How to Remove Medicredit from Your Credit Report
Has Medicredit shown up on your credit report? Find out how to remove Medicredit from your credit report and deal with this collection agency in the article below.
Is Medicredit a collection agency?
Medicredit Corporation is a collection agency owned by The Outsource Group.
Like most collection agencies, it buys debts from your original creditors and then collects on the debts to turn a profit. As its name implies, Medicredit buys old medical debt from hospitals and clinics.
Unquestionably, collection agencies can get inaccurate information. Maybe you've paid this debt already, or maybe the debt was someone else's to begin with. It's also possible that you legitimately owe the money Medicredit wants to collect from you. Whatever the case, we'll show you how to get this debt collector off your case with as little hassle and expense as possible.
How to remove Medicredit from your credit report
Debt collection confuses and intimidates a lot of people. Phone calls, letters and emails can make you feel harassed, even when the debt collection agency follows the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
The most important step is to stay calm and take control of the process.
1. Communicate via writing only
First, as soon as Medicredit calls or appears on your credit report, write a letter requesting that it sends all future communication via mail. Too many people get into trouble by dealing with collection agencies over the phone. Collection agencies say one thing over the phone but often don't honor what they said later. So, get everything in writing with Medicredit or any other collection agency.
When you have all your correspondence in writing, you'll have a paper trail if the agents forget an agreement.
2. Write a debt validation letter
Second, it's time to write a letter — a debt validation letter, to be specific. A debt validation letter requests Medicredit verifies the debt that it has reported to the credit bureaus is actually yours. The FDCPA gives this right to you as a U.S. citizen. They will have 30 days to respond with documentation showing the debt is yours.
You have only 30 days from the time Medicredit first contacts you to mail your debt validation letter. Once the 30 days have passed, your debt validation letter might go unanswered because Medicredit, Inc., isn't required by law to provide documentation after that period of time.
Debt validation letters are effective if a collection account has appeared on your credit report by mistake. The company should remove the account from your credit report if it can't prove the debt is yours. If this is the case, get a copy of your credit report after 30 days to make sure the company removed the negative items.
But if the debt really is yours and Medicredit validates it as such, you'll have to move on to the next step.
3. Negotiate a payoff
Ultimately, if the debt is yours and you want to remove the account from your credit report, your next step should be to negotiate a payoff. You aren't totally without power in this negotiation. Remember, Medicredit bought your debt for pennies, or perhaps nickels, on the dollar. So, any amount you pay in addition to Medicredit's purchase price becomes money in its pocket.
Offer to pay a third or a half of the actual debt, and it will probably consider your offer. Before you make any payments, ask for an agreement to remove the negative items with all three credit reporting bureaus. Make your payment contingent upon this stipulation. And, as we said above, do all of this negotiating in writing.
If Medicredit agrees to these terms in writing, send a check for the agreed-upon amount. Then, check back in 30 days to ensure the company removed the derogatory entry from your credit report. If, after 30 days, the negative entry is still on your credit report, write another letter that demands Medicredit removes the collection from your credit report. Produce your letter that contains the agreement, and make sure you reference the FDCPA and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Don't want to deal with Medicredit yourself?
Credit repair companies can do everything we discussed above for you, so you don’t have to deal with all the details — in exchange, of course, for a monthly fee.
On average, consumers who hire a professional credit repair company spend about $500 over three or four months to fix their credit. These services don't do anything you couldn't do yourself. But they save you time, and they usually get results more quickly. They can help you remove negative items on your credit reports.
Contact information for Medicredit, Inc.
Here is the up-to-date contact information for Medicredit Corporation:
- Mailing Address: 111 Corporate Office Drive, Suite 200, Earth City, MO 63045-1506
- Website: www.medicreditcorp.com
- Phone number: 800-888-2238
FAQs about Medicredit, Inc.
We get a variety of questions about debt collection agencies. Here are some of the most frequently asked:
Can Medicredit sue?
Yes, Medicredit could sue you in district court, asking a judge to force you to pay the debt. Unless your debt is substantial enough to justify the legal expenses, Medicredit probably will not sue you.
If the statute of limitations has expired on the debt, you could get the case dismissed easily. Statutes vary from state to state, with some as short as three years. However, the debt could continue to harm your credit score even after the statute expires.
How long will Medicredit stay on my credit report?
Medicredit could stay on your credit report for up to seven years. Unpaid medical bills, especially when they've gone into collections, can harm your credit score and make getting loans and credit cards more complicated. The higher your score, the more you have to lose by letting a Medicredit collection account linger in your credit history.
Is Medicredit a scam?
No, this is a legitimate debt collection agency with its headquarters along the Missouri River northwest of St. Louis.
If you hear from Medicredit, chances are you have old medical bills and your original debtor has sold your debt to this agency. Of course, it may also have bad information, which makes validating the debt an important step.
Is Medicredit graded by the Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
Medicredit has an A+ grade from the BBB. The BBB gives the agency good marks for responding to customer complaints, even when its responses are disputing customers’ claims.
How can someone complain about Medicredit?
You can search for the company on the BBB's website, or you can complain to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which is part of the Federal Trade Commission.
If you believe a company is violating your consumer rights, contact the CFPB along with the BBB.
Disclaimer: This story was originally published on October 22, 2017, on BetterCreditBlog.org. To find the most relevant information concerning collections or credit card inquiries, please visit: https://money.com/how-to-remove-collections-from-credit-report/ or https://money.com/get-items-removed-from-credit-report/