Hey PsychDoc, I've got good news! You know the letter you posted a few weeks ago regarding getting a goodwill adjustment? Well, I sent a couple after that. And I got the phone call, today. They are going to remove ALL of my late pays from both of my accounts that is with the company (2 dept. store cards). And update with the credit bureaus, I'm just waiting for more creditor to respond. I am so psyched!! (no pun intended!) This week has been a GOOD credit repair week! Thank you, so much for posting that letter. It's helped alot! Question---I sent the paid collection letter and I haven't heard anything from them. What do I do now? Dispute with CRA or intent to file suit?
Hey Beta, congrats on the deletions!!! I was wondering if you'd mind sharing how many late pays you're getting deleted? I have been thinking of doing the good will letter, but about 2 years about I have like, 4 or 5 late pays because of a financial crunch. Think that's too many to request removal of? God bless the internet and creditnet! -gat
Well I'm asking for a 180 day to be removed so if they remove that then they'll remove anything In my case though I had the account opened since 1992. Still waiting to hear back from them. Even if they remove only a bit of negative history I'll be happy...for now GT
They are two different dept. stores but the bank services both of them. 1 dept. store 30 & 60 day late. 1 dept. store 2 - 30 day lates. I got a generic letter from them Saturday. Stating that they have to pull a credit report to increase or reinstate credit limit. I was so pissed that I called and closed 1 account. I got a call today offering to delete the lates. They were both from almost 2 years ago. feb, march, or april of 2000. On 1 acct. the balance was $20. The other wasn't over $100. I was suffering from the post-partum depression. I was really overwhelmed. Not pay a $20 bill for 90-days. I eventually had to pay $60 with late fees. I hope that helps.
Here it is. Link is below - I printed it out. Very helpful! Date Regarding: Account No. XXXXX Sears NAAC ATTN : Credit Bureau Desk 13200 Smith Road Middlebrook Heights, OH 44130 To Whom It May Concern: I am writing a letter about my experience with Sears that is a mixture of a grateful "thank-you" and a pressing request concerning a Sears Charge Card tradeline in my credit files that I would like to have revised. I received the Sears card in [YEAR], several years before I [CHAOTIC LIFE EVENT -- A MOVE, A BIRTH, MEDICAL SICKNESS, ETC.]. Later when I experienced the [CHAOTIC LIFE EVENT] and while working on [WORK PROJECT], I became disorganized with respect to, as you saw, making timely payments with Sears. I fully recognize my responsibility with respect to payable accounts and have worked diligently to rehabilitate my relationship with Sears since that time. To be honest, that year was a "wake-up" call for me regarding fiscal organization. Since then I believe I have learned the essential organizational and financial management principles I desperately needed at that point. Thankfully, responsible credit management is now reflected in my credit records which -- excluding the Sears card late entry -- are excellent. I wish to thank you for renewing your confidence in me and for giving me a second chance at a relationship with you, one that I am determined to keep spotless. We are about to shop for a mortgage, and it has come to my attention that the late notations from Sears may preclude me from taking full advantage of the very lowest interest rates now available. Since those notations do not reflect my current status with Sears, I am requesting that you give me a second chance at a positive credit rating by revising those tradelines. Your customer service repesentative suggested that I write you for a "goodwill adjustment." I sincerely hope that there is redemption at Sears, and I beg you for such consideration. Please let me know if any additional documentation would assist in reaching a positive outcome, and I thank you again for the time you have spent reading this letter. Very hopefully yours, Name Address City, STATE ZIP http://consumers.creditnet.com/straighttalk/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=125081#post125081
Sorry, don't mean to change the topic of this thread, but Sears is a pain in the ass, to be blunt about it. All I wanted was my report to reflect an accurate assessment of my credit history with them. 3 letters to them to no avail. Disputed with all the bureaus and comes back verified. I call several times and am jerked around. I call again and explain the situation. I explain I DO NOT want my account reopened and make sure they are not pulling my report for ANY reason. The woman assures me she's not pulling my report. Then I get a letter from them denying me credit??!! WTF? Furious, I call. Was told they DID NOT pull my report (although letter states they pulled TU). Then I pull my TU report and there it is, plain as day, they pulled my report. I call and get transferred to a total of 6 different people who cannot help me. 7th person says she checked with 2 supervisors and, according to these supervisors, once an inquiry is made, THEY ARE UNABLE TO TAKE IT OFF YOUR REPORT. I got out a letter from TU about creditors being able to request a deletion of an inquiry and asked to speak to one of those supervisors. I spent nearly 20 minutes on hold and they would not pick up the phone. BLEW ME OFF. (couldn't call back as I was transferred there and when I dialed the number to call them back, the number was not accessible from my area even though it was an 800 number). So, in my experience, Sears is the most difficult company to deal with when anything is incorrect on your report... Thus far that they SAY they'll report accurately in up to 60 days... but they refuse to help me with the inquiry that did not need to be pulled..... Sorry to get off topic here, but my gosh, Sears credit is the absolute WORST to deal with in my limited experience. Ozzy.
