-free-and-easy-credit-repair-guide
Hi Steve, I haven’t received the final letter yet but I did receive a letter stating they received my payment ,Midland Credit is saying that if this is a final payment a separate letter will come. No, I wasn’t 120 days late they acquired this account in March and I didn’t hear from them until May so how was I 120 days late? I know that they’re going by when they got it. Is this a fair practice among collection agencies? So instead of contacting them I should wait for a letter or something from them?
No, I haven’t received a Zero balance letter yet, this is the separate letter that I’m waiting for.