I have a 3-year old Electric bill that is with a Collections Agency. The original creditor will accept payment directly from me (in full and that's OK with me). However, how do I make sure that the Collection Agency will stop reporting the delinquency and not merely report it as "paid?" I don't want any CAs appearing on my credit report.
The electric company is not exactly a business that will simply negotiate or write me a promise to stop reporting or anything like that. But I want to do more than just pay the bill and hope for the best. Suggestions?