Credit Card

Most likely Providian wont deal with you. I would contact the collection agency and try and get a settlement. Make sure that you stipulate that if a dispute is issued about their entry on your credit report that they agree not to respond thus it will be deleted. Never agree to a settlement without getting it in writing and getting an agreement not to respond to a credit dispute.

Make sure that you confirm the status of this account in your credit report from all the three credit bureaus.

If the said debt has been sold to the collection agency by your creditors, then you will have to deal with them only and not the creditors. In rare cases, the creditors engage some of their personals to recover the debt from the consumers and do not sell it to any collection agency.

So, pulling the credit report will help you to know the status of your account if it is with the collection agency or the creditor.

If you compare the credit reports from the three bureaus and find any sort of error in it, you have the right to dispute it with the concerned bureau and get it verified. The credit bureau will conduct an investigation and notify you about the change within 30 days.