Got denied for a $500 store card at the register in front of my kid, checked my report that night and found a collections account I never knew about

Robin Palmer · 2026-10-11T03:50:04.448524+00:00

So last Tuesday I'm at the checkout counter with my 9 year old buying him new cleats and the cashier asks if I want to save 15 percent by signing up for the store card. I figured sure, easy win, I've got a decent job and pay my bills on time, so I hand over my license. She comes back a minute later and quietly says it didn't go through, and my kid is standing right there asking why I can't get the card. I took the cleats home full price and pulled my credit report that night on my phone, and there it is, a $340 collection from a medical office in a city I haven't lived in for 8 years. Nobody ever called me about it, no bill, nothing, it just sat there dragging my score down to 611. I filed a dispute online with the credit bureau right then and attached my old lease showing I'd moved out before the date of service, and I'm waiting on the 30 day window now. Has anybody had luck getting a medical collection removed this way, or do I need to call the doctor's office directly and fight it out with them first?

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Got denied for a $500 store card at the register in front of my kid, checked my report that night and found a collections account I never knew about | Credit Advice - Thought Shares