We are now at or near 2500 members strong. When I was 8, I garnered 2000 or so names on a petition to start a fight with the Canadian govt to stop the slaughter of baby harp seals. That was the beginning of a successful campaign that included write-ups in major Philly papers and even a spot or two on television. Eventually, because of the initial support I gathered, my movement made a difference. Can we do something similar and use our "power in numbers" to make a difference in the credit world? Or, are we better off with the CRAs, CAs, and creditors all screwed up so we can sneak up on them?
Good question. I don't know. There's enough wrong with the system that there's plenty to choose from. For starters, the BOGUS scores we consumers are given - we should have the right to see the true FICOs. What would be even better is that we launch a PR blitz to counter those of the CRAS. You know, the ones that say the only thing that fixes your credit is paying your bills on time? How about credit counseling services? Do they really help your credit - NOT! I'm sure there are others.
All the scores are BOGUS even FICOs We should not be seeing any scores because there shouldn't be any such shell game going on.
I agree with the idea of the consumer seeing their real scores and it should be on demand. Legislation is needed to allow every consumer to get a free copy of their credit report once a year. Also, their needs to be uniformity in the way creditors report to CRA's. A time interval of either monthly or quarterly and, they must either all show balalnces and limits or none show balances and limits. We need to have a common playing field. Finally, creditors should not be allowed to use derogatory info from your dealings with other creditors to jack your rates. H.R. 1060 sponosered by Rep. John LaFalce specifically prohits that pratice. Prehaps an email campaign to his office supporting this bill may be a place to start. A good thread. Maybe something will happen!
I am so excited to see this post. I was just thinking about lobbying on behalf of the American Consumer to level the playing field between the big three and the millions that have been harmed by their willful abuse of unchecked power. Every powerful group out there from tobacco to teamsters has a lobby working on their behalf to effect change and garner support for their cause in Washington. If consumers are not unified they will never exact change in Washington. We have the numbers, what we need is organization on a massive scale. Washington will listen as long as we put forth a unified effort and make it clear that in every election from local to national levels we will only back those who will help to further our cause. Citizens equal votes and Washington depends on us THE Consumer for those votes.
" For starters, the BOGUS scores we consumers are given - we should have the right to see the true FICOs." ****************************************** There is no such thing as a "true" FICO, they are all BOGUS, they are all different, even among lenders. That is the way the system was designed, the only purpose of the FICO system is to generate more money for the Corporations that lend money. I know, I use the manipulative formula every day to "justify" different rates for different people. <<Unfortunately this is my job, this is the way I get paid, the higher the rate, the more$$$$> Sad to say, that it won't be terrorists that bring this country to ruin, but the Corporations that rule America, from Credit to Food, to Advertising, pick a Company any Big Corp. and you will see that they are all basically the same, screw the consumer, screw the employees, the Bottom line is what counts. FICO is just another DEHUMANIZATION TACTIC to numb people up, and they know, that like SHEEP to a SLAUGHTER HOUSE, the majority will follow with out much commotion. THANK GOD, FOR THE INTERNET, & WEB-SITES SUCH AS THIS, as these are the ONLY SOURCES OF RELIABLE & TRUTHFUL INFORMATION, that data that is given freely by people united by a common goal, this site is truly a LIBERATOR OF TYRANNY FOR THOSE IN NEED OF CREDIT TRUTHS. THIS SITE IS PRICELESS. <BTW, I HATE MY JOB>
Re: Should we start a public moveme Well I would support any movement that advocates for the consumer vis-a-vis credit-related issues. One note: Even though this board has 2000+ members, it's worth noting that only a fraction of those are active at any given time. People often register at web sites they visit, thinking they may return perhaps, but sometimes don't. In the case of boards devoted to credit repair, people sometimes drift away after they've completed their personal rehab campaigns. Others simply drift away because they lose their enthusiasm. Still others (like me, lol) just enjoy the topic so much that they stick around like body odor. If I had to guess, I would say that we're looking at just a couple hundred active members right now. There certainly aren't 2000 people ready to sign a petition or form a movement. Complicating matters from an organizational standpoint, a good number of the currently active members want to retain their anonymity so would not essentially put their names on the line as part of any movement. Some might even distrust such activity as an effort by unfriendly individuals to flag our credit bureau files (a la "the board is being watched," etc.). We can't even get people to agree to meet each other in person on this board very easily, lol. I wonder how tough it would be to get them to shed their anonymity for the cause. Doc
Re: Should we start a public moveme Doc makes some very valid points. However, we could overcome the "numbers" issue by recruiting. If each of us 200-300 active members knows 3 or 4 people who would sign a petition or get involved, the numbers issue goes away. However, would a movement help or hurt folks like us? If you haven't noticed, many of us scored victories and got even legitimate stuff deleted because companies don't follow the law. Had these companies followed the law from the get-go, many of us would still have derogs sitting on our reports. Do the CRAs et al know this? I'm betting they are banking on it!
Re: Should we start a public moveme I have to disagree. If we had a strong lobby in Washington it would become much more difficult from a legal standpoint for a CRA, original creditor or collection agency to report negative info in the first place. The legal stakes might be to high for a debt that may or may not prove to be identity theft, in error, paid through bankruptcy etc. As it stands now with violations only totaling between 1,000-3,000 a pop it's worth the risk for creditors to report negatives even if it comes back on them. With very heavy punitives like we see in tobacco legislation creditors and collection agencies would be forced to do some serious due dillegence before defaming someone's character by reporting negatives on their credit report. Thus many negatives would probably never reach the credit report in the first place unless they are airtight. As it should be.
Re: Should we start a public moveme Engaging in an attempt to force a change through legistlation would be a major uphill battle. The 1997 changes in the FDCPA were initiated by consumer rights groups, by the time the law was changed, the American Collectors Assoc. and other lobbyists were able to exclude any major provisions that would hold creditors and collectors liable for big damages. The amount of money the CA's and CRA's throw at politicians is sick, a traditional consumers group will never be able to compete with this industry. The plain fact that a foreign owned corporation (Equifax), is allowed to collect the most private financial information on millions of Americans and American businesses and no one screams bloody hell is a testament to the amount of money these companies throw at politicians. The only way to fight these companies is through the courts, if enough people sued these bastards we would see alot more consumer friendly policies. These companies don't follow the law now anyways, more legislation would most likely result in less rights for consumers. The only thing these companies understand is profit and loss, if they are hit enough times with suits resulting in damages, they will change there tune.
Hey tmitchell, Just an FYI. Tom Martino, the troubleshooter at www.troubleshooter.com recently stated that he and some lobbyists were currently working on getting the FCRA ammended. He is really p.o.'d at the collection agencies and creditors alike. I didn't catch the whole story on the radio, but there might be some update at his website.
1*Your report should always be free whenever you need it. 2*It should be monthly only! 3*Show all only 4A*This ain't legal because you aren't in default with them! 4B*This is a prime example of why fico is fraud! 5*Good idea.
Re: Should we start a public moveme IF people would stop buying from these con artist they would have to revise ther product in order to stay in business .
