Thanks for the replies everyone. The only reason I say I think CCCS are bad is that they put, "Petition to file for Chapter 13" dated "12/20/02", on my CR. I NEVER recieved papers to file Chapter 13 for this account. How can they do that? ???? I need that Ch. 13 referrence off of my CR. Its been a year since I'm with them, and I haven't had any LATE payments. What's up?
So Associates, or Citibank did it, then? Wow. Do I have to write a letter to those Citi to ask them to take that off? I heard that they frown on Chapter 13s when applying for new credit with them AGAIN - I'm trying to get my credit up there so I can get a Diners eventually. I didn't even apply for Chpt. 13, and Associates wasn't even owned by Citi when I started my account. Hmmmm...That'll hurt me, I bet. Thanks.
Good luck with Citibank! They are a total pain to deal with! I sent planet feedback a letter to get them to stop putting paid by cccs on my credit report after I dropped cccs. The executive office responded and said it would be removed. It took FOREVER to get the department that actually deals with the credit reports to remove it. They said it would stay on 7 years or something. Anyway, the funny thing is that after I stopped fighting them about it (several months later and was in process of buying a home) they simply dropped it from the reports. I will never ever do business with them again! YES..we had hard times but we paid them every dime and they lied over and over again. WE WERE NEVER LATE WITH THEM EVEN ONE TIME..EVEN BEFORE WE JOINED CCCS(we were late on other accts but never them). Now that our scores are high again and our debt is low they keep sending preapproved offers and I just shred them . Anyway, good luck getting Citibank to cooperate!
Have you tried disputing that statement thru the CRA? Some have had good luck with Citibank PFB, but I had the same type of luck with the other poster. I was getting ready to sue them when EQ dropped the ball and didn't complete the investigation in 30 days - so now Citi looks like a good trade line.
CCCS never reports anything to credit reporting agencies. There is a complete disconnect with them and the reporting agencies. As for Citibank--I recently told a friend of mine that I knew people who had simply requested lower had been able to get them. Some of these could be described as hardship cases. His interest rate was 22.99%--before he could call, the very next day they raised his rate to 27.4. Hehad never been late with them and never had an overlimit experience Bad business practice. He cancelled his card immediately leehoch
I found out some new info... My sister and her husband filed Chapter 13 last year. She was listed as an AU on my Associates/Citi account, and she told me that the Chapter 13 lawyer said they allocate money to each account, so when they get done paying off one account, they go to the next. Does this mean this Chapter 13 notation is true, then? It's listed on all three CRAs, and I disputed all three. The payments are being handled by the CCCS, so how does that complicate things? Arrgghhh...
Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... They can NOT put any information (ABOUT THE "AU") on your credit report!!! You both might be able to get $1,000 out of them... FALSE REPORTING...AND THEY LET YOU KNOW ABOUT THEIR BK...VIOLATION!!!
Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... An AU is not contracturally liable to pay a creditor. Is she paying the card???
Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... Hopefully this post will help a newcomer who has become confused by some of the comments in this thread which compared Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) and bankruptcy (BK). A few personal opinions: 1) There is no question that both will harm your credit rating. However, if you're considering taking either step, then your credit rating is probably already terrible anyway. Quite a few Creditnet members have come through either CCCS or BK and then repaired their credit thereafter. Yes, their credit reports subsequently reflected a perfect history with FICO scores well into the 700s. This would be a good time to delve into the "INTRO" postings at the top of this board to learn much more. 2) BK is worse than CCCS. Bankruptcy is a legal condition which you are legally and ethically bound to acknowledge for many years. (The ethics of lying when asked "Have you EVER declared bankruptcy?" makes for another interesting discussion.) CCCS, on the other hand, is a voluntary program rather than a legal condition. Having read the experiences of at least hundreds of Creditnet members, it's my opinion (with the emphasis upon "my") that credit repair is a bit easier for CCCS'ers than BK'ers, although both can and do ultimately prevail. I realize George disagrees with me regarding the relative merits and demerits of each, so the reader will simply have to read this board in more detail and then base their own conclusions vis-a-vis "what's worse" upon that extended learning. 3) George does make some EXCELLENT points regarding problems with CCCS. It is absolutely true that BK'ers tend to have less trouble acquiring new credit after several years than do CCCS'ers -- assuming that credit repair has not yet been attempted. Following a serious credit repair campaign, that distinction disappears of course. It is also true that different CCCS offices are more or less competent than others. Remain vigilant. 4) Many people who've just come across Creditnet (or other similar terrific sites) arrive believing that BK or CCCS are their only choices. They've not yet become familiar with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) or the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). They've never heard of validation, much less guerilla tactics like Goodwill Letters or the Nutcase Series, etc. I would advise any newcomer to -- as the previous poster suggested -- "read, read, read" before making a decision to enter either BK or CCCS. Most people certainly don't need to do either. Doc
Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... Wow. Didn't know that. Thanks. The notation on EQ and EX says "INCLUDED in Chapter 13". On EX it says it was petitioned to file on 12/20/02. The account is closed, but still managed by the CCCS. I online disputed with EX with CreditExpert, and it (just) came back verified. Now, if they did what they were supposed to do, and saw that was indeed included with my sis' Chp 13, are they right? It seems my disputes would be fruitless, then. Either way, I DID NOT file Chapter 13 in any way, shape or form at anytime. George, what type of letter should I write them (the OC)? According to her, not yet. The BK attorney said they're paying down accounts one at a time, and when they get to this one, they'll start diverting the money towards that account. I saw their papers that showed the different accounts and what was on there. The account IS listed on there. I guess when they listed everything, my bad account was listed on her credit report, so they included that with the Chp 13. I'm going to talk to them about this more today. What's the next step? Doc, Thanks for the info. Anybody comtemplating CCCS or a BK should read this.
