On inactive collection accounts, there was a high level of success in having the credit bureau delete the bad credit history when the consumer disputed the bad credit item directly with the credit bureau(s). When a collector was not actively collecting and/or reporting the account to one or more credit bureau, then the dispute usually resulted in the bad credit history being deleted by the credit bureau as unverified. It is important to have a well-framed dispute and follow the guidelines to insure deletion. The consumer can use dispute process, dispute chart and template guide to accomplish this on their own (see ). Or, hire a credit professional for a nominal fee that can perform the service on their behalf.
There were instances however where the Inactive account was activated when the consumer disputed bad history directly with the credit bureau(s). This occurred when the credit bureau's attempt to verify the information alerted the collector of the consumer's desire to remove the bad credit history. This caused the collector to re-activate the collection activity and that forced the consumer to deal with the collection account as an active collection account.
This re-activation turned out to be a benefit for those seeking to negotiate past due collection accounts. Locating the collectors that had authority to negotiate inactive accounts proved very difficult and time consuming. The activation of the collection account presented the opportunity to permanently remove the bad credit item whereas the deletion of a collection account and bad credit history by a credit bureau based on the account being unverified DOES NOT mean the collection account is un-collectable. Unpaid collection accounts can, and often do, get re-reported by a collector at a later date. It is always best for long-term deletion to address the underlying collection account as it the only way we found to insure permanent deletion of bad credit.
