If you’ve been contacted by 11 Charter Bright House or have noticed their entry on your credit report, you likely have a missed payment to Charter Spectrum that’s causing problems.
While 11 Charter Bright House’s calls are annoying, they are the least of your worries in this situation.
Debt collectors can cause a lot of problems for your credit score down the line.
Collection accounts can hurt your credit score for up to seven years, even after you pay off the debt.
They can also be viewed by lenders down the line, which means you could be denied loans or credit cards.
However, it is possible to remove these entries and get your credit score back on track.
Check out our comprehensive guide to learn more about 11 Charter Bright House, your rights as a customer, and ways to get rid of them on your credit report.
What is 11 Charter Bright House?
11 Charter Bright House is a debt collection agency that is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
They were originally Bright House Network, which was purchased by Charter Communications.
One of the largest providers of phone, cable, and internet services in the United States, Charter Communications is the cable telecom company we’re all familiar with.
If you are being contacted by 11 Charter Bright House, it is probably because you owe Charter Communications for an overdue bill.
11 Charter Bright House is a legitimate collector, but this doesn’t mean that they are pleasant to work with.
They have had numerous complaints filed against them with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
The majority of complaints are regarding inaccurate reporting, harassment, or failure to verify a debt.
If you find yourself facing any of these situations, you may also want to consider filing a complaint.
Steps to Remove 11 Charter Bright House from Your Credit Report
Having 11 Charter Bright House on your credit report can cause problems for your score unless you remove it.
Here are the essential steps to take to remove the collection account from your credit report.
- Know Your Rights
- Request Debt Validation
- Pay for Delete
- Hire a Credit Repair Company
Understand Your Rights
Debt collectors like 11 Charter Bright House don’t want you to know this, but there is federal legislation in place that protects you from their harassment and intimidation.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) gives consumers the right to dispute debts that they are being pursued for and also prohibits harassment, coercion, and deception from debt collectors.
The FDCPA protects consumers against many forms of debt collector abuse, such as:
- Using profane or abusive language
- Harassing you by telephone
- Calling after you have requested that they only contact you through U.S. Mail
- Calling before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
- Misrepresenting themselves when communicating with you
- Reporting false information to credit bureaus
- Contacting your friends, family, or place of work regarding your debt
Most debt collectors assume that people don’t know their rights and will treat them poorly in order to secure payments.
Understanding your rights under the FDCPA gives you an upper hand against 11 Charter Bright House.
You can prevent abuse from 11 Charter Bright House down the line by learning about your rights under the FDCPA.
Request Debt Validation
The next step, and perhaps the most urgent, is to request debt validation from 11 Charter Bright House.
The debt collection process is by no means perfect. The information about your debt can get lost as it is passed from the original creditor to the debt collector.
This means that the amount, the date of acquisition, and the creditor may be incorrectly listed on your collection entry.
In fact, it is possible that the debt doesn’t even belong to you. That is why it is important that you verify the debt information as soon as you can.
Under the FDCPA, you have the right to ask for debt validation from the debt collector. The catch is that you must do it within 30 days of the first contact. Otherwise, your request might be ignored.
Start by writing a debt validation letter that asks 11 Charter Bright House to confirm various pieces of information associated with your debt.
Once 11 Charter Bright House returns with the information you requested, look over it carefully and note any inaccuracies.
If you see anything that doesn’t match up, file a dispute with the major credit bureaus and ask them to remove the entry.
They are required by law to do so, and this can be a way for you to get out of paying the debt altogether.
Make a Deal with the Debt Collector
If 11 Charter Bright House is able to validate the debt, you are legally responsible to repay it.
This means that your next step is to negotiate a settlement in the form of a pay-for-delete agreement.
The goal of 11 Charter Bright House and every debt collector is to get you to pay money on your debt. This doesn’t mean that they necessarily need you to pay all of your debt.
Debt collectors will sometimes purchase debts from the original creditor for pennies on the dollar, which means they only need to make a portion of the balance back to earn money.
This can work in your favor if you negotiate with 11 Charter Bright House to delete your entry in exchange for payment.
To begin, offer 11 Charter Bright House half of the total balance of the debt. It’s possible that they will fight you on this, so you will need to negotiate with them to come to a reasonable solution that works for both parties.
It is essential that they agree to delete the entry rather than list it as paid.
Once you come to a compromise, have 11 Charter Bright House send you the agreement in writing.
Don’t make a payment to them until you receive this document. After you make a payment, wait 30 days to check your credit report.
You should notice that 11 Charter Bright House’s entry is no longer present. If it is, however, reach out to them, and remind them about your agreement.
Get a Free Copy of Your Credit Report
Hire a Credit Repair Company
If the process of negotiating with 11 Charter Bright House is causing you anxiety, you can hire a credit repair company to work with the debt collection agency on your behalf.
Credit repair companies offer a hands-off approach for you that lets experts assist in analyzing your credit report and boosting your score.
They specialize in removing inaccurate, incomplete, unverifiable, unauthorized, or fraudulent negative items from their credit report. Overall, they can be an excellent resource if you work with the right companies.
From our many years of experience in this field, we highly recommend Sky Blue as one of the best to help you get your credit back on track.
They are consummate professionals that have helped thousands of people clean up their credit report.
Ask Sky Blue for Help
Dealing with 11 Charter Bright House
Removing 11 Charter Bright House from your credit report can help you get your credit score back on track and achieve your financial dreams.
The ability to improve your credit score starts with you.
For more tips on how to improve your credit score, be sure to check out some of our popular articles.
