• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

FinanceJar

FinanceJar

Take the next step on your journey

  • Credit Scores
    • Credit Score Range
  • Credit Repair
  • Credit Reports
    • Credit Inquiries
  • Credit Cards
    • Credit Card Reviews
  • Debt
    • Debt Collection
    • List of Collection Agencies
  • Loans

Home Debt Debt Collection Collection Agencies DirecTV Collections

How to Remove DirecTV Collections from Your Credit Report

Credit report showing DirecTV collection account

At a glance

  • DirecTV Collections is the debt collection division of DirecTV, a television company.
  • Find out what the company does (and what they’re not allowed to do), what your rights are, and how to get DirecTV Collections off your credit report.
  • DirecTV Collections is likely hurting your credit score.

Get expert help. Call now to remove DirecTV Collections from your credit report.

Call (888) 859-0871 Tap to Call a Collections Expert Book a Free Consultation

Specialists available Monday to Friday, 10AM - 7PM EST.

Written by FinanceJar Team

Reviewed by Victoria Scanlon

Apr 27, 2022

Fresh advice you can trust

We promise to always deliver the best financial advice that we can. That's our first priority, and we take it seriously. Our writers and editors follow strict editorial standards and operate independently from our advertisers and affiliates. Learn more about how we make money.

Table of Contents

  1. What is DirecTV Collections?
  2. Who does DirecTV Collections collect for?
  3. Is DirecTV Collections a scam?
  4. Understand your rights
  5. How to remove DirecTV Collections from your credit report
  6. How to stop DirecTV Collections from calling you

What is DirecTV Collections?

DirecTV Collections is the debt collections department of satellite television company DirecTV, which was founded in El Segundo, California in 1990. They collect payments on overdue satellite and streaming service bills from customers. 1

The telecommunications company AT&T purchased DirecTV in 2015, but they returned the company to independent operation in 2021. 2 3

Who does DirecTV Collections collect for?

DirecTV Collections is a first-party debt collector, which means they collect on behalf of their parent company rather than on behalf of other businesses.

If you have unpaid bills related to a DirecTV account, you may be hearing from DirecTV Collections.

Is DirecTV Collections a scam?

No, DirecTV Collections isn’t a scam. They’re the legitimate debt collection division of DirectTV. However, like any other debt collector, they may still behave unethically. There’s some evidence they violated consumer rights in the past.

In a pending class-action lawsuit filed in 2021, DirecTV Collections and third-party collectors acting on behalf of DirecTV allegedly violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by placing prerecorded debt collection calls to non-customers’ cell phones. 4

What’s more, scammers may try to trick you into paying them by claiming to represent DirecTV Collections. It’s best to verify your debt before making any payments, which you can do by contacting DirecTV directly using the contact information below.

DirecTV Collections Contact Information

If you want to remove DirecTV Collections from your credit report, write to their address:

directv collections logo

Address: 2230 E Imperial Hwy
El Segundo, CA 90245-3504
Phone Number: (800) 531-5000
Website: www.directv.com

Disputing an incorrect entry on your credit report can be stressful and difficult. Consider working with a professional.

Get A Free Consultation

Understand your rights

Because DirecTV Collections is a first-party debt collector (meaning they collect debts on their own behalf), they don’t have to abide by the same laws that apply to third-party debt collection agencies (which collect debts for other companies and individuals).

Specifically, DirecTV Collections isn’t required to adhere to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which means that (depending on the laws in your state) there may be fewer restrictions on how and when they can contact you.

However, you still have several options for fighting DirecTV Collections and getting the collection account off your credit report, which we’ll describe below.

finance jar gold coin

Keep records of letters and phone calls

If you think that DirecTV Collections may be violating your rights, then it’s a good idea to record your phone calls, save any letters they send you, and keep records of when they’ve contacted you. This will make things much easier if you need to take legal action against them in the future.

Beware of the statute of limitations on debt

Depending on how long it’s been since you failed to repay DirecTV Collections, it’s possible that your debt is old enough that it’s passed the statute of limitations. This is a legal limit on how long DirecTV Collections can sue you over the debt. After this period passes, it’s known as time-barred debt.

The statute of limitations on most debts is between 3 and 6 years, but the exact amount of time depends on several factors, including the state you live in and the type of debt that it is.

To find the statute of limitations on your debt, check your state attorney general’s website and email their office if the information you’re looking for isn’t available online.

How to remove DirecTV Collections from your credit report

If your credit score is suffering as a result of DirecTV Collections debt, there are two ways to recover:

1. Dispute the debt

You should immediately dispute the debt if it isn’t yours or if it’s older than 7 years (measured from the date of your first missed payment)—by law, collection accounts are supposed to fall off your credit report by then.

To dispute a debt for free, send a credit dispute letter to the credit bureaus that are showing DirecTV Collections on your credit report. You should also send a dispute letter to DirecTV Collections.

Credit dispute letter to credit bureau

Credit Dispute Letter

Use this credit dispute letter template to file a dispute directly with one of the credit bureaus. If DirecTV Collections is on your credit report by mistake or the debt they're trying to collect is more than 7 years old, the credit bureaus have to remove it from your report.

