Here's the situation - on my Equifax CBR, there is an inquiry from The Hartford from May of last year. I never had any dealings with them, and at that time I was preparing to get married and move. I contacted Equifax and they told me legally they cannot remove it without The Hartford telling them to do so. I contacted The Hartford Customer Service (hah) and was told without an agent's name, reference number, etc. that they couldn't take it off. The woman coudn't understand the concept of "I didn't authorize it." Aurgh - many tugs at the hair yesterday in an effort to straighten this out. Other than writing a dispute letter to The Hartford, with a copy to Equifax and my local BBB, what else can I do to get this unauthorized inquiry removed? Thanks in advance for your help.
RE: disputing unauthorized inq Try the Attorney General in their state and the FTC. Or better yet, write a letter to the CEO pointing out that you're considering the above steps, and that this letter is the very last attempt to resolve the matter without taking legal steps. Quote the part of FCRA that requires them to have a "permissible purpose" when pulling your credit report. Another idea that was brought up concerns the CRA: Don't dispute the inquiry; dispute only the way it was CODED (i.e. as an authorized one, while in fact no authorization was given). If they change the way it was coded, it won't be available to creditors. Saar
RE: disputing unauthorized inq Thanks for the information. I finally heard back from a client service manager and she explained it was supposed to have been a "soft" or promo inquiry by my old (as in over a year ago before I moved) auto insurance broker. I explained that I still did not want the inquiry on my report, promo or not, since I did not authorize it nor was I aware of it. She promised to take care of it and contact me this week. If no call by Friday, I told her I would phone her. Onwards and upwards!
