It started, as these problems often do, with a hospital billing error.
After a visit to a Naperville radiologist, a bill that was supposed to be sent to Tim Ells' home wound up lost. The radiologist, Ells said, had been sending the bill to the wrong address.
The Naperville resident didn't realize he owed the $204 until he went to take out a student loan for his son, who is entering his final semester at college.
His application for the federal Parent PLUS loan was rejected by the U.S. Department of Education because the radiology bill had been placed in collection.
After searching his credit history, Ells discovered the debt listed on his Equifax report.
He quickly called the collection agency that had reported the debt to Equifax, ATG Credit, LLC, and paid the balance.
To qualify for the loan, the Department of Education asked Ells to provide it with a "paid in full" letter, showing he had paid ATG the $204.
Ells obtained the letter, but there was still a hitch.
Instead of listing the reference number from the Equifax report, the letter from ATG showed the account number from the radiologist.
Every time Ells asked ATG to send a new letter with the correct reference number, it sent him a new letter with the old radiologist's account number, he said.
So he tried a different approach.
The Department of Education told him that if he could provide an Equifax report showing the collection agency had been paid, it would approve his Parent PLUS loan.
Ells said he persuaded ATG to call Equifax and tell the credit agency that the $204 had been paid, but the debt remained on his Equifax report.
Representatives from the credit agency told him repeatedly they had no proof of payment.
"I do not know what else to do but email you," Ells said in his submission to What's Your Problem? on Aug. 23. "This is embarrassing, but also affecting my son's education. I am in a Catch-22 neverland. School starts soon, please help. I am desperate."
Ells said classes start Sept. 4. Although bills from the school won't be due until the end of the month, his son will soon need money for room and board at his fraternity.
"If (Equifax) could just get it off the report and give me a copy I could scan and show the government, this could all be taken care of in about 48 hours," he said.
The Problem Solver called Daryl Toor, a spokesman for Equifax, and forwarded him proof that Ells had paid ATG the $204.
About the same time, Ells filed another dispute with Equifax.
The next day, an Equifax representative called Ells to say the debt would be removed from his account.
Toor said he couldn't discuss Ells' case due to privacy laws.
Ells said he was just glad Equifax had agreed to remove the debt.
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