What should I do if I am really to pay off the debt

Here in my country, the legal or law firms are the one to collect debt from credit card. They are the one who will call and curse you for not paying off the debt. We cannot blame them because it is their job and we have an obligation. They will tell the person to pay the debt under the card number of its own credit card where he owed money. So I believe that it is still safe to pay even though they are just a third party. But a friend told me that the collections company or legal firm are the only one who benefits from the money because the credit card was already paid off before it is used.

They should send you a confirmation letter that the debt has been paid off, be sure to ask for it anyway. Pay in a money order or some way that you can keep record that you paid the last payment. Write down the day you sent the payment off and then the day it was made record (like if you wrote a check) that it had been received. You need to ask them how long it will take for it to be "Written off" they may write it off that day but it still make your credit look bad for up to seven years. Also be aware that some companies, though you have paid off your debt, will still harrass you.

I would definitely ask them for a confirmation letter, just so you can keep it for your own records. Ask them to record your full payment to the credit bureau once you make your last payment. If they don't, you have the option of sending a copy of your confirmation letter to the credit reporting company yourself and informing them that way.

Bad debts are usually written off after some years. The credit cards issued to you was insuranced just in case card holders fail to pay off all his debt. How did the court decide that you had to pay? I am sure your credit card balance had been paid off by the insurance company. Did you read the contract when you signed to get the credit card? There is a clause in the contract that is not shown to you, I think.

Credit Report Your credit report can not be changed. You can ask them to change it, but they are not obligated, or required in any way. Your credit report is merely a log of your credit history. Even if you pay off every penny you owe today, that doesn't change the fact you failed to pay off your debt in the past. That past can not be changed no matter what you do. Your history drops off after 7 years. So if you paid off your debt completely today, 6 years 11 months, and 29 days from today, it will still be on your credit report that you had bad debt. And then... it will drop off. FYI, just so you know, just because a debt drops off, doesn't actually mean anything legally. If you owe someone $200 seven years ago, that will fall off your credit report. But that doesn't mean you don't owe the money. At some point, someone can buy the old debt, and send you a bill, and you still owe it, as much as you did day you borrowed the money. How to pay off a debt collector No deals over the phone. No electronic access to your checking account. If you already have that setup, too late then. Require them to send you a notice saying the amount was paid in full. It must be in writing. Do not send a personal check. Send them a Cashiers check from a bank. Do *NOT* get a cashiers check from a quick-mart or gas station. I learned this the hard way. BEFORE you send the check, make a photo copy of it. Staple the photo copy of the check, to the letter with the agreed payment. Make sure the letter has "paid in full" or some equal statement that the debt has been paid in full. YOU MUST KEEP BOTH THE LETTER AND THE PHOTO OF THE CHECK FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Some error at the debt collector will end up having that debt sold off even though its paid, and some other agency will start calling you to pay them. You must keep both the letter and the proof of payment, the photo of the cashiers check.... FOREVER. I have mine in a filing drawer. It's been there six years, and I'll have it when they put my body in the ground. Remember, debt is a legally binding contract with no expiration. The IRS only goes back 7 years. Debt will last forever. People have been called by collectors to pay debts over 15 years old. Side note: If you get a letter offering a loan from a company called "Beneficial Financial", burn the letter, put the ashes in a plastic bag, and mail it to their company head quarters with a note saying those ashes have a higher value than their company. Sorry for ranting. They ruined 10 years of my life. Unfortunately for you, you already have a judgement against you. The debt company has no reason to spend much time on you since if you don't do what you are supposed to, you'll be in court and the judge won't be on your side. So you are going to have be more kind and patient than I was with my debt collectors. I was pretty much in their face. You don't have that luxury. You'll have to ask and ask, and ask again, until they send you a paid in full offer in the mail. But you CAN NOT accept anything less than having it in writing. You send them money because person X said something on the phone, and they will just go "cha-ching!" and send you a notice your next payment is due. Final note, I would pay extra to have your final payment sent certified mail, signature required. That way you can verify that they got the check. That removes wiggle room. They can't claim they didn't get it. I know that sounds extreme, but there have been rare instances. Good luck, and may G-d help you. You are dealing with devil in a suit.

Well, I am not sure how all that works, but since you had it go through the courts, why not go to the court and let them know that you are about to pay off all the balance and you want it legally stipulated that it is paid in full. As far as the credit reports, well, maybe you can make a copy of a document stating that it's all paid in full and send each of the credit report companies a copy proving you are done.

Do you have a lawyer? If so, I would ask them first and see what they advise you to do. I would definitely want a receipt of paid in full if I paid them off.

Hi Kingparker, if it is the court's appointed collection agency, then it is unlikely to play dirty. The likely scenario is the account person on leave, and someone takes over the job for a while, and do not follow up properly. The best is always to keep a record that is traceable. Such as using a check, and make sure you keep the record in your end too. You need to keep important detail like, the check number, the date of check, the posting date, and the amount. After you have paid off in full, and receive a confirmation letter, you can check the credit report a month later. If the credit report still reflects the unpaid amount, then something is wrong.

I had credit card debt and one third party agency had settled it for a certain amount of money. Before I sent them anything I had them send me a certified letter saying that I was only going to a certain amount then it would be paid in full and having the negative item taken off my credit report. After I receievd the certified letter I had sent in a money order (that way the company could not try to take money out of my checking account). My friend sent in a check to a credit card company and the company took more money out. My friend closed out her checking account once she found out that this had happened. I would ask for a certified letter stating that it is paid in full and that you want the negative item remvoved.

For any transaction, be it collectors or the bank, make sure they give you a receipt or confirmation letter stating that you have clear all the outstanding amount. If they did not erase your record in your credit report, write to them with the confirmation letter as evidences.