Repair Credit Report Help

I have a stupid deragatory credit thing on my credit report, how do i fix this?

Apparantly I never paid a hospital bill when I was like 18 and it is likely that i thought that my insurance or my mom was going to pay, it is only $100.00 and it was like 5 years ago but how do I fix this and get it off my report?

Public Comments

1. Call the hospital and pay it. It will still take some time to get off your credit report.
2. u have to pay it
3. Well, you can pay it, but it will still show on your report only as paid. Or you can simply wait another 2 years and it will drop off on it's own.
4. These derogatory points are really annoying, and sometimes not even correct. You might need to be persistent. Contact the credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to tell them to remove it and explain why. Most of the credit reports show all your credit history, good or bad, but you can correct any mistakes. They won't do it for you if you don't report it. If it's keeping your credit score down significantly, you could consider getting a lawyer to write a letter on your behalf. You may still have to pay the hospital fee. My legal plan comes in handy on things like that, because it keeps the legal costs really low on issues like that.
5. Did a collection agency send you a letter, if so call them and ask what it can be settled for and offer them $20.00 and see if they bite, if not ask what can it be settled for and take that price if you like it. They will send you a letter showing the agreement, you make copies and mail them a money order or how ever you want to pay and ask for a verification letter that they recieved payment, and it should clear up soon if not you may need to send proof of the fact you paid to finish clearing it up. Most old bills linger in accounts recieveable at companys and they like to clear them up when possible so they will settle for less usually.
6. Frankly I would not do anything. Few if any lenders are going to pay much attention to a $100 hospital bill provided you other history is good. They figure it is a mistake or some dispute. I got a bill of $640 for some advertising. I had send in corrections but they failed to make the corrections. I thought I had received value but not full value so I offered to settle for $500. They refused so I refused to pay anything. After a lot of notices, that I just threw in the trash they turned it over to a collection agency. That meant I was home free because a collection agency doesn't have standing to sue. They were not there so they cannot testify as to the facts and hearsay is not allowable. Someone from the collection agency called and threatened to sue, when I told him I wasn't going to pay, but of course I knew better. Later someone else called and said, "Don't you believe in paying your bills?" I replied, "No, I'm just a deadbeat and I'm not going to pay but feel free to call anytime, I don't get many phone calls." "Click" He hung up on me and that was the last I heard about it. Whatever is on my credit report didn't make any difference when I got a new car loan from the bank. Maybe it would have at the new car dealership, but I refuse to get their high interest loans anyway.
7. make sure the bill is paid,,, explain to them what has happened,and get them to immediately report that it has been paid to date,,,,,,,,,,,