Thanks Fla-tan and NanaC I'll try to follow your advice as best as I can I have copies of the FCRA and FDCPA and I've read them but the legalese confuses me sometimes. Like I said I'm being patient right now. I started this credit repair jouney in March of 2000 by paying off old debts and boy do I wish I found this site then. With my newfound credit knowledge I started disputes with the CRAs. Unfortunately the disputes have been days to weeks apart so the last dispute won't be over until 12/26. I have something of a plan now for any problem item(s) and if all else fails I'll have questions for the experts. What I'm really interested in is raising my scores quickly.
I am definetly a newbie here, and I am so happy to have found this site! You all have a ton of knowledge and I thank you all for giving me the faith that I can do this journey. I have read the top three thread about 4 or 5 times. I use the search button almost everyday. But what I do mostly now is just sit, read and learn from everyone else posting. I am in school full time and work 40+ hrs a week. I will be on break in 1 week and plan to use that time to dive into the FCRA and other lengthy documents and break them down and learn more. I am a little intimidated to post in fear it will be a stupid question. But the honest truth is that I always pretty much find my answers when I use the search function. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and giving us newbies a glimmer of hope! I graduate in May and would like to have my reports a little better by then. I would hate to be turned down in this job market because of my horrible bad habits in the past.
Just had to chime in here! I still consider myself a newbie although I have been around for a while now. I can't even tell you how many times I have read and reread the top posts (and there were not 3 posts at the top when I started!!). I have also read the FCRA and the FDCPA. I have read the staff opinion letters. I have read past posts until my eyeballs were spinning. AND....I have to say that I have been able to find the answers to the majority of my questions without posting to ask them. That is probably why I have only posted a bit over 100 tims in just less than a year!! My goal is to start posting more when I can help someone, but I am not there yet. In the meantime, I will continue to read, reread and search for my own answers!! I teach 4th grade and I have to giggle a bit at some of the posts. It is SO much like my students....."Why to we have to do this, Mrs. Gillian, if YOU already know the answer???" On the other hand, we are human and it is human nature to want personalized attention to our concerns. I think the vets around keep an excellent balance of this!!! G PS... Fla-Tan, I know that I have to call you. I have not forgotten.....I am still waiting for that quiet moment around here....gosh, my life is so crazy with these little ones!!!!
I started to read the first 3, but it was just too much for me. Then, I tried to read the FCRA, FDCPA and the opinion letters, but that was really too much to read. So, I just jumped in and started sending out disputes and validation letters, and you know what? Now my reports are a bigger mess than before.
I think if someone says "I've been lurking here for the past 11 months (or whatever), and I've done this and that, and I wanted to let you know how so and so turned out" or " nowI find I'm up against a wall with this, and need some specific feedback..." then we know the person is not a "newbie." On the other hand someone who has been reading for a long time and doesn't mention it is liable to be "labled" a "newbie" even though they are not. It's also relative - I see people with lots of posts as "new" because I have been here a lonnnnnnng time. Same with some of the others. In the end, does it really matter? I see you as new, someone else doesn't. If I call you a newbie, don't let that stop you from posting what you need to post. However, if you want to disagree with me, you better have something good to back it up. What I post is tried and true, and I know better than to post something that may not be true, or may be just a thought in passing, because I know it can do a lot of damage. So, if someone has 5 posts, and they state something an old-timer disagrees with, listen to the obvious old-timer. We old-timers are mostly done with repair, and are only staying around to help others (and because we have made friends here). The guy with 5 posts who wants to disagree, should do it in the form of a question, if he doesn't want to get (somewhat) flamed, hehe. And what do you suppose his motive would be?? Helping?? I kinda doubt that. If you have several thousand people doing it "this" way and it works 95% of the time, why would someone come here and say we are wrong because they fell into the 5% where it didn't work? They should have different attitude, IMO. Because, if he says he did that, and it didn't work, we would all work to try to figure out what to do to fix it. When they come on here and say "I tried that, and it didn't work, and so you are all wrong, and I want to warn everyone not to listen to this board...." they'll get flamed. 'scuse my rambling, I'm only on my second cup of coffee, but, this really is how I see things. That, and thin-skinned people don't last long on internet message boards. They either get over it, or they leave. It's their choice.
