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Hi everyone,
I received a notification from a collection agency on a 14-year old medical bill last week. I have not been contacted about this debt for at least 10 years. I live in Ohio, and the SOL for Ohio is 6 years for open accounts. So would it be appropriate for me to send a letter to them for disputing this debt. I have never tried to dispute anything ever. However, with a bill this old I feel I do have rights according to the FDCPA.
I have never paid anything toward this bill so the time-line for the SOL should have begun in February of 1996 but how can I be sure? Is this something the CA could provide in a verification of debt?
Thank you!
old debt in collections
Hi Olivia,
First pull a copy of your credit report, and check the status of this account.
Yes, credit card debt is an open ended account, and the Statute of Limitations on such accounts in Ohio is 6 years. To stop the collection agency (CA) from calling and harassing you for the debt, you can send a Cease and desist letter to them.
Send the letter through certified mail, requesting a return receipt. This will help in you retaining the proof of the letter sent to the CA. If the CA fails to comply with your request, you can sue them.
Thanks,
Aaron
Olivia, I would also advise sending the cease and desist letter and make sure it is by certified mail so you have proof.
You also need to check and make sure this is not on your credit report. sometimes collectors will try to re list an old debt. If it is there you need to dispute the listing as obsolete. Remember you can get a free copy from the three credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com. Here you will have the choice of pulling any report from the three bureaus for free. You can do them all at once but I like to divide mine out through the year so I can monitor my report. Good Luck.