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aelfwyne
join:2004-01-28
Houston, TX

aelfwyne

Member

Who to call for incorrect AT&T credit collections?

I am a current SBC/AT&T DSL customer and a former Cingular Wireless customer.

My SBC/AT&T account is in good standing, and my Cingular account was closed in October of last year with a $0 balance.

However my credit report shows a $94 balance held by a collection agency - with an original creditor listed as "SBC". It also lists a seperate $65 account with an original creditor listed as "Cingular"... both of these are dated last year. The Cingular account is dated February 2006 - during which time my Cingular account was in good standing. The SBC account is dated December 2006 - again, my AT&T/SBC account was (and is) in good standing at that time.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to get anyone to look at this. The phone # listed for the collection agency on my credit report just rings and rings, then disconnects. When I called SBC billing, they had no clue, and passed me off to two different numbers. Both led to an office in India which claimed to be AT&T but the guy couldn't even find my CURRENT account, let alone the collections account that's incorrectly being reported. The guy in India then gave me a number for SBC Texas - which was the number I'd called in the FIRST place!

I have disputed this with the credit agency itself, but they claim the creditor verified the info as correct (bull). Does anyone know who I can call to get this cr*p straightened out and the erroneous information removed from my credit?
MNark
MNark
join:2003-11-10
Saint Charles, MO

1 edit

MNark

Member

From the FTC website
»www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs ··· e21.shtm

Correcting Errors

Under the FCRA, both the consumer reporting company and the information provider (that is, the person, company, or organization that provides information about you to a consumer reporting company) are responsible for correcting inaccurate or incomplete information in your report. To take advantage of all your rights under this law, contact the consumer reporting company and the information provider.
Step One

Tell the consumer reporting company, in writing, what information you think is inaccurate. Include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position. In addition to providing your complete name and address, your letter should clearly identify each item in your report you dispute, state the facts and explain why you dispute the information, and request that it be removed or corrected. You may want to enclose a copy of your report with the items in question circled. Your letter may look something like the one on page 4. Send your letter by certified mail, “return receipt requested,” so you can document what the consumer reporting company received. Keep copies of your dispute letter and enclosures.

Consumer reporting companies must investigate the items in question—usually within 30 days—unless they consider your dispute frivolous. They also must forward all the relevant data you provide about the inaccuracy to the organization that provided the information. After the information provider receives notice of a dispute from the consumer reporting company, it must investigate, review the relevant information, and report the results back to the consumer reporting company. If the information provider finds the disputed information is inaccurate, it must notify all three nationwide consumer reporting companies so they can correct the information in your file.

When the investigation is complete, the consumer reporting company must give you the results in writing and a free copy of your report if the dispute results in a change. This free report does not count as your annual free report. If an item is changed or deleted, the consumer reporting company cannot put the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies that it is accurate and complete. The consumer reporting company also must send you written notice that includes the name, address, and phone number of the information provider.

If you ask, the consumer reporting company must send notices of any corrections to anyone who received your report in the past six months. You can have a corrected copy of your report sent to anyone who received a copy during the past two years for employment purposes.

If an investigation doesn’t resolve your dispute with the consumer reporting company, you can ask that a statement of the dispute be included in your file and in future reports. You also can ask the consumer reporting company to provide your statement to anyone who received a copy of your report in the recent past. You can expect to pay a fee for this service.
Step Two

Tell the creditor or other information provider, in writing, that you dispute an item. Be sure to include copies (NOT originals) of documents that support your position. Many providers specify an address for disputes. If the provider reports the item to a consumer reporting company, it must include a notice of your dispute. And if you are correct—that is, if the information is found to be inaccurate—the information provider may not report it again.

aelfwyne
join:2004-01-28
Houston, TX

aelfwyne

Member

Thank you for the cut/paste, but I used to work for a credit agency and know the law.

Unfortunately, the scumbag collections company has decided to "verify" that the information they're reporting is correct - which is usually done with a rubber stamp.

What I specifically am looking for is who to contact at AT&T to deal with the problem. Putting a statement on my credit report for an account that isn't even mine is worse than useless.
Turbulent
join:2004-09-23
Lubbock, TX

Turbulent to aelfwyne

Member

to aelfwyne
Try 800 924 1743, dont put any account information in the prompt, it will forward you to a live person, then ask for the "finals or collections" office, they will transfer you and then be able to assist you.