Trying to clean up my credit...but stuck..

Hi,

I posted in one of the forum/topics under LVNV, but still ended up being stuck. To make the story short, I was denied in being able to rent an apartment (parents trying to get me and my family and brother out of the house now that I started working again) due to screening my background and finding one collection in both my TransUnion & Experian credit reports by LVNV for $3003, with a credit limit of $2208.

I tried to talk to my friend, who works in the mortgage business, about it, and although he tried to explain it to me the best way possible, I still don't understand it.

During the time period I posted here and from the time I met with my friend, I happened to find an old credit report back in 2004. I showed this old credit report to my friend and compared it with the ones I got for free from Experian (I should be getting a free report from TUC & EFX soon by mail). He told me to write a dispute/validation letter, gave me a sample letter, but it doesn't seem right to me. Tried to look around here but got even more confused. Nonetheless I contacted all three CRAs by phone (from I read, I might have made the process longer, possibly start it over again) to dispute it, as well as calling the collector themselves to dispute it. They have till the 29th of this month, says the CRAs.

So now I look back at the old credit report. Sears was the OC of this LVNV funding collector agency, but nowhere in my old CR does it show LVNV in it. Mind you this is 2004, already rented an apartment at that time with no problems and no collections showing. The Sears account had the limit of $2208 (paid some off thru Ameridebt), and shows the date of last payment as 02/2002 (This was the last time I used Ameridebt as well). However this CR also shows Sherman Acquistion (never got a letter) with a higher balance ($2274) and the last payment of 07/2001, but the account was opened in 6/2003. I don't even recall sending them the money; last I remembered, I sent the money directly to the original creditor. I thought this account (Sears) was charged off, but I was wrong...and nowhere in this old CR does it show I had to close the account due to someone using my identity. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Now back to the present, LVNV shows that it was opened as 6/2003 (remember old credit report was in 2004...DOES NOT SHOW ANYWHERE!). The amount now is $3039 and on this screening report, it shows payment history from 6/2006 to 7/2007. Comparing it to the OC's account, I now know it's the old Sears account.

I'm from California, I have looked up SOL's but I still don't understand anything about it. It confused me even more. The SOL in CA is 4 years right?

I didn't want to contact the collection agency over the phone because I was already harassed before but it was too late (for me to do anything about it after reading my rights) and I already paid for that particular creditor/account, and I don't want to deal with that again. I want to make sure the communication is very clear enough and I want to make sure any letters being sent to both the collectors and credit reporting agency are written well enough without sounding so stupid. I've seen samples, but I'm not sure what to use and what to put.

Any assistance is appreciative - I would like to move out of my parents house ASAP....

Thank you,

Jackie