I am a newbie on this board (since early June) and after reading over 2,500 posts and doing over 100 searches not only on people but on subjects relevant to my situation I propose the following test for newbies to take before they find themselves asking questions that have already been answered many,many times. With my limited research I feel this short test will accurately depict whether or not you've done your homework...take it with a sense of fun and adventure! Please answer the following to the best of your recently acquired ability: 1. What are the names of the three major credit reporting agencies? 2. What is the SOL for your state on all types of credit collections? 3. What is the SOL in your state for judgments including "foreign" judgments? 4. What is the TILA and when was it last amended? 5. What is the FCRA and when was it last amended? 6. What is the FDCPA and when was it last amended? (If you can answer #s 4,5, & 6 it is an indication that you have found the complete texts of these Acts and have either bookmarked them, printed them, read them or better yet done all three.) 7. Which of the above acts do you cite in a validation letter to an Original Creditor? 8. Name 3 "creditnetters" who have been a member and posted to this board for more than a year? 9. What does DOLA, LOC & CRA stand for? The following questions are given for "extra" credit (no pun intended here). If you can answer these correctly you can consider yourself "not-quite-so-newbie". 1. What is the url for whyspers web site (important for the litigious set). 2. What site does WhyChat moderate regularly? 3. Explain briefly the logic (@#$!) behind Psychdoc's "nutcase" letters (this could be mentally challenging ;=}). 4. What does CHOD stand for and briefly describe it's effectiveness. Please take this exam in the spirit it is given...which is half tongue-in-cheek and half serious....I guarantee if you can answer all these questions you will feel alot maore comfortable participating in these forums. Another thing...read posts that you might have some personal experience with and try and contribute...this makes this forum even better than it already is! clc PS A BIG THANKS TO ALL THE OLD TIMERS WHO HAVE SUPPLIED THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS!!
Cute!! But I suspect we will still have folks who read 5 or 6 posts and start asking the questions, hehe.
breeze- Just a small attempt to point out to my fellow newbies that there is much more to this than reading a few posts....."creditnetters help them that help themselves" kinda' philosophy... Of course I raised two teenage girls and logic never helped me out there either... ;=} clc
The Nutcase Way of Lifeâ?¢ Ok, clc, since I have the dubious distinction of being the only person referenced in a "fun" way, lol... "(@#$!)"... I will pick up the gauntlet and defend the Nutcase Way of Lifeâ?¢ so that newbies who read this thread won't mistakenly believe that I am devoid of logic. I may indeed be "mentally challenged," as you said, but I am certainly not devoid of logic. That said... HERE is the logic behind the now famous-from-coast-to-coast Nutcase strategy. Accept no substitutes: http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=125081#post125081 The requisite list of testimonials: 1. I successfully used the original Nutcase letter against PHEAA (six student loan tradelines) and MBNA. 2. nquisitive's work with two paid collections 3. missy73's success with three accounts 4. Killer's success with a bad check, a paid telephone bill, and a collection agency 5. Gillian's two CAs 6. betacredit's UDF form after he used nutcase and a followup he devised called the "Son of Nutcase letter 7. betacredit's Son of Nutcase testimonial 8. betacredit's Nutcase Followup #3 testimonial 9. wolverine's two successes and a recommendation to pair nutcase with a 48-hour intent-to-sue fax 10. another wolverine success using the nutcase/intent-to-sue combo 11. Gib's recommended variation that resulted in one deletion 12. dfwgt's success and suggestion that nutcase be paired with a standard estoppel letter 13. monicagee's nutcase success 14. Rusty Can's happy result from over on the FairCreditMovement.org discussion board 15. DemPooches's work with a CA 16. rblues and two chargeoffs 17. premeno and stubborn Assoc/Citi chargeoff using Nutcase and Son of Nutcase 18. kjoe's nutcase success with nasty Permiter/Gulf State/OSI Having defended my (@#$!) honor and my (@#$!) logical processes, I will now retire to the gallery. Thank you very much for your time and attention. Member FDIC. Banned where prohibited by law. Psych "You Lookin' At Me?" Doc
Re: The Nutcase Way of Lifeâ?¢ I think psychdoc misread the exam....but he has also helped all test takers in where to find the answer. I have apologized to psychdoc on another thread for any misunderstanding....he is definitely one of experts around here....so if you're a newbie do a search on psychdoc...settle down with lots of snax...and try to read them all in 8 hours. clc
Re: The Nutcase Way of Lifeâ?¢ EIGHT HOURS? WHAT THE HE## DO YOU MEAN EIGHT HOURS? MY POSTS ARE WORTH AT LEAST SIXTEEN HOURS IF THEY'RE WORTH A SECOND. I AM BURNING MAD. I AM FLAMING HOT. I AM REALLY TICKED. I AM JUST KIDDING. Doc
Re: The Nutcase Way of Lifeâ?¢ well if you avoid the redundant psychdoc posts maybe I'll give him 12 hours...lol clc
Re: The Nutcase Way of Lifeâ?¢ <bump> I'm going to put this up there b4 I sign off and go to bed....don't you west coasters get this buried on page 3 b4 I get back here tomorrow! lol night, clc
