Missing a payment is a simple slip that can wreak havoc on your credit score and lead to some frustrating phone calls.

If you’ve been contacted by 11 Charter Communications or have encountered the name on your credit report, a missed payment on a Charter Spectrum account is likely the culprit.

While an unexpected debt collection call can be stressful, dealing with the problem is actually simpler than you might expect.

In fact, you might be able to repair your credit without having to pay your debts.

Read on to learn more about 11 Charter Communications and see how you can get a collections account removed from your credit report.

What Is 11 Charter Communications?

If you’ve noticed a drop in your credit score tied to a collections account from 11 Charter Communications, you might be wondering exactly what the entry is for.

While the “11” might throw you off, 11 Charter Communications is actually Charter Communications, Inc, the popular telecom provider we’re all familiar with.

Charter is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and is one of the largest providers of phone, cable, and internet services in the United States.

While Charter does most of its business under its brand name Spectrum, 11 Charter Communications is commonly the name associated with its debt collection efforts.

3 Ways to Remove 11 Charter Communications from Your Credit Report

11 Charter Communications can severely hurt your credit report as long as it stays there.

Fortunately, getting a collection agency removed from your credit report is easier than you might think with the three tips below.

  • Send Charter a debt validation letter
  • Opt for a pay-for-delete agreement
  • Hire a credit repair company

1. Send 11 Charter Communications a Debt Validation Letter

If you think there’s been an error and you don’t actually owe Charter money, you should certainly dispute the debt.

But this step is also advisable if you do owe the amount that Charter is seeking payment for.

Oftentimes, companies and debt collectors do not have sufficient documentation of customers’ debts.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires debt collectors to provide valid proof of debts if you submit a validation letter within 30 days of being contacted by a company.

If Charter cannot provide the validation you’re requesting, they will have no choice but to remove you from all communications and have the collections account deleted from your credit report.

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2. Opt for a Pay-for-delete Agreement

If 11 Charter Communications has been on your credit report for longer than a month, you should negotiate a pay-for-delete agreement.

In this arrangement, you negotiate to pay a percentage of the amount you owe in exchange for the deletion of the account from your credit report.

It’s particularly important to negotiate with Charter in writing rather than on the phone here, and to note that simply paying what you owe to Charter will not have the same outcome.

While it might stop their calls and letters, the collections account will still remain on your report for several years.

Not only does a pay-for-delete agreement ensure the account is removed from your report, but it could also save you money.

You can negotiate to pay a far smaller amount than you owe to settle your debts, like 25-50% of the balance on your account.

Once an agreement has been reached and you’ve made a payment to Charter, you should see the negative entry removed from your credit report in the next 30 days.

If the entry is still there after that time, you should write to Charter again to make sure they uphold their end of the agreement.

3. Hire a Credit Repair Company

While negotiating with 11 Charter Communications and getting them removed from your credit report on your own is certainly doable, it can be a stressful task.

If you dread the thought of picking up the phone when Charter calls or drafting debt validation letters, you have other options.

There are dozens of credit repair companies out there, many of which are skilled at disputing debts, negotiating settlements, and boosting credit scores.

They’ll also ensure that debt collectors don’t harass you or otherwise violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Whether a lingering phone bill is hurting your credit score or you’re dealing with more severe credit issues like foreclosure or bankruptcy, a credit repair company can be well worth the cost.

If you’re looking to tackle your poor credit score, we recommend Credit Saint, one of the highest-reviewed credit repair companies with a track record of solid results.

How Does 11 Charter Communications Work?

Charter offers a line of competitively priced telecommunications services, with a massive network across the country.

As such, they collect on a lot of debts from individuals who have failed to make payments on their cable, internet, and phone plans.

It’s all too easy for a final payment to slip through the cracks when you move or cancel your service.

When that happens, Charter can report your failure to pay your debt to one or all three of the credit bureaus, negatively impacting your credit score.

In many cases, companies like Charter hire debt collection agencies to recover debts from their customers.

Other times, agencies purchase the debt outright for pennies on the dollar, reporting the debt to the credit bureaus and hounding debtors until an agreement is reached.

A collections account entry from 11 Charter Communications, or any other debt collector can stay on your credit report for 7 years, doing substantial damage to your credit score.

When a collections account has been placed on your credit report, the lender or collections agency can frequently call you and mail letters regarding your unpaid debts as well.

Dealing With 11 Charter Communications

If you’ve dealt with a phone or cable provider before, you’ve probably had some level of frustration with customer service.

Charter isn’t a stranger to criticism from customers, particularly when it comes to collecting on late payments.

Customers have filed thousands of complaints against Charter with the Better Business Bureau, where the company holds an “F” rating and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Many of these complaints are concerned with the same issues, including:

  • Faulty reporting: Sometimes inaccurate reporting is to blame for collections accounts on credit reports. Many customers report being contacted by Charter regarding debts that don’t exist.
  • Debt validation: Customers also cited complaints over Charter’s failure to present proof of the debt they claimed was owed.
  • Harassment: Other customers complained about Charter’s communication tactics, claiming the company harassed them over the phone to collect debts.

In light of these complaints, it’s important to learn the basics of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

This act provides you with a list of protections, limiting how and when debt collectors can contact you.

For instance, it restricts them from calling at unreasonable hours and communicating with your employers or relatives.

It also allows you to stop a debt collector’s calls altogether, choosing to communicate with them by mail instead.

This is a step you should take to ensure your case gets documented, including the specifics of any negotiations you make with the company.