I know my credit is in shambles. As a result of some foolish spending habits when I was in college most credit grantors see me as a high credit risk. In reality I pay at least two percentage points over the minimum balance of my cards every month and I pay early (other than a few months with those assholes at Citi who wouldn't move my due date to accomodate my paid-once-per-month self).
I've never made any large purchases in my own name except for my college education (the summer school bits which they don't give aid for) which by the time I get done paying for will have costed the same as an Italian sports car, so I look like I'm not responsible.
I became recently aware that one particular creditor that I no longer dealing with has marked my account as a charge-off to at least two of the major credit reporting agencies. I know that's a gee-dee lie.
A little backstory is in order here. Between the time that I was preparing to graduate from college and finding a job, I may have gotten two months behind on all of my debts. Normal, right? Well, one particular asshole credit card company stopped sending me invoices. When I called to ask why I was told by some rude bitch that the card had been closed as a charge-off and that it was my responsibility to have known that...even though they don't specifically notify you that they're going to do that...and even though I had sent them a payment the previous month.
They never sent me any "Hey, did you forget to pay us?" letters in the mail or any "Bitch, your ass is seriously delinquent" warnings. They just charged it off. It was $137 - the $17 I'd paid a few weeks prior.
I should have taken the advice of every financial guru on the internet and made them REMOVE that status from my reports before I paid them one red cent. Instead I sent them a bank transfer for the full amount on the very next day, which they did not reject, mind you.
Well. Duh, it's still a charge-off. I've been haranguing Equifax for the past two months about this. I'm starting on Experian right now. I have no idea if that card reported to TransUnion, but I think it's in my best interest to pay the few bucks and find out. I also need to send a very sternly worded letter to that credit card company (not that they're going to do shit, but it's nice to have a paper trail).
And the moral of the story is: if you have some shady shit on your credit report, have them remove it before you cut them a fat check, or at least get something in writing saying they will.
Posted by Tiffany at June 25, 2005 11:59 PM