Hi, clc, As a newbie, I am doing my best to become more versed in the methods by which Creditnetters have had success (and encountered hardships) in handling their various and sundry credit situations. I appreciate the opportunity to check out all of these old and new posts. (C'Netters are a creative bunch, and so it's not exactly quick reading, you know?) So, I have been reading these forums whenever I can and as often as possible because that is helpful to me. I hope that I can one day turn around and be of help to others as I gain personal experience with this on my own. Like you, I extend my thanks to those old timers who have led the way. Often, though, I learn much from the posts from other newbies who spotlight different aspects of familiar issues. I'm grateful for that too. I felt the spirit in which you posted your message was kind enough--streamlining things for both camps--newbies and veterans--to benefit from ultimately. Still, after I finished reading your post, I realized I felt annoyed about it. Albeit well-meaning, your post primarily strikes me as a bit condescending rather than helpful for newbies. You mention that it is tongue-in-cheek, but I think it may work to limit rather than invite participation from newcomers, especially those pressed for time. Yes, I can see that it would be annoying for old-timers if newbies plague the board with redundant questions, but it is a more experienced member's choice whether or not they would like to take the time to respond. Nothing is forcing you to click on posts with the same old subject headings as countless posts before them; and, I think people often perceive unique twists to already mentioned situations, but they might feel they need clarification to apply the info to themselves. To that effect, I think that many newbies do read many of the posts prior to posting a question (or as many as time allows them b/c often our presently ferocious financial situations were once silent old 'sleeping giants'). It's such a great gift to receive the answers we were hoping for as soon as possible rather than after we have browsed and assimilated it all in the most pain-staking way. Sometimes time is a sort of luxury, even with the best intentions. Anyway, I really don't think the wisdom here is wasted on any newbie; rather, it's awe-inspiring and drives most to continue to read posts for hours. There's just a learning curve to all of this; that's all. My goal is not at all to slam you for your quiz. I had fun going through and answering some of your questions in my head and realizing I had not a clue about others, but your quiz is not a must for newbies; it's an offering no more valuable or less valuable than anything a newbie would put forward. Even 'stupid' questions bring to light new aspects of things & someone is sure to benefit. So I guess I'm inviting redundancy, if that is what it takes. I appreciate that I can wall-paper the board with my specifics, even if you've heard them all before. You can always ignore me, if I get in your way, and I can respect your decision to do that. In my opinion, it needs to be a balance of continued investigation on each of our own time, open questions and responses in this forum, and an understanding and respect for where we are all at on this path that will most powerfully spark discussions we can all learn from. Again, this is my opinion. I just would not want someone to shy away from asking their questions because they felt they had to 'prove' themselves to the board first. I, for one, felt apprehensive enough when it was so obvious that my awareness of all of this credit stuff was next to nil and it seemed I was way out of my league in even asking my questions. Anyway, I'm rambling now. I wanna say: I admire your learning; it does take a lot of time and energy and commitment to learn so much. And I am grateful that you want to assist others. Please, though, let's try to encourage discussion, rather than break it down for the sake of convenience. Yours in newbiehood (& chugging along in third gear with a smile on my face...) soren
Re: Newbie Exam(must read 4 newbies I like to think that the "exam" is food for thought and several of the questions are things that SHOULD be known before starting any credit repair. In ANY kind of forum or message board you are going get certain questions asked over, and over and over. It's human nature. There are some who want to cut to the chase and get their answer NOW and totally figured out for them. Others look and read and get overwhelmed with mountains of information. I know my first few days on this board I thought my eyeballs were going to fall out of my head from reading so many posts! I learned a lot - but there many toipics I wasn't quite sure WHAT I read after awhile. I'd like to give Doc a compliment here. I've noticed that many times people ask a question or two and he points out former posts or URL's of places to look. He helps the person - but doesn't do it all FOR them. Many others do this same thing - and THEN if the person really really is stuck - they step in a bit further. I feel there are a LOT of wonderful people here - I don't mean to just single out Doc and imply he's the only one! There are many on there that I will go read their posts no matter what topic because I've found them to be extremely helpful. Ut oh.... I'm rambling - it's waay early for me and I just got called into work... (darn). Thanks everyone for making this a truly wonderful board and an extremely important resource! Mommy2cats
Re: Newbie Exam(must read 4 newbies Soren, I certainly apologize for annoying you...that certainly was not my intent. In reviewing the post I really feel that it should be a help to neewbies...especially the first 6 questions (maybe not the TILA one). IMHO if you don't know the name of the 3 major credit reporting agencies...plueeze. And if you are going to write validation letters quoting the FCRA and the FDCP and you haven't even read the acts yet...or even have them bookmarked...I would think that is pretty naive on the part of any person attempting self credit repair. One of the most repetitive questions is about the SOLs...since it is different for every state...before asking any question..I would think it would just be respectful to the old timers who have spent alot of time repetitvely answering this by "what state are you in?" to go to google.com and look up your state's SOLs on credit collections at least and if you have judgments