COSTCO Citibank Card - I screwed up

[nickelnm]

Hello,

 

After really working hard to rebuild my credit after my husband walked out while I was a SAHM and I was caught up in the mortgage collapse in 2008 - I messed up.  I took out a Costco Citibank card, but the card never showed up, neither has a single bill.  I purchased a Surface Pro on the card (which doesn't even work correctly).   Anyway, I am in a position to pay off the card, but now i have like 6 months of late payments (due to no bill) and  honestly the card didn't even cross my mind again.

This is tanking my credit and I am in the middle of a large home purchase.   How can I pay off the card and get the entire thing deleted including all of the late payments in say the next 15 days?   Is there anyway to make this happen?  

Oh yeah, applying for the card also split my Transunion credit report which I have been trying to correct since I found out in June 2022.  I applied for the card around March 2022.

[centex]

What did they say when you CALLED them? 

 

And how did you make a purchase prior to having the card, much less make a purchase and never call when statements were not showing up in the first few months?  A reasonable answer to that question will likely be needed when you speak with the bank...

 

Oh, and if you deal with the bureau, remember that they don't acknowledge split reports.  To them, a consumer might have multiple reports which need to be merged. 

[nickelnm]

Hello,

 

Honestly, I haven't called Citibank.  I did this during Tax Season and I was so focused on getting tax returns done for clients that when the Surface didn't do what I need it to do  I boxed it and up didn't think anything about the card.  It just didn't cross my mind.  I will gladly pay it off and give them a call on the phone.  I would like for the whole tradeline to simply disappear.  Similar to a pay for delete that someone might do with a  collection agency.   

 

Costco printed a paper for me.

I have spoken with Transunion over the phone and they told me to send a letter their "Special Handling" department.  I followed the directions they provided and requested they merge multiple reports that may be located under my SSN.  

[shifter]

No bro. Not going to happen. If you ignore your child for 6 months do you think you can fix it in 15 days? Neither a credit card. 

[hdporter]

First, while I absolutely grasp that you'd like to resolve this within a couple weeks, having a home purchase in the hopper, I don't think you're going to have any choice but to accommodate a expectation of a longer time frame (likely 4-8 weeks, minimum).

 

If you never received a card, nor received statements after your purchase, it sounds like an incorrect address was provided in the credit app or Citi entered an erroneous address.  What's really surprising here is that after the third missed payment, Citi should have been trying to reach you by phone.  If you never received a call, then there's a real mystery in place here (do they also have an incorrect phone number on file?).

 

Your situation highlights the importance of having at least one credit monitoring product in place (say, something free like Credit Karma).  I'm very surprised that in the course of the past credit experience you've discussed here that you didn't find your way to establishing a CK account.  Just as an aside, sign up for something immediately!  This would have provided back up notification of the steady stream of delinquencies reported on this account.

 

Generally, in circumstances such as yours, others don't find much success with a request to remove adverse reported credit information.  Someone who had been in an accident and laid up in the hospital for 3 months might be accommodated, but short of that odds are slim.

 

That's not to say it's not worth trying.  Start by calling and requesting assistance with the payoff and the "goodwill" reporting changes that you desire, concisely detailing the facts that best explain how you came to overlook the payments that otherwise should have been anticipated..  If denied, you request a contact to whom you can appeal the decision (ultimately asking how to contact their Executive Customer Assistance department).

 

I wish you the very best, whatever the outcome.

 

 

 

 

[legaleagle2012]

You have to find out what address they have on file for you. One call should accomplish that. Proving you did not receive something is difficult at best; all they have to do is invoke the mailbox rule and say they have business practices in place that accomplish mailing. They usually win that one.  Also, make sure nobody is stealing your mail.

[nickelnm]

On 10/1/2022 at 5:33 AM, legaleagle2012 said:

You have to find out what address they have on file for you. One call should accomplish that. Proving you did not receive something is difficult at best; all they have to do is invoke the mailbox rule and say they have business practices in place that accomplish mailing. They usually win that one.  Also, make sure nobody is stealing your mail.

Thank you!   

We have a locking mailbox as I do receive quite a bit of sensitive information via mail.  Our mil is checked daily (usually 2x/day because our mail person comes sporadically) and all mail is brought inside immediately.  Any and all junk mail is shredded using a HIPAA compliant shredder.

[hdporter]

On 9/30/2022 at 10:44 PM, hdporter said:

Start by calling and requesting assistance with the payoff and the "goodwill" reporting changes that you desire, concisely detailing the facts that best explain how you came to overlook the payments that otherwise should have been anticipated..  If denied, you request a contact to whom you can appeal the decision (ultimately asking how to contact their Executive Customer Assistance department).

 

Whatever tack you decide to take with Citi, have you been in contact yet?  An additional 2 weeks have passed and if you want to achieve the best outcome possible, you're going to have to assertively grab this bull by the horns  (* just sayin' *)

[nickelnm]

On 10/15/2022 at 12:51 PM, hdporter said:

 

Whatever tack you decide to take with Citi, have you been in contact yet?  An additional 2 weeks have passed and if you want to achieve the best outcome possible, you're going to have to assertively grab this bull by the horns  (* just sayin' *)

I looked up the phone number and made a payment over the phone to bring the account current.  I, then, disputed with the credit bureaus - but it came back as verified.   We worked with our lender and for the time being I am able to stay off the home loan by using a commercial loan product instead of a residential loan product.  We are hoping rates come down in the next year and we can refinance as all interest rates suck right now. 

They have the correct address, the statement(s) just aren't showing up.   

Since we will be hopefully refinancing within a year, my goal is to get 100% of negative information removed from my report within a year.   Other than this card - I have one paid collection from 2018 where I did not pay the collection agency that I hope to get removed.

I had rebuilt my score into the high 700s prior to this CITIBANK card debacle, even with the paid collection showing. 

Edited November 18, 2022 by nickelnm

[shifter]

Disputing online with the CRAs is not recommended. It sounds like you didn't follow any of the advice upthread. Proceed at your own risk. 

[legaleagle2012]

Lenders are more concerned with unpaid accounts that could turn into judgments, etc, impairing your ability to pay. If and when you apply, just tell them what happened if they ask. If that's the only blemish on your report, it should not hurt you. Meanwhile work on Citi. Ask them to mail copies of all the invoices you never received.