Re: Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... Quick question . . . I am an AU on my husband's MBNA account (now closed). He has two 30 days on it and they are being listed on my CR. Am I understanding you correct, George, that this should not be listed on my account? If this is a violation, can I use it as leverage to get it off of my husband's account (e.g., You, MBNA, put this on my account and now I can sue you for $1000. But, if you mark both of our accounts as Paid/Never Late I'll let it slide this time.) I'm probably reaching here, but figure it's worth asking the question. Thanks!
Re: Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... I can only REPEAT what others have said about CCCS and BK... I HAVE NO FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE WITH EITHER... Even though I HAVE NEVER "BEEN THERE"...I still can report the history of others... NOW GO AND START THE FLAMES!!!
Re: Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... Thanks George. As I mentioned, I think I'm reaching here. I'm actually taking this thread on a tangent (sorry!) -- I am not in a BK or CCCS situation, but rather, was wondering what the CC reporting guidelines are for an AU on an account. Realistically, I would expect that if one benefits from the good credit history by being an AU, it would follow that one would suffer from negatives (such as the two 30-days on my husband's credit that are showing up on my CR). I was just hoping for a backdoor way to fix this negative (particularly on my husband's report). Thanks!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... THE "AU" in your case is different...but you can have the account removed... SCENARIO~~I give you one of my cards as an "AU"...you do CCCS or go BK...THAT INFORMATION SHOULD NEVER GO ON MY CREDIT REPORT!!! VIOLATION...
Re: Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... Just send a simple letter TO THE POINT!!! "I never filed CHAPTER 13 but you are reporting that I did...this has caused DAMAGE to my credit report and I can not get any loans or credit cards until this is corrected...I will accept a cashiers check for the amount of $500 and the removal of the incorrect information from my credit report...or I will have to seek legal remedies that will exceed $1,000 for you to pay at a later date...please respond in writing that you have notified the CRA to fix the problem, and that the cashiers check for $500 will be on it's way before 07/18/2003" Try BOTH the OC and CRA...(you have nothing to lose)...except a CHAPTER 13
Re: Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... One point of confusion is the use of the term CCCS. This is an acronym for Consumer Credit Counseling Services. It is one specific organization which helps you to pay off your debts. I looked into this but never went to one of these organizations. From what I understand, there are many of these organizations. As with anything, some are better and more ethical than others. Although most profess to be nonprofit, many are actually connected with a for-profit business. The "real" CCCS seems to be one of the best. Some of the others charge fairly high fees. Some, from what I've read, tell you that the fees are voluntary. Then they hold your payments until they have recovered their fees. In some cases, two or three months worth of payments were held, making the bills past due. Some of the organizations aren't as good at notifying the various creditors. So, when you see someone talking about CCCS, it probably depends which organization they actually used.
Re: Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... Hedwig, that's true, but it's also important to remember -- no matter which debt consolidation company you use -- each "included in debt counseling" tradeline is a score destroyer (rated "R6" on Equifax, considered just a bit better than BK but worse than 150+ late). Doc
Re: Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS.. George, That's perfect. A great starting point. Thanks. But what specific section of the FCRA can I cite as my evidence? I want them to know that I'm serious as possible. Hedwig, Yep, I was using CCCS as a general term. I'm with Debtscape, and they're NOT better than the regular "CCCS". Thanks for the clarification.
Re: Re: Re: Getting out of a CCCS... True--but it seems that once you're out of the credit counseling you can get the notation removed in most cases. While you're in the program you're not supposed to apply for any new credit anyway, I don't think. The problem is that if there were late payments, the lates probably won't be removed, making that more of a score killer than just the Credit Counseling notation, don't you think? I believe that's why many say it's worse than BK. They not only get the CCCS notation, they get lates and in some cases overlimits (if they are close and the interest and late fees put them over the limit). And when you're in that position, it just feels like every little thing takes you down more, when you need to feel like you're climbing up. I know I spent many days upset because I thought I'd never get out of debt and would never get credit again at a decent rate.
