Collection agency waited to take out payment and reported me to the credit bureau?

Don't bother calling the collection agency. They are pond scum that don't have the mental capacity to understand what you're talking about.

Send letters directly to the credit bureaus and explain what happened. They are required by the FCRA to investigate and correct your report.

In the future, don't give a collection agency direct access to your bank account. It seldom comes out well.

Send the collection agency a letter requesting they remove the item from your credit file as they failed to take the payment. Be nice. You are asking them for a favor. Techinically the collection agency can report the item as soon as they get it. There is no grace period.

It really makes no sense that the hospital refused your cash payment over a pending payment.

If you were late on a payment, which is most likely the case since we're talking about a collection agency, the company is going to report you regardless.

Credit companies report your activity EVERY month, not just when you mess up. So this will appear as just another late payment. Don't pay late from now on, and you will continue to have better reports to the Credit Bureau.

Since I am not in your shoes and I do NOT know what its like to take care of a disabled child along with all the worries and such that Must go along with a case such as yours .

I will NOT be RUDE and CRUDE as some ppl have been on here responded to you thinking their crap don't stink! or that they are better than anyone else!! No one should judge anyone with out knowing the whole story or with out walking a mile in their shows!!! I know first hand that there can be circumstances beyond our control and even the best we can do at times is not enough it seems.....

All I want to say is Keep Your head Up! and keep stepping one foot forward and don't give up! It may take some time but keep going ! Someone will listen and fight for you!

Hope this helped in some small way : )

Smile! Someone cares

Even though it was the debt collector's fault that she didn't withdraw money from your account for payment, you are also at fault. You could of just written a check to them instead of waiting for them to withdraw the money from your bank account. Also, when the bill gets transferred to a collection agency, you're credit is pretty much affected negatively. I doubt there's a way to remove the negative mark on your credit history.

Never give a collection agency your bank account information. Never sign up for automatic withdraw or check by phone. Pay by cashiers check or money order. Stop the automatic withdraws from your bank today.

I would send the collection agency a letter requesting the correction on my credit report due to the delay being on their side.

Call up whoever reported you and explain it to them, they should remove what they reported from your credit. Also dispute it with the 3 credit bureaus, they should research it and remove it themselves.

So why didn't you take the initiative to pay what you owe?

See, if you would have paid you bill when it was due, you wouldn't have all these problems.