ConServe is a debt collection agency that may contact you regarding unpaid debts.

They are a third-party debt collector, which means that they may be hired by your original creditor, or they may purchase your old debt on the chance that you pay them instead.

They are notoriously difficult to work with, and their presence on your credit report can mean trouble for your score in the long run.

Collections accounts stay on your credit report for as long as seven years, which means that any lender or creditor can make decisions based on the fact that you have had debt in collections.

This means that you could be denied credit cards, mortgages, and other financial loans down the road.

Removing a collections account from your credit report is the best way to get your score back on track.

To learn more, check out our step-by-step guide to find out how to deal with ConServe and clean up your credit report.

What is ConServe?

Originally founded in 1985, ConServe is a medium-sized debt collector that is headquartered in Fairport, NY.

They specialize in collecting on behalf of higher education institutions, government agencies, financial institutions, credit unions, and other commercial enterprises.

You may be curious if ConServe is a legitimate company. ConServe is indeed a legitimate third-party debt collector, but that doesn’t mean that they are pleasant to work with.

Customers have a history of bad experiences with them, as is evident by their complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

ConServe has been accused of harassment, inaccurate reporting, failure to respond to debt validation requests, and other infractions of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

How to Remove ConServe from Your Credit Report

If you are interested in removing ConServe from your credit report, you are in the right place.

Here are the essential steps to take to stop their harassment and prevent them from damaging your credit score for years to come:

  • Validate the Debt
  • Negotiate a Settlement
  • Hire a Professional

Validate the Debt

Debt collections is a tricky business, and it isn’t perfect by any means. Sometimes, information gets lost in the transition from the original creditor to the debt collector.

This can mean that the debt collector may not have the right information about your debt from the start.

It can even mean that they can be pursuing you for someone else’s debt.

That is why it is important to validate the debt as soon as you start hearing from ConServe.

The goal with debt validation is to confirm that ConServe has all of the correct information regarding your debt before you endeavor to pay any of it.

You can accomplish this by sending a debt validation letter that asks them to confirm details such as the name on the debt, the total amount, and the date of debt acquisition.

This is a time-sensitive step, so it’s important that you do it right away.

If you need help, I have a debt validation letter template that can help you get started.

After you send the debt validation letter, ConServe should come back with a bunch of documents meant to prove that the debt belongs to you.

Be sure to go through these documents with a fine-tooth comb and make note of any inaccuracies.

If you find anything that doesn’t match the information you have, you can file a dispute with the major credit bureaus.

This is a way that you can remove the collection from your credit report and get out of paying the debt altogether.

Negotiate a Settlement

If you fail to get the entry removed on a technicality, the next step is to negotiate a pay-for-delete settlement with ConServe.

A pay-for-delete agreement means that you will pay a portion of the debt in exchange for ConServe to stop reporting the debt to major credit bureaus.

While pay-for-deletes are rare, you can sometimes get away with paying less than the full amount of the debt.

This is because many debt collectors purchase the debt from the creditor for pennies on the dollar with the thought that they can make money by getting you to repay.

This means that they will still make some money back even if you don’t pay the full amount. It’s a win-win situation.

For starters, tell ConServe that you are willing to pay half of the total amount in exchange for deletion.

Negotiate with them until you agree on specific terms. Make sure that you don’t make a payment until you get a written agreement from them with the details of the agreement specified in clear language. Once you get this, you are free to move forward.

After you make the first payment, wait 30 days before checking your credit report.

Get a Free Copy of Your Credit Report

You should notice that ConServe no longer appears, which means that they upheld their end of the bargain.

If they are still on your credit report, however, you need to reach back out to ConServe and remind them of the pay-for-delete agreement.

Let them know that until they uphold their end of the deal, you won’t be making another payment on your debt.

This should hopefully inspire them to make moves to delete the entry.

Work with a Professional

If all else fails, you can always hire a credit repair company to work their magic with ConServe.

A credit repair company helps customers remove any dings or negative marks on their credit score.

Instead of you dealing with ConServe, they will step in and handle all of the communications and negotiations.

This will help you land a better settlement and hopefully have the mark removed. Additionally, they can also help you boost your credit score by looking at your current financial habits and showing you places where you can improve.

Some credit repair companies can make big promises and then fail to deliver, which is why it’s important to work with a reputable company.

I recommend Sky Blue to anyone looking for a high-quality credit repair company.

They are consummate professionals and have a history of success in dealing with collection agencies like ConServe.

Ultimately, they can help you clean up your report and improve your score.

Ask Sky Blue for Help

Dealing with ConServe

Removing ConServe from your credit report isn’t an easy task, but it will pay off in the long run.

Cleaning up your credit report helps your credit score, which can open a lot of financial doors for you down the road.

Ultimately, you will be saving yourself many headaches by taking care of the problem up front rather than accepting the damage to your score.

Improving your credit score is a process, and there are many steps you can take to boost your score.

We have many articles with tips and steps on how to boost your score and improve your financial habits.

Your financial goals are within your reach. Check out our popular articles to learn how to get there.