How to Remove Sprint Collections From Your Credit Report
If you have Sprint debt, it will show up on your credit report as a collections account. Sprint may even pass off the collections to a third-party agency to coerce payments from you.
Whether you are hearing from Sprint or a collections agency, no one enjoys dealing with debt collectors. What is worse it that open accounts on your credit report can significantly impact your credit score.
Collections accounts can stay on your credit report for up to seven years, even after you pay the debt in full.
This will impact your credit score and your ability to qualify for a loan unless you get the entry removed.
Luckily, you can get the entry removed by negotiating with creditors in the proper way.
How to Remove Sprint Collections From Your Credit Report
Here are the necessary steps to take to remove Sprint collections from your credit report.
Try to Settle with Sprint First
If Sprint hasn’t already sent the bill to collections, you should try to settle the matter with Sprint directly. This is generally the best way to resolve the matter and can prevent the debt from being moved to a collection agency.
In general, most companies are willing to work with you if you aren’t able to pay the full amount immediately.
Ask Sprint if you can work out a payment plan with them in order to pay the total balance. This will keep you in good standing with them and avoid the debt from being sent to collections.
If Sprint has already sent the debt to collections, you will need to request a copy of your credit report to find out who currently owns the debt. You can do this by contacting the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) and requesting a free copy of your credit report. You are entitled to one free copy per year under federal law.
From there, you can find out the collection agency’s identity and contact information. You will need this information in order to request debt validation and negotiate a settlement.
Request Communication through U.S. Mail
Debt collectors are notorious for saying one thing over the phone and turning around and doing the opposite. That’s why it is highly important to conduct all of your communication with Sprint collections through U.S. Mail.
Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), you have the right to request that Sprint collections contact you specifically through U.S. Mail. This can help you hold them accountable to what they say to you as well as prevent excessive or abusive communication.
Make sure you hold onto all of your communication with the debt collectors so that you can refer back to them later if you need to.
When Sprint or a third-party collector contacts you next, tell them that you are aware of your rights under the FDCPA and would like to communicate strictly in writing through U.S. Mail. If they begin to argue with you, tell them that they are in violation of the FDCPA and hang up.
Request Debt Validation
The FDCPA gives you the right to validate your debt with the debt collector. This is an essential step to take even if you plan on paying the debt. This is because you can get the negative entry removed from your credit report if Sprint collections get any details wrong on your credit report.
To verify your debt, you will need to send a debt validation letter to whoever currently owns the debt. You will need to send this letter within 30 days of the first contact with the creditor. Otherwise, they may not respond.
A debt validation letter should ask the creditor to:
- Prove that the debt is real and belongs to you.
- Prove that the debt has not been paid.
- Prove that they are authorized to collect the debt.
If you are unsure how to write a debt validation letter, don’t worry. I have a sample letter template that can help you get started on writing your own.
When the debt collector returns with the information you requested, look over it carefully and note any inaccuracies. If anything seems amiss, you can dispute the collections entry with the three major credit bureaus and have the entry removed entirely.
Make a Pay-For-Delete Agreement
If you are unable to get the collection entry deleted for inaccuracies, your next bet is to work with Sprint collections to come up with a pay-for-delete agreement. This is a long shot as far as working with debt collectors goes, but it is a possibility if you have exhausted your options.
A pay-for-delete agreement is when you agree to pay the full amount or a portion of the debt in exchange for the creditor to stop reporting the debt to major credit bureaus. If the debt has moved to a collection agency, they will be more willing to negotiate on this than if the debt is still with Sprint.
To get started, write a letter to the creditor offering to pay the debt in exchange for a deletion. If they agree, make sure that you get this agreement in writing with unambiguous language.
Make your first payment after you get this contract and check your credit report in 30 days. If the entry is still on your credit report, contact the collector and remind them of your agreement.
Work with a Professional
If all else fails, you can always turn to a credit repair company to help remove the entry.
Credit repair companies specialize in removing dings from your credit report so that you can improve your credit score and achieve your financial goals.
They are a great service for people that haven’t had luck with debt collectors in the past or for people that don’t have the time to deal with the back and forth.
Of all the credit repair companies out there, I recommend working with Lexington Law. They are consummate professionals with a long track record of success dealing with debt collectors.
They can work with you to remove negative marks from your credit report and get your score back on track.
Dealing with Sprint Collections
Removing a collections account from your credit report isn’t easy, but it is worth the effort.
Getting rid of your Sprint collections entry can help you get your finances back on track so that you can achieve your financial goals for the future.
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Original Article Posted at : https://bettercreditblog.org/sprint-collections/