What to do with this account

Looks like a lot of errors in the reports.

do you want to keep the card?

Does it seem like that's possible at this point?
Have you contacted the new creditor?

Lots of things to be learned before you can get much answers .

 

Shirley,
Same thing happened to me! I think it's an old Lerner's account opened in 1983, now listed as 'New York & Company'. Last activity May 2001, balance $74. WTF? That account was/should have been closed ~1989. It was not there two months ago.

 

I'd simply call them up and ask them if this is a closed account and if so can they re-open it and if so, under what conditions.

Act dumb. Don't give them any info and don't make any promises until you have had time to think about what they had to say. When you have all the info then just tell them you sill get back to them.

Of course, find out if you owe them any money and if so how much. Don't take for granted what the credit bureau has to say about it.

Then let us know

 

I disputed it with the CRA as not mine. If this is, in fact, Lerner, I know it was closed in good standing; I just didn't want the card anymore, and there's no way I left a balance. Why it came back to life 12 years later is beyond me.

 

I agree with Bill, call them up and act dumb. Like "I thought this account was closed...I don't even have the card any more, haven't had it for a long time." wait for an answer.... If they want to give you the card back, tell them you want it reported from the original date the account was opened, so it does your credit history some good. If they won't do that, then just decide whether you want the card the way it is, or whether you want to get them in trouble for doing this. They've reactivated an old account to make it look better than it is.

breeze

 

Well, it's obvious that they re-aged the account somehow then.

Looks like you will have to fight with them about it.

It's also obvious that what they did was not according to the rules. Should never have been reported after 7 years.

I'd go file complaints with the BBB, the FTC and your state's Attorney General's office first of all.

Then make them prove you owe any debt on the account if they are claiming you do owe money.

If you go at it right, you should be able to end up filing a motion for summary judgement against them and take them to court. That's not all that hard to do.

Of course, you would want to threaten them with suit first of all, not just go out and do it.

If you make them think you are serious and ready to go sue them, they will most likely fix the problem pretty quickly.

You need to fight the creditor or collection agency first, win the fight with them first then go after the credit bureau.

But I would file complaints about the credit bureau too.

They should have known better too.

 

I bet somebody re-opened it for you by mistake, and they charged on it...
ONE NUMBER OFF ON SS#???

IF YOU HAVE A PHONE NUMBER I WOULD CALL NOW!!!
ASK HOW THE ACCOUNT IS OPEN, AND HOW COME $74.00 IS OWED.

 

Shirley,
Can you provide the number you called? Thanks!

 

This might sound like a dumb question but what is the purpose of filing complaints with these agencies?

First of all, you find out what you can with a phone call or a letter. If you can't get satisfaction you want out of them and they refuse to cooperate and acknowledge and correct their mistake(s), then you are going to have to move on to stronger measures. The first of those stronger measures would be filing complaints with the agencies I mentionsd. Of course, you want to let the company know that if you don't get what you want, you will be filing all those complaints to see if you can't get some help from the law on this matter.
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I have no idea how or why I would file for a summary judgment either and why that should be done.

First, after trying to settle it by phone with no success, you would send them a validation letter and follow through with all of that process which should lead you naturally into the phase where you might think about doing the following.

Of course, you would not even think about doing that until after all other remedies have been exhausted. Even then, you would simply make up the papers you would need if you actually did decide to go file and send them a copy of the papers you MIGHT be filing and offer to make an "amicable" agreement with them which would include cancellation of any amounts claimed by them and taking the itme off your credit reports voluntarily. Actually filing would be about the last thing you would want to do for sure.

You say if I threaten to sue them they will probably fix the problem quickly. What exactly would be their fix?

Whatever you demand.

If they close that account, won't that be listed on my report as a closed account?

What you would want to bargain for would be for them to voluntarily remove any and all reports from your credit history and make no further comments against you.

I thought a notation like that was not a good one to have.

It isn't, and that's why you want to make them agree to just simply take it off and forget the whole thing.

They have apparently wronged you so you have a right to demand your redress. After all, they have defamed your credit, have they not? And once proven, that is sufficient grounds for a major lawsuit right there. Of course, before you ever actually get down to filing any lawsuits, you want to seek the advice of competent legal counsel. You can threaten all day long, send them properly worded letters that MIGHT be what you MIGHT file in a court of law, but when it comes down to where the rubber hits the road, you would want competent legal counsel. What you are hoping for is that you can huff and puff enough so that you never actually have to go that far.

 

I got the same thing! Thanks for clearing up the mystery. Mine is noted as closed by credit grantor, but no balance. No idea why they dug this one up after all these years....