Just imagine you opened your credit report and found a horrible surprise — a collection account from an Ez Pass violation. It could be downright frustrating and stressful, for such entries can hurt your credit health and cage you away from qualifying for loans, credit cards, or mortgages.
Fortunately, you can remove such collections from your credit report through a well-planned process. This article will show you how to dispute and remove Ez Pass Collections from your credit report.
Know What is Involved in Ez Pass Collections
Ez Pass owns and operates a high-speed electronic toll collection system, which will let drivers pass through without stopping at the conventional toll booths on highways and bridges. While it is indeed convenient, there are times when drivers forget to refill their accounts or there are outright blunders resulting in toll violations. When tolls remain unpaid, the toll operator forwards the driver's account to collections, and it may ultimately appear on his or her credit report.
There are a few reasons why Ez Pass Collections will end on your credit report. Most common explanations include missed payments, erroneous toll charges, or difficulty with Ez Pass operations. Suppose you have a toll with a zero balance and you drive through the toll booth with insufficient funds making a toll agency refer your outstanding bill to collections.
Another reason is it looks like an erroneous charge showed on your Ez Pass account and the toll was billed to another account, creating a discrepancy. The collection usually appears on a credit report and is often marked as a negative accounting entry, hence impacting the debtor's credit worthiness.
Collections normally remain on the credit report for a period up to 7 years even after a debtor pays off his debt. This results in making loan or credit approval very hard for one. When it comes to disputing violations resulting from unpaid Ez Pass restoration debt, be sure to gather all needed details such as total debt, charges, and whether the collection was legitimately placed in the first instance. To some extent, collections might be from errors on your credit report. Knowing such differences is critical in developing an effective dispute strategy.
Identify Errors on Your Credit Report
Identifying discrepancies or mistakes that may exist in your credit report is the initial step in removing an Ez Pass Collections from your credit report. Credit reports are sometimes incorrect, and these mistakes may arise because of miscommunication arising from the toll agency or the credit reporting bureaus. Discrepancy identification is the core of collection removal that is otherwise considered invalid.
Obtain copies of your credit reports from the three reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each agency is entitled to one free report each year from AnnualCreditReport.com. Thoroughly examine the report for any collections arising from your Ez Pass account. When you find the collection entry, be on the lookout for possible red flags. These may include:
- Incorrect Account Information: Make sure the collection account does not have incorrect account numbers, dates, or toll charges.
- Duplicate Listings: Confirm that the same account is not reported yet again by different agencies or collectors.
- Errors in the Amount Owed: Be assured that the dollar amount that the collector finally settles for corresponds in fact with the amount you owe. The collector sometimes adds amounts for services of which you have no knowledge of and which were never part of this debt.
- Gaps or Unreported Account History: Check for any absence of information or gaps in your payment history because of reporting errors; if any of these situations arise, you may well have grounds for disputation.
Sometimes toll agencies or collection agencies fail to track or report transactions properly, or the information might have been transposed incorrectly to credit bureaus. Such mistakes could be damaging to your credit profile and should be attended to immediately.
At CreditSage, we handle the entire dispute process for our clients, ensuring timely oppression towards the errors or inaccuracies contained in their credit reports.
Dispute the Ez Pass Collections
After having pointed out the errors or discrepancies in a credit report, it is time to file for disputation against the collection. Disputing a collection account can be an arduous task. Here, you will need to prove that the debt is incorrect, incomplete, or simply unverified. It is by no means an impossible task. The credit bureaus, by law, must investigate all the disputes submitted by you. They must complete an investigation within 30 days and either confirm or delete the disputed entry.
If you see that the Ez Pass Collections is reporting falsely, tracing the credit bureau where the collection appears is all you need to do. Follow-through on disputing the collection:
- Collect Evidence in Favor: Collating any document is extremely important when you intend to dispute an Ez Pass Collections. Documentation can include a receipt, account statement, or correspondence with the toll agency. If the debt were a mistake, proof that the collection agency had falsified information or had failed to verify the debt would then support your case.
- Lodge Your Dispute: You can file a dispute online, by mail, or by telephone. Unlike disputing online which generally gets resolved quicker, sending your dispute via the mail will let you keep copies of everything. These copies can provide evidence if the issue escalates.