NanaC Once again you have given great advice. The folder is an invaluable asset. It would also be wise to organize subfolders within related to specific aspects of the battle, though you can go overboard and get to specialized to the point that nothing gets done. You might want to have a folder for each CRA and one for each of the CAs that you are working on for example. Nana, your excellant post has redeemed the 10 demerits for being an AVs fan...LOL fla-tan
Gillian With this post you have probably helped a lot of people, both newbies and vets alike. Please feel that you have a contribution to make to this community. Your insight and slant on problems and solutions, like everybody's, is both wanted and needed. Gillian you can email me whenever you like and I will be available for your call when the time is right for you. Again, wonderful post. fla-tan
Gee LKH..I dont feel so bad now..I did the same thing... ------------------------------------------------------------ Newbie? ..Yea I'm still a newbie,,I've only been here since May of this year... Did I read the -? FCRA, FDCPA, FCBA, Graham-Bliley, UCC, CCPA, TILA, ECOA, Pro-Se board, Bayhouse, Collection Industry .com, American Bankruptcy Institute website, The Fair Credit Movement Forum, Fair Isaac Website, TU EQ EX Websites, Legal Information Institute at Cornell regarding consumer credit, National Foundation for Consumer Credit, the first three posts, and a few thousand other posts here. Yea, I read all these, but only once..I'm a slooww reader. Notes? We don't need no stinkin notes! Am I still searching for more sources, yes! <ps feel free to search the WWW OUTSIDE CreditNet, It can be refreshing to get other viewpoints ie. Collection Industry boards and websites - Know the enemy> The longer I search the more I realize how much I don't know... JohnM Who thanks his Mom for instilling a passion for knowledge and a love of reading.
L ditto,,,,but i did make some early mistakes that would have been avoided if i had found this board before i acted. but after all i am a slooow reader J
I'm still a newbie, and I'll take a stab at answering these questions * I read the FDCPA and the FCRA first, each of them about 15 times. I still have my ratty, printed-out copies that not only have notes in the margins, but have 3 different colors of highlighter. Old trick from an econ prof in college who told us we'd GET IT if we read it at least 3 times, and each time used a different color highlighter to highlight what might be important that we didn't catch the first time around. * Oh, I've also read all the the FTC opinion letters, although I only printed out those that I thought would apply to my situation. I have since printed out others that I found applied to situations as they arose. * I read the top 3 posts about 5 times each, didn't take notes I read them over again about every 10 days or so, and it's the first place I head if I have a question - which means I refer to them frequently, lol. * I try to use the search function, but about half the time it times out on me. It's been invaluable the times that it has worked. * I read other forums, probably about 8 others, to gather opinions and strategy, although I refer back here for definitive answers when I need them. * I have a set of folders sitting on my desk in an folder organizer - two for each CRA (one each for DH and myself), one for each CA that I'm battling with, one for defeated CA's, and one for my copies of the FDCPA, FCRA, and other research tools. * I realize this will take a lot of time, and a little bit of money, and that's okay with me. My normally impatient self is being squashed down by a LOT of willpower. It took everything I had to only read for the first few weeks I was lurking here before I posted, and before I attempted to send any letters out. I want to get it done right so that the things that go away, stay away, and in 2005 when we transfer outta here we can buy a house. More immediate goal of a new car for DH next year.
The search function times out because you need to narrow the parameters - it's getting too many "returns." Add more words to your search, and use quote marks to search for a phrase, instead of separate words. If it still times out, ask for some help, and say your search didn't work.
