Have any of you guys, and gals ever had much luck disputing inquiries on your credit reports? The do it your self guide say you can do this, but I'm somewhat of the mind that the CRA's must think disputing these is a real waste of time since they are relativly insignificant on an individual basis. Please share any experiances you may have in this area...
I have lots of inquiries bunched together when I first started with credit (that would be building, not rebuilding). My only fear is that if I send off these certified letters, and the inquiries DO get deleted, will the credit bureau flag my file for fraud, since I'm basically saying that I have all of these unauthorized peeks into my credit?
I don't think that is too likely as the credit bureaus realize that creditors often do inquiries for those pre approved cards. Also I'm not talking about disputing 10 inquiries going back 2 yrs. I only wish to dispute the most recient 2-3 inquiries in the last 2 months.
Hey, it's worth a shot. I plan on disputing inquiries I have on TransUnion, since Discover and AMEX pull TransUnion, at least here in Indiana where I live.
Kristi said before that it is better to dispute the inquiries with the individual creditors. I have started doing this, and so far have had luck with Providian removing 7 inquiries.
Yes, I have been contacting the creditors directly. Most say, "Does one little inquiry really matter?" I always reply that I just applied for credit, and that I was almost denied because of excessive recent credit checks. Then I get the address to send a letter to.
Write Letters! You should have the name and address of all who made inquiries on your credit report (Equifax only sometimes includes the addresses). Write letters to those addresses. Don't call, that won't get you anywhere. (I tried it with one creditor). Kristi said before that this approach works well for inquiries more than 90 days old.
Yes, 90 days is key because it gives time for the system to clean out applications. That way, when they try to find you, they have no record. This puts you in a better position to have it deleted, or at least reclassified as "promotional."
Here ya go again Yes, inquiries, especially initiated on the Interent have a life span of about 90 days. This process works well. Good Luck. Sample Letter: (Send Certified/Return Receipt) «Company» «Address1» «Address2» «City», «State» «PostalCode» RE: Unauthorized Credit Inquiry Recently, I received a copy of my credit report. The credit report showed a credit inquiry by your company that I do not recall authorizing. I understand that you should not be allowed to put an inquiry on my file unless I have authorized it. Please have this inquiry removed from my credit file because I believe I did not authorize this inquiry. I have sent this letter because I need your prompt response to this issue. Please be so kind as to forward me documentation that you have had the inquiry removed. If you find that I am remiss, and you did have my authorization to inquire into my credit report, then please send me proof likewise. Thanking you in advance, Name Address City, State ZIP Social Security Number: XXX-XX-XXXX
RE: What about "For Colle Does that strategy also work for inquiries that are marked "For Collection Purposes"?(Experian)