- Be Clear and Concise: You should name the dispute specifically here. This might need to have the account number, reasons for disputing the item, and any supportive documentation. Particularly in the case of an error in the charges, provide a clear reasoning that explains the error.
- Monitor the Outcome: Upon receiving your dispute, they will investigate and inform you if it's complete or not. If the outcome is in your favour, they’ll remove the collection account off your credit report. If it looks like it might become cumbersome to deal with yourself, this is a good reason to work with professionals such as CreditSage that have experience handling such disputes for someone else. They will see to it that your dispute is properly and effectively filed.
Negotiation with Collection Agency
There may be instances when disputes are resolved; however, the collection entry remains on the credit report. In such cases, you may consider calling the collection agency. Collection agencies generally work with payment plans or settlements, especially if you're able to prove financial difficulties or specific extenuating circumstances.
Here are some negotiation techniques you may wish to employ in persuading the collection agency to remove Ez Pass Collections from your credit report:
- Request for Debt Validation: Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), you are entitled to request a debt validation from the collection agency. This means the collection agency has the obligation to provide proof that the debt is legitimate and that it is authorized to collect it. If the agency cannot prove within 30 days that the debt is legitimate, it must remove the associated entry from your credit report.
- Make a "Pay for Delete" Offer: A "pay for delete" offer is a negotiation tactic whereby you promise to pay the debt (or a part of it) in exchange for the removal of the negative account from your credit report. This agreement must be in writing prior to any payments being made. Not all collection agencies would comply with this, but you should try your best if you are dealing with an old or incorrect account.
- Offer a Settlement: When an account is charged off or in collections, you can propose a settlement for a lesser amount than what you owe. This means you can offer a lesser amount in exchange for stopping the reporting of that collection account on your credit history. While this may not remove the collection entirely, it can improve your credit report by showing that the account has been resolved.
- Follow Up in Writing: Always keep a paper trail of whatever kind of communications you have with the collection agency. Document each phone call, every email sent, and every letter correspondence. Verbal agreements must subsequently follow up with a letter intended to confirm the terms of the deal. CreditSage has often successfully negotiated the removal of negative accounts from a credit report with the cooperating feedback of collection agencies. If you are ever stuck between negotiations, we are here to pull you out.
Monitor Your Credit Report for Changes
Keep on the lookout for your credit report for any succeeding changes that may have occurred once you've disputed the Ez Pass Collections or explored an avenue for resolution. Credit repair is not a one-time, one-shot thing; it is a constant battle. By performing constant monitoring of the credit report, you'll always be updated with any eventuality and fix mistakes on the spot.
Ways of Monitoring a Credit Report
- Regular Checks of Credit Report - Make regular checks of your credit report to check any changes and to make sure that you remove the disputed collection item. You can obtain one free credit report every year from the three credit bureaus. Also, there are lots of credit monitoring firms that will provide you with continued access to your report.
- Set Alerts for Updates - Several credit reporting agencies also provide alert services that allow you to receive notifications anytime there are updates to your report. This can help you catch changes, including removals of collections or spot new errors.
- Track Your Progress - If you are working with CreditSage or any other credit repair company, keep track of your progress with respect to disputing collections and boosting your credit health. Communicating with your credit repair team on a regular basis is the surefire way of making sure that all disputes regarding this are resolved.
- Take Action if Necessary - If the dispute is not successful, or if it has stayed in your credit report, take further actions without hesitation. Either re-dispute the entry, sit down again with the agency to negotiate, or if applicable, even seek further legal assistance. It is very important to address an issue when it emerges.
By monitoring your credit report, you will be sure that over time, whatever appears there represents a correct and timely history, leading to better credit health. CreditSage extends continuous support to its clients who wish to help themselves in maintaining their credit reports or management for new arising issues.
Although you may be able to request the removal of EZ Pass Collections from your credit report, it will require patience and painstaking attention to detail. Understand your rights, find errors, dispute inaccuracies, negotiate with collection agencies, and track progress to keep good credit.
With the help of CreditSage, you don't have to do the dispute alone. We will guide you every step of the way.