PDF Word

To find out which credit bureaus you need to send the letter to, request your free credit reports from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion at AnnualCreditReport.com. If they don’t respond to your dispute within 30–45 days, then they’re legally obligated to remove the item from your credit report.

2. Negotiate with DirecTV Collections

Unfortunately, if the debt is legitimate and it’s less than 7 years old, removing DirecTV Collections from your credit report will be very difficult (although not impossible).

Your best move at this point is to simply pay the debt. Newer credit scoring models, such as FICO 9 and VantageScore 3.0, ignore paid-off collection accounts, which means paying off your collection will boost your credit score even if you can’t remove the item from your credit report.

However, when you pay, there are two negotiation strategies you can try as a last-ditch attempt to remove DirecTV Collections from your report:

  • Pay for delete: You might be able to convince DirecTV Collections to remove the negative mark in exchange for paying off the debt. You can open these negotiations by sending them a pay-for-delete letter.
  • Goodwill deletion: This is an alternate strategy you can try after paying your debt. Once the account is paid off, you can send DirecTV Collections a goodwill letter asking them to empathize with your situation and remove the mark from your credit report as an act of kindness.
finance jar gold coin

If you can’t afford to pay off your debt, try negotiating a debt settlement

If your debt is fairly old, then there’s a chance that DirecTV Collections will accept less than the full amount you owe (a practice known as debt settlement) to minimize their losses. You can negotiate a debt settlement with DirecTV Collections over the phone or by sending a debt settlement letter.

How to file a complaint against DirecTV Collections

If you’re unhappy with how DirecTV Collections is treating you, then you can file a complaint on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website.

However, bear in mind that the BBB is a private organization that has no affiliation with the US government. The BBB will forward your complaint to DirecTV Collections, but there’s no guarantee that DirecTV Collections will address it in a satisfactory manner.

Alternatively, if DirecTV Collections has done something illegal, then you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or your state attorney general.

Can I sue DirecTV Collections for harassment?

No, you can’t sue DirecTV Collections for harassment. You may have heard that you can sue debt collectors for harassing you, but this doesn’t apply to DirecTV Collections since they’re a first-party debt collector and they’re not required to abide by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

However, you may be able to sue DirecTV Collections if they violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act when calling you. You may also be able to press charges if a representative threatens you.

How to stop DirecTV Collections from calling you

DirecTV Collections will contact you by whatever means they see fit if they believe you have an unsettled debt, and they won’t stop unless you pay the debt or reach an agreement with them.

Ordinarily, debt collection agencies have to stop calling you if you send them a debt verification letter. However, DirecTV Collections isn’t obligated to do so because they’re a first-party debt collector—they collect their own debts, not debts owed to other companies. This means that many of the normal laws on debt collection, such as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), don’t apply to them.

Nevertheless, you can try these approaches to get them to stop calling you:

  • Send them a letter: Although this isn’t guaranteed to work, you can try sending DirecTV Collections a letter asking them to stop calling you and only communicate with you in writing. They may be more likely to agree to your request if you previously had a good relationship with them.
  • Block their calls: You can set up a call-blocking service by contacting your phone service provider or downloading a blocking app onto your mobile phone. However, bear in mind that this comes with risks—for example, they may be more inclined to sue you over the debt.

Note that, depending on where you live, it’s possible that stricter laws actually do apply to DirecTV Collections. Several states have their own laws (often modeled off of the FDCPA) that place more stringent restrictions on first-party debt collectors. Look up your local legislation and consider consulting with an attorney to learn more.

Takeaway: If DirecTV Collections is contacting you, they probably think you owe them a debt

  • DirecTV Collections is a legitimate debt collector, and they collect delinquent debts that consumers owe them.
  • DirecTV Collections isn’t a scam, but you should make sure to avoid scammers by verifying your debts and only making payments once you're sure they're legitimate.
  • Because DirecTV Collections is a first-party debt collector, they don’t need to abide by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and there are fewer restrictions on how they contact you (unless your state has its own laws governing first-party debt collectors).
  • There are several ways of removing DirecTV Collections debt from your credit report. If these approaches fail, then consider seeking advice from a credit repair professional.

Other Collection Agencies

  • Creditors' Discount and Audit Company
  • Crown Asset Management
  • Designed Receivable Solutions
  • Direct Recovery
  • Direct Recovery Services
  • Diversified Adjustment Service
  • Durango Credit and Collection
  • Dynamic Recovery Solutions
  • EOS CCA
  • Enhanced Recovery Company

Article Sources

  1. Better Business Bureau. "DirecTV, Inc." Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  2. AT&T. "AT&T Completes Acquisition of DIRECTV" Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  3. Los Angeles Times. "DirecTV Breaks Free from AT&T" Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  4. United States District Court for the Central District of California. "Brown v. DirecTV, LLC" Retrieved April 27, 2022.

FinanceJar Team

Staff Writers & Editors

View Author

The FinanceJar Team is a group of financial experts, writers, and industry professionals who collaborate to bring you fresh and simple insights into your finances. They're dedicated to guiding you toward the right path on your financial journey.

