Hit 750 credit score but had to fight a collections error to get there

I was checking my credit karma last month and saw a random collections account from a dentist I saw once in 2019. I paid that bill with my card same day, I even had the receipt. I spent 3 hours on the phone with the collection agency and another 2 hours filing disputes with the credit bureaus before it finally dropped off. That single mistake was holding my score down by like 40 points. Has anyone else had to chase down a bogus collections item that wasn't even theirs?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_moore14d ago

bogus collections item" is basically a rite of passage at this point. Credit bureaus are a mess.

diana61714d agoMost Upvoted

Ugh, that's so frustrating (and honestly, really impressive you had the receipt from three years ago). I swear the credit bureaus just make stuff up sometimes, it's maddening that we have to do all that work to fix their mistakes. Glad you got it sorted though, that's a huge win.

wade87114d ago

diana617 the receipt thing wasn't intentional, i just never throw anything away until my taxes are done. but yeah the credit bureaus basically run on guesswork and old data. here's the real trick if you ever deal with this again - dont bother with their online dispute forms. send everything certified mail with return receipt. i know it sounds old school but it actually forces them to look at your paperwork instead of just clicking a button to deny it. plus if they mess up again you have proof you sent it. took me three rounds of that nonsense before i learned the hard way.