A bad mark on your credit report is not the end of the world. However, it can significantly impact your financial future in a negative way. Plus, the annoying buzz of your phone will not relent until you find a way to deal with a persistent debt collector.
In your case, Comcast has stamped a big red mark on your credit report. You may have an outstanding bill, be late on a payment, or had a bill “charged off.”
If you need help getting Comcast/Xfinity collections off of your credit report, then keep reading! I’ve outlined the steps you should take in order to permanently remove them from your credit report.
Contact the Collector
Instead of dodging the calls and hoping the problem goes away, take the bull by the horns and contact Comcast Collections Department directly.
Let them know that you are aware of the situation and that you understand your consumer rights under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. Request that the company continues communications in writing from now on. Under federal law, they must comply with your request and cease the incessant calling.
Although stopping the phone calls will not remove the issue from your credit reports, it is a good place to start. Without constant calls, you can focus on removing the negative entry from your credit report.
Debt Validation
The first thing you need to do is to confirm that the debt is yours by writing a debt validation letter. In this letter, you will request that Comcast prove that the debt is yours.
You should act quickly. Under the law, you have 30 days from the time of their initial contact to ask for debt validation. If you miss the 30-day window, then you lose your legal protection and the company may not be willing to work with you to provide debt validation. Similarly, Comcast will have 30 days to respond with information about your debt once you have sent the letter.
Once you receive their letter, you’ll need to review the information they have provided very carefully. Look for errors of any kind. Double-check the amount due, the dates, and any typos within their response. Any problems you find could build your case for the removal of the entry on your credit report.
If you find any errors in their letter, then draft a letter outlining every issue you found. Within your letter, ask for all errors to be corrected as soon as possible.
In the best-case scenario, they will be unable to prove that the debt is yours. If the company cannot prove that the debt belongs to you, then they will be forced to stop communications and remove their entry from your credit report.
What to do if the debt is yours
If you go through the debt validation process and discover that the debt is yours, then it will be more difficult to have the entry removed.
However, you should still proceed to ask for a “pay for delete” from Comcast Collections. A “pay for delete agreement” is very similar to a settlement offer to eliminate the debt forever.
The best thing to do is to work with Comcast directly to clear up the matter. You can negotiate with the creditor directly for a solution that benefits both parties. For example, you could negotiate to pay a percentage of what you owe with the understanding that they will remove the entry from your credit reports.
If you want to negotiate with Comcast, then it is a good idea to give them a call. Negotiating for a settlement via snail mail is not an effective way to come to an agreement. In order to come to an agreement that works for both sides, you will likely need to go back and forth on the details of the “pay for delete agreement.”
It is absolutely crucial to be cordial in this negotiation. The representative is more likely to help you if you treat them with respect and maintain a good attitude throughout the process. Angrily yelling at the representative is unlikely to help you achieve your goal of removing the entry from your credit report.
When you come to an agreement with the representative, ask for the details in writing. Through a letter, they should outline the exact terms of the repayment and deletion of the entry on your credit report. Ensure that the letter explains the agreement in detail and retain it for your records. You should not pay for your end of the bargain until you have the letter in hand. Otherwise, you will have no proof of the transaction and the entry may never be removed.
After you have paid for your side of the bargain, double-check that the entry was removed from your credit report. If it is not removed within 30 days, then you will need to contact Comcast again to ensure that they intend to hold up their end of the agreement. If they give you any trouble, then the written letter outlining the terms will come in handy.
Hire a Professional
Unfortunately, removing an entry from your credit report will take some time and effort. It can be difficult, but it is possible.
If you are unwilling or unable to handle this process, then you’ll need to call in professional assistance. Or if you find yourself locked in a seemingly unwinnable battle, it is okay to ask for help.
Luckily, there are many companies that can help you clean up your credit. Sky Blue and The Credit People are two great companies to start working with if you want to improve your credit.
Bottom Line
If you take the right steps, it is possible to remove a Comcast collection account from your credit report. Start by sending a letter to validate your debt or reach out to a professional to help you right away.
No matter which route you take, you have options to clean up your credit report. If you are looking for a way to dramatically improve your credit score, then check out our Ultimate Guide to Credit Repair.
