 TITLE: Should I Dispute a Collection? CONTENT: How to Deal With Accounts in Collections\n----------------------------------------\nThe easiest way to deal with collection accounts and collection agencies is to avoid them altogether by paying all of your credit obligations on time. If you never have an account go into default, you'll never have to deal with collection agencies or worry about collection accounts on your credit reports. Of course, if a collection account mistakenly appears on your credit report, that is a good reason to request to have it removed.\nIf you do end up with legitimately reported collection accounts, there are some steps that will make the process less stressful:\n*   **Don't ignore the debt.** Ignoring the debt or the debt collector will not make either of them go away. In fact, if you ignore the debt or debt collector for too long, they may end up suing you—and that you cannot ignore or you'll end up with a default judgment filed against you.\n*   **Deal with the creditor first.** Contact the original creditor or service provider and ask if they'll allow you to resume making payments to them directly. Some will allow for this, some will not. If the debt is returned to the original creditor, the collection agency should delete its account from your credit reports. This process is sometimes referred to as the collection account being \"canceled\" or \"returned to the creditor.\"\n*   **Try settling the debt.** You can certainly make an offer to the collection agency for less than you actually owe. This is called an Offer in Compromise or a settlement offer. For example, if you owe the debt collector $1,000, they may be willing to take $500 and consider the debt to be settled in full. This will end the collection process and result in a zero balance on your credit reports, but with the account showing \"settled\" rather than \"paid in full.\" Settling a collection account will not result in it being removed from your credit reports, though, as paying off the collection in full would. END