walien With the effort and work that you are putting into credit as well as the organization, I think that you have a wonderful handle on it. I also believe that the way you are going about your credit rehabilitation is a wonderful example to those just starting out. Keep up the excellant work. fla-tan
Member5: I understand completely. What I learned was take it one sentence (sometimes one word) at a time. I mean that so literally! Fla-tan: My 10 points back???? WHOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO...I'm donating them to the AVS right now! That puts us in FIRST! Breeze, LKH - :::smiling at you::::::
This is a great thread. It's optimistic and uplifting, a refreshing change from the last cpl. days. The following is merely MY opinion; I'm a "VET", and here's why; Once you've done all the studying, applied the principles found here and achieved a certain result. That in my humble opinion entitles one to be classified as veteran. But the required results are not easily achieved so "vets" have earned the tittle. What's the result? here it is; When ALL 3 of your reports are completely clean, with NO negative information, then you've achieved veteran status. But it still doesn't stop there. I'm still not yet a member of the triple 800 club for example. There will be some who have been around awhile who've not yet achieved this elusive criteria. I would not presume to argue with them, nor take away from them their self proclaimed veteran status. I care not who calls themselves a veteran as opposed to newbie. But one thing I DO know. If you've "made it" to 3 clean reports you ARE a vet. This sometimes happens quickly, sometimes slowly but it WILL happen if you stick to it and study hard. Contrary to popular belief it has nothing to do with how long one has been here or how many posts they have to their credit. A veteran is one who's been through a war, has emerged victorious and has the medals to prove it, (clean reports). One can be here for years and have 5000 posts, but if their reports are worse off now than they were when they started, they hardly qualify to the level of vet. There's another thing I think is wise. If you haven't achieved clean reports YOU BETTER STAY A NEWBIE until you do. Ones attitude will do more to aid in this effort than any other single component. I'm a vet because I DAMN WELL EARNED IT. Here's a re-post of something I posted after only 9 weeks as member, way back in July. lol So the expression "vet", when used sparingly and properly, is not easily obtained. These are people who do NOT need to be here but ARE here, mainly to help you, and as Breeze pointed out, because we've made many friends. And we're making many more friends as we help you along. Help was freely given to us and we return that gift to you freely as we "pass it on". Trust us even when we tell you something that sounds totally weird or verbally spank you for not studying. Or correct someone for giving wrong info. There are many hearts and lives at stake. We take this responsability seriously. We would never purposely point you in the wrong direction. PS. And as for you vets out there, lets remain patient with the newer members. The search feature really is screwed up.
1st of All ....Hoowdy Folks!!! Sorry I did not respond to the questions to this exact post...however I did explain in my last several posts That in fact I have been on this Board for about 2 weeks and am very Overwhelmed with the amount of information to be absorbed ,processed and retained. I know it will take months or years to go where some of you have been or where you are at now... As I have stated before people have diff. ways of "getting it". some are visual,some are thinkers, some are feelers. As a newbie I am the first one to say like the earlier poster said "I did not know Iand DH even had any rights" We thought we were suppose to eat the Credit S##@ Sandwich and like it. That is why I am very glad to have found this group and started this Quest!!! I am In This For The Long Haul...and I am not going away and Shame on those who are having conflicts with those who are the guides and "Credit Angels".. If some one has a problem with me lets clear the air and move forward... I know the first 2 posts some one asked if I "doubled" as another poster....I do not know if this is a good thing or not. ? re: Search....Yes I just figured out the best way with keywords and word combinations ? re: 1st 3 posts for "new bees" yes about 3 times ?re: l&o yes .1 time sorry need to reread I am the 1st here to say "Hi I'm BEGNTEXS and our credit stinks sucks and sucks again..We Have ALONG ROAD to follow" but it will be even longer if we did not have the Guides and "Credit Angels"!!!!! WOW did i make up a new term??? WHERE & WHO ARE MY CREDIT ANGELS?????hahahahhehehehehehe Hey Folks ask me any thing about being a newbie and how to get your credit to really be slimey <BUMP>
Hmmm...then, I ain't a vet...however, my personal credit reports have gone from a high of 27 pages (yes, 27 pages) to a single page with one neg on 2 of them. Still working at it.
Butch Yes you qualify as a vet. Though our definitions as to what a vet is differ. To me a vet is someone who is knowledgeable in the field. Mostly through experience but also through learning. BTW, some who reside here didn't originally come for credit rehabilitation, but simply to become more knowledgeable about a complex subject. fla-tan
Sure you're a vet Nana. I thought I was carefull not to exclude those who still have a little work left to do. We don't disagree guy's. I simply did not mean to say that unless you have all 3 reports completely clean you can't be a vet. lol Who'm I to say anyway. What can we do to help you this last neg.? ~