against you the same should hold true. I prefaced the "extra credit" questions with what I thought was appropriate language...I certainly don't think the newbies who have not read all the posts I have to know the answers....but in my opinion those questions just pointed the direction to some of the veterans here who have succeeded in their credit repair and have contributed lots to this forum. I mean if you think you want to sue a CA, CRA or OC and you haven't read whyspers endeavors or even lizardking's....then you are shooting yourself in the foot. I have also seen since I've been here newbies who get ignored because they try and pirate a thread or ask a question that has beem answered a jillion times...and they get ignored...or nicely reprimanded to go and do their homework. I spent time in writing this little exam to help both "sides" as you put it...to help the veterans so that THEY can have the time to answer questions that are not repetitive and to help the newbies be more productive in their efforts at starting their credit repair journey. It took us all awhile to get to the point of needing credit repair...it is only right that one spend the necessary time to learn how to do it. IMO everybody's time is valuable...especially someone old like me...so spend it productively and we will all come out ahead. clc
Re: Newbie Exam(must read 4 newbies I understand both sides of this. We were all newbies at some point and in many respects, we are still (in some area of another). My issue with those who don't get do their homework first is that what typically happens, their thread gets viewed but not answered, then lost and the next post you get is "WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER MY QUESTION???" and THEY are annoyed! I'm not saying this quiz is the end all and be all, but don't come on here asking "What are the 3 CRAs" when you haven't bothered to check the FAQs on this board (which IMO is an excellent source of "newbie" info). With everyone's time being valuable (and most posts that have already been answered having URL links to other threads on this board), all it takes is a little resiliance on the newcomers part. I know it can be overwhelming and if one has questions or clarifications after reading...those are FINE questions to ask. For instance, starting off saying what you already know really helps narrow the discussion.
Re: Newbie Exam(must read 4 newbies Newbies, Tomorrow (Monday) when I get some free time I am going to post the answers to my now infamous newbie exam. I will try and get good sites for reference. I really did this to help the newbies not to insult them or offend them in any way. In no way do I want to make the new people more intimidated or overwhelmed than they already are... Please if you are new as I am feel free to comment on or make changes to whatever I've done...anything to help people be able to jump into their credit repair as soon as possible. In the spirit of newbieism.... clc
Re: Newbie Exam(must read 4 newbies Newbies, Here are the answers I promised: 1. What are the names of the three major credit reporting agencies? Equifax, Experian and TransUnion 2. What is the SOL for your state on all types of credit collections? This site will give them for all states and also for the next question http://www.olddebts.com/state_list.html 3. What is the SOL in your state for judgments including "foreign" judgments? http://www.olddebts.com/state_list.html 4. What is the TILA and when was it last amended? Truth In Lending Act www.about-all-credit-cards.com/low-interest/Credit_Laws_Rights/truth-in-lending-act.html 5. What is the FCRA and when was it last amended? Fair Credit Reporting Act www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcra.htm 6. What is the FDCPA and when was it last amended? Fair Debt Collection Practice Act www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/fdcpact.htm (If you can answer #s 4,5, & 6 it is an indication that you have found the complete texts of these Acts and have either bookmarked them, printed them, read them or better yet done all three.) 7. Which of the above acts do you cite in a validation letter to an Original Creditor? You cite the FCRA as an original creditor is not bound by the FDCP Act. 8. Name 3 "creditnetters" who have been a member and posted to this board for more than a year? Nave, LKH and PsychDoc....there are more and it is good to know who they are because they have lots of experience in self credit repair. 9. What does DOLA, LOC & CRA stand for? Date Of Last Activity, Line Of Credit, Credit Reporting Agency The following questions are given for "extra" credit (no pun intended here). If you can answer these correctly you can consider yourself "not-quite-so-newbie". 1. What is the url for whyspers web site (important for the litigious set). www.proselitigant.net/index.php?menu=1 2. What site does WhyChat moderate regularly? I have been told WhyChat is not the moderator...but is there everyday answering questions www.cardreport.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html 3. Explain briefly the logic (@#$!) behind Psychdoc's "nutcase" letters (this could be mentally challenging ;=}). The logic is to seem to the credit agencies a litigious nut case...a sue-'em happy looney tune! PsychDoc has given plenty of threads of success in posting here...so if this way of disputing appeals to you...read his threads! 4. What does CHOD stand for and briefly describe it's effectiveness. Creditnet Holiday Onslaught Disputes...swamp 'em with paper (disputes) during the holidays when they are short-handed and get deletions! ===================================== This should be a nice starter package for all we newbies....hope it helps! clc
Re: Newbie Exam(must read 4 newbies P.S. If you have found this helpful please reply with comments...that way this thread will stay on the first page for ALL newbies to have. clc
You left off - Who does NanaC KNOW is the best hockey team ever????????????? (edited cuz I wanted to) Teehee
