Mindcrime are you there??????

tea,

For Creditexpert (Experian report):

www.creditexpert.com/freeoffer

This will give you a free 30-day trial, after 30 days it's $59.95. It was $49.95 for a while, but that offer may have expired. I'll tell you this, CE allows consumers to sign up and cancel up to 3 times (I believe) without having to pay for the membership, so you could potentially get 3 months worth of free creditexpert.

As far as Equifax goes:

Go to: www.equifax.com and click on "credit watch". The price is $69.95, however other members have posted about a $49.95 price (unsure of where to find it online) however, you may be able to use your 30-day free trial of creditwatch, then call Equifax and request the $49.95 price (say something to the effect you know of several friends who have it at that price).

I am not sure of what service is used for Transunion. However, as many of us know, TU's scores aren't worth the paper they're written on, so I wouldn't worry much about obtaining that score. You can however, go to www.transunion.com and click on how to order your report/score, click thru factor 1, just say you were denied credit for (make up a name of a co.) and request your score, and you'll be able to see it that way.

<edit>

BTW, Sorry if you posted a thread yesterday asking me for this info. I was away most of the day and only read through a few threads late last night.

 

IT'S GOTTA' BE A "COUPON" TYPE CODE~~~OR PROMO...

 

Yes it is a violation if the CA does not mark the collection account as "disputed by consumer" within 5 days of receiving your validation request (5 days from the date the green card is signed). It is a violation on the CA's part. The CRA is only required to place the account as "in dispute" when you dispute an account directly through them.

When you say computer print out are you referring to what the CA sent you as "validation" for the collection account? If so, then no absolutely not it is not enough. It's not even close.

Take a look at the following section of the FDCPA 809 (b):


§ 809. Validation of debts [15 USC 1692g]

(a) Within five days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt, a debt collector shall, unless the following information is contained in the initial communication or the consumer has paid the debt, send the consumer a written notice containing --

(1) the amount of the debt;

(2) the name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed;

(3) a statement that unless the consumer, within thirty days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the debt collector;

(4) a statement that if the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, the debt collector will obtain verification of the debt or a copy of a judgment against the consumer and a copy of such verification or judgment will be mailed to the consumer by the debt collector; and

(5) a statement that, upon the consumer's written request within the thirty-day period, the debt collector will provide the consumer with the name and address of the original creditor, if different from the current creditor.

(b) If the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period described in subsection (a) that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, or that the consumer requests the name and address of the original creditor, the debt collector shall cease collection of the debt, or any disputed portion thereof, until the debt collector obtains verification of the debt or any copy of a judgment, or the name and address of the original creditor, and a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector.



From the FCRA 623, look at subsection (3):

§ 623. Responsibilities of furnishers of information to consumer reporting agencies [15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2]

(a) Duty of furnishers of information to provide accurate information.

(1) Prohibition.

(A) Reporting information with actual knowledge of errors. A person shall not furnish any information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if the person knows or consciously avoids knowing that the information is inaccurate.

(B) Reporting information after notice and confirmation of errors. A person shall not furnish information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if

(i) the person has been notified by the consumer, at the address specified by the person for such notices, that specific information is inaccurate; and

(ii) the information is, in fact, inaccurate.

(C) No address requirement. A person who clearly and conspicuously specifies to the consumer an address for notices referred to in subparagraph (B) shall not be subject to subparagraph (A); however, nothing in subparagraph (B) shall require a person to specify such an address.

(2) Duty to correct and update information. A person who

(A) regularly and in the ordinary course of business furnishes information to one or more consumer reporting agencies about the person's transactions or experiences with any consumer; and

(B) has furnished to a consumer reporting agency information that the person determines is not complete or accurate,

shall promptly notify the consumer reporting agency of that determination and provide to the agency any corrections to that information, or any additional information, that is necessary to make the information provided by the person to the agency complete and accurate, and shall not thereafter furnish to the agency any of the information that remains not complete or accurate.

--------->(3) Duty to provide notice of dispute. If the completeness or accuracy of any information furnished by any person to any consumer reporting agency is disputed to such person by a consumer, the person may not furnish the information to any consumer reporting agency without notice that such information is disputed by the consumer.


From the FTC, this is an opinion letter on what the CA needs to send as validation of a debt:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20580

Division of Credit Practices
Bureau of Consumer Protection


March 10, 1993

Jeffrey S. Wollman
Vice President and Controller
Retrieval Masters Creditors Bureau, Inc.
1261 Broadway
New York, New York 10001

Dear Mr. Wollman:

This is in response to your letter of February 9, 1993 to David Medine regarding the type of verification required by Section 809(b) of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. You ask whether a collection agency for a medical provider will fulfill the requirements of that Section if it produces "an itemized statement of services rendered to a patient on its own computer from information provided by the medical institution . . .â? in response to a request for verification of the debt. You also ask who is responsible for mailing the verification to the consumer.

The statute requires that the debt collector obtain verification of the debt and mail it to the consumer (emphasis mine). Because one of the principal purposes of this Section is to help consumers who have been misidentified by the debt collector or who dispute the amount of the debt, it is important that the verification of the identity of the consumer and the amount of the debt be obtained directly from the creditor. Mere itemization of what the debt collector already has does not accomplish this purpose. As stated above, the statute requires the debt collector, not the creditor, to mail the verification to the consumer.

Your interest in writing is appreciated. Please be aware that since this is only the opinion of Commission staff, the Commission itself is not bound by it.

Sincerely,

John F. LeFevre
Attorney
Division of Credit Practices


Hope this helps.

 

The $49.95 credit watch was what they offered prior to the unlimited access they now have. Existing customers got switched over. I signed up in January. Got lucky

Gib

 

I especially like the last sentence in the staff letter, because as i stated this week I received the Validation items directly from the OC and Not the CA. The letter stated also forwarding a copy to the CA.... Thanks Mindcrime for finding this one, now i have some additional ammo if and when i hear from the CA about their findings... Now the task for me to see how i can use this to my advantage......

The statute requires that the debt collector obtain verification of the debt and mail it to the consumer (emphasis mine). Because one of the principal purposes of this Section is to help consumers who have been misidentified by the debt collector or who dispute the amount of the debt, it is important that the verification of the identity of the consumer and the amount of the debt be obtained directly from the creditor. Mere itemization of what the debt collector already has does not accomplish this purpose. As stated above, the statute requires the debt collector, not the creditor, to mail the verification to the consumer.

 

You're welcome backspace.

Let me know if you have any more questions.