Couple TU questions

[PoorGirl]

Been reading tons but still unsure about my specific situation with TU. Advice is appreciated.

 

I have one baddie on TU. I had disputed the baddie plus the address it was tied to, which is not mine. (I guess I disputed them at the same time and could have done a better job with it.) They removed the address thankfully, but marked the account as "updated". That was 9.5 months ago. Am I better off waiting until the 12 month mark to dispute it again or can I dispute it now? (I don't want to wait, because I'm hoping to refinance this summer but want to first get a secured card, etc.) And, EX has me on a 3 month fraud alert, which TU surely knows. Should I wait until that's gone? The 3 month is half over already. (Amazingly the same baddie got removed from EX recently, so I have hope that the collection agency is more lax now that's older. EX is hard to get removals with.)

 

I also have 2 bad TU inquiries. They are law offices under the Regular Inquiries heading and over a year old, but I can't wait that long. (Unless the refinance officers won't look in detail at TU, so they won't see the bad INQs? Even if they don't, the bad INQs could prevent me from building up credit in the next 6 months.) I read all about doing B* and will if I have to, but maybe I should simply dispute the INQs with TU? Just that I didn't give permission for an INQ and have no business with those law offices. I have never disputed them before. Do I have to wait until the fraud alert expires? Should I wait on these until the baddie is gone?

Edited January 5, 2014 by PoorGirl

[funkiehouse]

You can dispute now. You can also call and get the fraud alerts removed. I wouldn't worry about the inqs. Only dispute inqs that didn't have a PP.

[funkiehouse]

What was the reason the fraud alert was placed on your reports?

 

The law office didn't need your permission to do a hard inqs if they had a PP, such as collection activity. That being said, I did get a collection inq removed on TU and argued that they never posted a TL on my reports. I argued that they could have done a soft pull instead and they deleted it.

 

Where are you at on the SOL for the TL? How much is it for?

Edited January 5, 2014 by funkiehouse

[PoorGirl]

You can dispute now. You can also call and get the fraud alerts removed. I wouldn't worry about the inqs. Only dispute inqs that didn't have a PP.

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Call TU to get it removed, or EX? I don't want to deal with EX by phone because of the horror stories on here.

 

The INQs are a give away that I had a collection account around that year. If someone actually looks at my TU report. They really don't matter much in applying for store cards, secured cards, refi, etc?

 

Hm, I don't know much about PP, I guess the law firms might have been working for the OCs or CAs, but I have never heard of these law firms before, so I was thinking I could say there's no PP. (I didn't authorize and have no relationship with them.) I shouldn't worry about them at all?

 

What was the reason the fraud alert was placed on your reports?

 

Because I am trying to fight EX about removing an address, and I mentioned I was concerned about possible identity theft years ago. Maybe I should not have said possible theft/fraud, but they are being unreasonable like many posters have said. I think they sometimes put fraud alerts just to make it harder on us, so future reps won't remove stuff, and so we can't get credit even through lenders that use TU/EQ. I know EX will remove if you mail in the letter, but as I said it's already half over.

[mariuszh]

To remove fraud alerts:

 

http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=516815&page=1

 

 

It is said that having fraud alerts on your report will actually help your disputes.

 

If you are going to remove them, make sure you utilize your free credit report due to the fraud alert if you have not yet done so.

Edited January 5, 2014 by mariuszh

[funkiehouse]

​First, before worrying about what's below, you need to figure out the SOL on this baddie. What type of account is it?

 

 

You can dispute now. You can also call and get the fraud alerts removed. I wouldn't worry about the inqs. Only dispute inqs that didn't have a PP.

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Call TU to get it removed, or EX? I don't want to deal with EX by phone because of the horror stories on here.

 

Call which ever is the one you need/want to remove. You just have to get over the fear and call. There are also lot of success stories. What's more important, a little anxiety now and a successful refi or a lot of anxiety after your refi and you think about how you should have called...

 

The INQs are a give away that I had a collection account around that year. If someone actually looks at my TU report. They really don't matter much in applying for store cards, secured cards, refi, etc?

 

Not really true. It only shows that they looked at you reports. You could argue they looked at the wrong report, if the TL was never reported.

 

Hm, I don't know much about PP, I guess the law firms might have been working for the OCs or CAs, but I have never heard of these law firms before, so I was thinking I could say there's no PP. (I didn't authorize and have no relationship with them.) I shouldn't worry about them at all? Collection activity is a PP. Don't need your okay.

 

What was the reason the fraud alert was placed on your reports?

 

Because I am trying to fight EX about removing an address, and I mentioned I was concerned about possible identity theft years ago. Maybe I should not have said possible theft/fraud, but they are being unreasonable like many posters have said. I think they sometimes put fraud alerts just to make it harder on us, so future reps won't remove stuff, and so we can't get credit even through lenders that use TU/EQ. I know EX will remove if you mail in the letter, but as I said it's already half over. ​

 

You don't have to get the address removed to work on removing the TL. If you are tying up too much effort and it's creating too much anxiety then work on other things. It's not required, and sometimes it doesn't help, get it removed. Since you have already done a dispute it's less important now.

