<prompt> Human: Hi, PF! Love your work. Thanks in advance for your input.I have an account in collections for a utility bill from two apartments ago. The specifics arent important, but long story short: the utility company kept charging me for the next tenants usage for months after I moved out. I requested disconnection, but they dont have record of it, so now, 2 years and about a hundred phone calls later, I have a collections company hounding me for 306. At this point, it is basically my word against theirs about whether or not I owe the money.My requests for investigation from the three credit bureaus have not resulted in removal and the collector does not offer pay-for-delete from credit reports. Here are my questions:1. The debt collector says that paying the 306 to a 0 balance will improve my credit, even though the derogatory mark will remain on my report. Is this true or is that typical collections agency BS?2. If paying the balance WILL improve my credit, is it likely to make a substantial impact?3. Am I in any legal jeopardy just waiting the remaining 5 years until the whole thing drops off my credit report?Thanks, everyone!  <response>: Doesnt help your credit score per say, however if you pay it, it will say paid in full. If an individual is doing a manual credit check on you, they will think higher of you if its paid in full as opposed to nothing. No one will sue you over 300, so I wouldnt worry about legal issues. If you dont plan on buying anything, wait out the 5 years. 