Related Articles

Card being inserted into hospital representing paying medical bills with a credit card
Credit Cards

May 13, 2022

Should You Pay Medical Bills with a Credit Card? Pros and Cons

You can pay your medical bills with a credit card, but there are...

FinanceJar Team
Stop sign representing times you should never pay a debt collection agency
Debt

May 12, 2022

Should You Ever Pay a Debt Collection Agency?

You could face negative consequences for not paying debt collection...

Yi-Jane Lee
Several phones with one representing the debt collection agency you owe
Debt

May 11, 2022

4 Ways to Find Out Which Debt Collection Agency You Owe Money To

With countless debt collection agencies out there, it can be...

Yi-Jane Lee
Clock representing how long a debt collector can pursue old debt
Debt

May 9, 2022

How Long Can a Debt Collector Legally Pursue Old Debt?

The amount of time that debt collectors have before they can no...

FinanceJar Team
Scissors cutting away a ball and chain representing debt
Debt

May 5, 2022

Debt Management Plans: What They Are & How to Get Help

Debt management can help you get out of debt by simplifying your...

Jesslyn Firman
Debt validation letter next to a stamp
Debt

April 29, 2022

Debt Validation Letter: What It Is and Why You Need to Receive It

Debt validation is proof that you owe a particular debt. Debt...

Jesslyn Firman
FinanceJar

Footer

Credit

  • Credit Scores
  • Credit Repair
  • Credit Reports
  • Credit Cards
  • Debt

Company

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Legal

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

How We Make Money

We make money from advertising. We place links on our website to our affiliates, and when you click those links, our affiliates compensate us for it. Our relationships with our affiliates may affect which products we feature on our site and where these products appear in our articles.

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Pinterest

© 2022 – ONR Financial Networks LLC – All Rights Reserved.

Worried about your credit?

Get collections and inquiries removed from your credit report.

Get A Free Consultation
  • Credit Scores
    • Credit Score Range
  • Credit Repair
  • Credit Reports
    • Credit Inquiries
  • Credit Cards
    • Credit Card Reviews
  • Debt
    • Debt Collection
    • List of Collection Agencies
  • Loans

What you’ll get

  • Assess

    Fill in your information and we will securely pull your TransUnion credit report.

  • Address

    We challenge inaccurate negative items with the bureaus and your creditors.

  • Advise

    We will give you advice for how you can improve your credit. Don’t want to wait? Call us now.

Don’t want to wait? Call us!

(888) 859-0871

Monday to Friday, 10AM - 7PM EST

FinanceJar

Get a FREE 5-minute credit consultation.

Get a credit improvement plan that works for you with 1 phone call.

What you’ll get

1
Assess

Fill in your information and we will securely pull your TransUnion credit report.

2
Address

We challenge inaccurate negative items with the bureaus and your creditors.

3
Advise

We will give you advice for how you can improve your credit. Don’t want to wait? Call us now.

This is completely secure and won’t hurt your credit score.

By clicking "Submit" I agree by electronic signature to: (1) be contacted about credit repair or credit repair marketing by a live agent, artificial or prerecorded voice and SMS text at my residential or cellular number, dialed manually or by autodialer, and by email (consent to be contacted is not a condition to purchase services); and (2) the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Don’t want to wait? Call (888) 859-0871 now

We hope this template helps you achieve your goals.

Would you please review us?

A review would mean a lot to us — and takes less than 20 seconds. Let us know what you think. Thanks!

Leave My Review
FinanceJar

Advertising Disclosure

Some of our articles feature links to our partners, who compensate us when you click them. This may affect the products and services that we showcase in our articles and how we place and order them. It does not affect our evaluations of them, which our writers and editors create independently, without considering our relationships with our partners.

FinanceJar

Editorial Standards

We promise to always deliver the best financial advice that we can. That’s our first priority, and we take it seriously.

To ensure that our articles and reviews are objective and unbiased, our writers and editors operate independently from our advertisers and affiliates. Our writers do not take FinanceJar’s relationship with its affiliates into consideration when writing their reviews and articles.

Everything we publish is as accurate and as complete as we can make it. All of our articles undergo several rounds of fact-checking before we publish them, and we do our best to keep them as no-nonsense and jargon-free as possible while still delivering the information that you need.

We know that taking financial advice from us requires a lot of trust on your part. We’re grateful for that trust, and we won’t abuse it.

FinanceJar

How We Make Money

FinanceJar partners with other companies in the credit and finance industry, such as credit card issuers and credit repair companies.

We make money through advertising. Our pages feature links to our partners’ websites. If you click on one of those links, we get paid.

The links to our partners are always clearly marked. You’ll always be able to tell what you’re clicking. We’ll never try to trick you into clicking anything you’re not genuinely interested in.

That’s the only way that we make money. We don’t accept compensation in exchange for reviews or articles, and we don’t directly sell any products or services ourselves. Our editorial team operates independently (with no influence from our affiliates or our advertising team) so as to avoid compromising the objectivity of our reviews.