PsychDoc, do you know if the term "goodwill adjustment" is exclusively Sears' or if it's a standard term? I just drafted the letter & I'm not sure if I should mention that. Thanks! That's a great letter. My version was easy (using yours as a guide). It came from the heart.
Ozzy- Sears didn't have a permissible purpose, you never applied for credit, maybe a laawsuit against them?
Nursie: It's called a "goodwill adjustment," a "one-time courtesy," or "courtesy update" (and there may be others). I don't know offhand which creditors use which terminology, but all will understand what you're asking. Ozzy: Sounds like you've exhausted the capabilities of the first-tier and second-tier customer service call center at Sears. Forget them for now; instead, pursue the people who actually hold the keys to the kingdom -- Sears National Bank in Tempe, Arizona. (SNB actually contracts with customer call centers, who are senselessly inept as you've discovered, to handle practically all consumer calls.) Here's the info for direct contact with SNB: Sears National Bank 2626 S Hardy Dr. Tempe, AZ Â 85282 Tel.: 480-804-5600 and 480-804-6300 Try phone calls, registered letters, and even an outright demand for $1000 per the following successful effort described on the Bayhouse.com discussion board here: http://www.bayhouse.com/credit-forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=229 You'll get them. Doc
Like I said, hats off to you, PsychDoc!!!! It worked like a charm, I looked on Experian, Target removed without even responding. The other place hasn't taken off the lates yet, but she said 30-60 days. They pulled a hard to update my credit limit but didn't tell me. So, I'm going to dispute that as soon as the lates are off.
Hi Doc (and everyone else) I sent this letter to Citi since I too was late in May, and r4eceived a negative response. I sent the letter via PFB and mailed it. I really feel helpless since this occured this past year (which means I have 61/2 to go.). Any suggestions/comments?
I wouldn't think that you would want to use the nutcase letter for something as recent as May. For something that current and isolated (like one late in May), I would go the nice guy route instead and request a simple goodwill adjustment. I wish I could give you a hard guideline that would make those decisions for you, but the best I can do is to say "use your common sense" (a comment which isn't really always helpful I realize). Search the board for "goodwill adjustment" or "courtesy adjustment." Of course, Nancy, I may have misread here -- it may be the request for a goodwill adjustment that they turned down. In that case, chin up. The late was just 6 months ago. Establish 6 to 12 more months of on-time payment history and make the request again. They'll eventually do it. There's no way you'll have to wait the full 6 and a half more years. Doc
Oops, Nancy, sorry, this thread is about the goodwill adjustment (not the nutcase letter). Confusion reigns. Anyway, keep at them at 3 month intervals -- sometime during the next 3 to 12 months they'll delete the isolated late-pay as a gesture of goodwill. Citibank did it for me, and they'll do it for you. Doc
Bummer - Sears denied me I guess deleting a 180 day late was too much to ask for. Oh well, on-line disputes here I come... GT
My letter to Sears is going out tomorrow... thanks for all the insights Doc and everyone! The last straw was when I called Wednesday and they said the inquiry had been removed and I pulled my report today and it's still there. Ozzy.