 

Edited January 5, 2014 by funkiehouse

[PoorGirl]

To remove fraud alerts:

 

http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=516815&page=1

 

 

It is said that having fraud alerts on your report will actually help your disputes.

 

If you are going to remove them, make sure you utilize your free credit report due to the fraud alert if you have not yet done so.

 

Wow what a great summary of how to remove, and good reminder. That is great about alerts helping.

[PoorGirl]

You don't have to get the address removed to work on removing the TL. If you are tying up too much effort and it's creating too much anxiety then work on other things. It's not required, and sometimes it doesn't help, get it removed. Since you have already done a dispute it's less important now.

​First, before worrying about what's below, you need to figure out the SOL on this baddie. What type of account is it?

 

 

Thanks again for all the really useful info (that I didn't quote).

 

Yeah, you're right I could leave the address, but get the TL deleted. I thought it might be easier, but now it looks like it's not. I disputed the address with them directly and then BBB and got nowhere, etc. It's hard to prove I didn't live there, as you say. I think that part of your reply fits with my other thread though. TU doesn't have any bad addresses (it has a few that I'd like gone but they are not tied to anything bad).

 

I'll try to ignore the bad INQs. So for TU, I just have one thing to work on. The baddie is a collection agency, and it was originally a credit card, probably a personal card and not business. They bought the account 17 months ago. The original credit card hasn't been paid on for nearly 3 years but my state has a longer SOL.

 

But remember the same collection agency was on my EX and EX refused to delete it when I first disputed around 9 and 11 months ago. It got deleted from EX a few weeks ago.

[mariuszh]

These disputes you have done/are doing are in writing I assume?

[PoorGirl]

These disputes you have done/are doing are in writing I assume?

 

For TU I was just using their form to dispute (by mail without CM). Next I was going to use their dispute form but put a very long comment, and send it CM. If a letter is better then I will do that. Handwritten if needed.

 

For EX I was disputing online and then I went straight to the BBB complaint (filed online), where I wrote a lot. They replied, I replied, they replied with a final answer. I got to comment on my dissatisfaction that goes on their record. (They did only a little.) The next step is getting the address changed with OC, then EX should remove the address, then I can start fighting the baddies not associated with any address. For that I would use letters by CM or CMRR or maybe phone.

[mariuszh]

EVERYTHING in writing in credit repair. Do not use their dispute forms, you don't want to do any of their work for them. Do not dispute online. Do not dispute over the phone. Ever.

 

Edit: Deleting addresses are the exception, those can be done online/phone, although I still recommend in writing.

Edited January 6, 2014 by mariuszh

[PoorGirl]

EVERYTHING in writing in credit repair. Do not use their dispute forms, you don't want to do any of their work for them. Do not dispute online. Do not dispute over the phone. Ever.

 

Edit: Deleting addresses are the exception, those can be done online/phone, although I still recommend in writing.

 

Thanks. I hope I have luck with the next CM or CMRR. (For EX, attention Special Handling.)

[mariuszh]

 

EVERYTHING in writing in credit repair. Do not use their dispute forms, you don't want to do any of their work for them. Do not dispute online. Do not dispute over the phone. Ever.

 

Edit: Deleting addresses are the exception, those can be done online/phone, although I still recommend in writing.

 

Thanks. I hope I have luck with the next CM or CMRR. (For EX, attention Special Handling.)

 

 

Be sure to read about various methods to use when you disputes. Different types of debts and scenarios have different methods that have been proved to be effective (HIPAA letter program, SOL program, 1-2 Punch, Jack Attack, etc...).

[PoorGirl]

Be sure to read about various methods to use when you disputes. Different types of debts and scenarios have different methods that have been proved to be effective (HIPAA letter program, SOL program, 1-2 Punch, Jack Attack, etc...).

 

 

I wanted to use a Jack Attack for EX, but I found a thread where someone did it, and got the same "already verified" form letter. I think 90% chance I am getting that form letter from EX once or twice more I think TU won't put up a fight.

[shifter]

I think 90% chance I am getting that form letter from EX once or twice more

I mean no offense, but you seem to have a very negative outlook on life. I think you might find some better success if you attempt to practice some positive thinking and thinking about ways things could work instead of dwelling on the worst possible outcome. just my 2 cents.

[PoorGirl]

 

I think 90% chance I am getting that form letter from EX once or twice more

I mean no offense, but you seem to have a very negative outlook on life. I think you might find some better success if you attempt to practice some positive thinking and thinking about ways things could work instead of dwelling on the worst possible outcome. just my 2 cents.

 

 

I think I can succeed in getting EX baddies removed in 8-12 months, and hopefully even less. (I think TU will take only 2 or 3 months.) Just being prepared for some more runaround based on many EX complaints and threads. I was excited about the Jack Attack method and spent a couple hours looking into it, then found that thread which was a bit disappointing. I'll probably still try that but I am comparing it to other options, so I can choose whatever might work simplest and quickest. This thread and my other have been quite useful.

[mariuszh]

Are any of your baddies medical by chance?

[PoorGirl]

Are any of your baddies medical by chance?

 

No, all credit cards. (I think one was a business card where they took TIN/EIN with PG.)