How long do delinquent bills stay in collections?

[orv]

Im not sure where else to post this.. so i was wondering how long delinquent bills stay in collections.. ugh i hate having to ask, because i hate that im 23 and have to worry about this. I'm not in major debt,
i have one maxed credit card(limit was only 500) that was like 5 years ago,

i have a bell canada cell phone bill(my mom put it in her name,maxed it and never paid the bill.. THANKS MOM!!!hopefully she doesent sign up for this site like i told her too and read this lol i <3 u mom) it was liek 500$... that was liek 8 years ago probably,

i also went to modeling school(dumbest investment EVER!!!..i was 18 and didnt know any better.. u dont have to PAY to be a model....learnt my lesson) it was and 900$ course, i payed like 750$ of it(dropped out after the 4th class but continued to pay as i signed a contract, the course had over 20 classes) but i then lost my job, and had no income to continue paying, they tried takin me court, needless to say they also sent this to collections,

Some books from double day, sent to collections, it was only like 70$.. but im sure it would have collected interest or something? that was like 6 or 7 years ago

and lastly(i think....and hope) my most recent is a bell canada bill...like 600$ about 1 year old.


so all in all i would say im under 5000$ in debt,(i hope?) just wondering, with how old some of it, how bad would my credit be.. really?
i heard once things have been in collections for like 7 years they get deleted or something? is this true? or am in crap?
P.S im much more mature now and my bills are paid..lol its these thoughtless desicion ones destroying my credit that im worried about.

[kduever]

If the debt was incurred prior to 2002 (I think), it can stay on your credit bureau for 7 years.
If it was incurred after that time, it only stays for 2 years.
The Bell bill should not be on your bureau at all as utilities do not report to the credit bureau.
Having said that, however, these debts can stay in collections for considerably longer than that.
You never mentioned whether or not you have creditors calling you. If you do, I would suggest that you work out a payment arrangement. Since you said that you are more mature now, you should take responsibility for your debt, pay it off and then start again with a clean slate.

[Colsgirl]

bell canada cell phone bill(my mom put it in her name,maxed it and never paid the bill.

If the cell phone bill is in your Mom's name then they would chase her to pay it, not you.

I agree with the previous post about arranging to pay of any debt - you will sleep better for it. It isn't nice for you to wonder what is in the mail or where the next call is coming from.

Be brave and get your credit report, then you will know what you are dealing with and know where items have to be repaired.

[Natalka]

Agree with the above posting - time to search out these debts and clear them out.
I think the seven year thing is for bankruptcy, but I could be wrong.
It would be well worth your trouble to get all of this dealt with as soon as possible. You just don't want this hanging over your head.

[orv]

I agree with all of you.. i know these need to be paid.. im taking one step at a time, as supporting my families immediate needs are most important.. thanks for the tips!

[lalita1985]

I was in a similar situation...I had alot of debt and was going through some financial issues at home and couldn't pay my bills and alot of them went to collections.

You need to deal with it ASAP as collection agencies charge a ton of interest. If you can get a consolodation loan from your bank you'll be much better off than paying the insane interest.

Also, a tip from someone who has dealt with collection agencies in the not so distant past...don't let them bully you on the phone. I'd also advise NOT giving them your work information (they usually ask for it) because they will call you at work. Nothing worse than getting called and bullied at work.

I gave them my cell phone number only.

Good luck!!

[zmartell]

Its called statute of limitation, if they havent contacted you for like more then something like 3 years, then they cant sue you. case closed. you still do technically owe them but they cant do anything about it, now or forever. They still call you afterwards, you threaten to sue for phone harassment, or whatever the case may be.

[Cheapster1977]

With the sour economy and people losing their jobs some debt collection agencies will settle for the amount the company sold the debt for and credit card companies they sell the deliquent debt for pennies on the dollar to the collection agencies to write off the debt on their books. Plus you can ask the collection agency to settle for that amount

[screamy]

It's actually a statute of limitation.

It means that there is a finite period of time during which an action can be commenced (like charging someone with assault, in criminal law, or, in your case, the time period during which a company (or individual) can make a claim against you for a debt in civil court).