My GOODWILL tricks & example letter

Some people in the other Goodwill post up right now asked me for more indepth information regarding my experience using the Goodwill letter for PAID Collections. Instead hijacking that thread even further off it's topic of posting who will take a Goodwill, I decided to start my own thread


I think I did luck out because I know tons of people haven't great luck with getting Paid Collections off with the goodwill letter.

Finding the right person can sometimes be really difficult. I mean, these companies don't exactly post each and every person on their website. It takes a lot of internet research. Much of the research I've done here on this board. I lurked quite a while before posting and it was helpful because it took weeks to read through months of postings. Finding the right person can also be a looking through a haystack situation. I mean, the first goodwill letter I wrote, I sent to three different people and not until the third, did I even get a response.

It seems that all of the "right people" had something in common

1) They were someone who was in a position to tell me yes. Never send it to a CSR.
2) They were people that aren't in an executive postition. It will be the middle managers who help you the most
And the most important:
3) They were all WOMEN. I sent goodwill letters to men and they don't care. Women are just more sympathetic to your cause. Being that I am a woman also, I felt like I was able to hit 'em in a soft spot. Everything I said it my letters was true but just a little more "sugary" than you would make it for a very professional letter. I would say stuff like, "because of your listing, I am unable to get a car for my expanding family. I have had to take the bus because I can't afford the extreme intrest rates." Who cares if my expanding family are two chihuahua's?

Tips for your good will (based on my experience):

1) Send it in a letter. Wait a couple of weeks. No repsonse...
2) Send an e-mail. Here is where it gets tricky because how do you get the personal e-mail for the middle manager type? We all have them for the compliance managers and executives, but we need their e-mails. Here's how I get e-mail addresses: find out what the other addresses are for other employees at the company. For instance, for Arrow Financial's (not a paid collection, but one I'm disputing) addresses usually combine the first initial of the person's first name with their last name to make their e-mail address. lmartin@arrow-financial.com. Once you know how the e-mail is configured, all you have to do is find your middle manager. Once you find that person, you will send them an e-mail. Follow up if you have to. I had to re-send a letter two times to one person before she finally answered me. But when she did, she deleted. You just have to follow up in a week or so. Just say, "Hi So and so...I sent a letter to you last week and I was just wondering if you had a chance to look at it?"
I HAVE GOTTEN ALL MY DELETIONS VIA E-MAIL.

3) How do I find my middle manager. Read this board. I found three of the them through this board. When you read a thread that mentions any vital info relating to someone you are disputing with, WRITE IT DOWN IN YOUR FOLDER. You will collect more phone numbers, addresses, and names than you'll know what to do with. I also call the CA. You get a CSR on the phone and tell them that you've been in contact with someone there by the name of Kerri or Sherri or Tina or whatever. It doesn't matter. Just say that you must have written the name of the manager down wrong. Say that she's a customer care manager or something along those lines. You DON'T want the COMPLIANCE MANAGER!!! They are there to comply with the law and in their opinion, leaving correct info on your report is complying. I would like to hear if anyone has actually gotten through to a compliance manager.

3)Well, will they really delete just because they say they will? Who cares? All you need is the e-mail saying this was deleted, print the page, fax that letter off to the credit bureaus tell them that this debt was not correct and needs to be deleted. Give them the contact name, number and e-mail of the person at the CA and they delete. Simple as that. Equifax did it for me with an e-mail and so did TU. Still waiting to get my report from Experian. You will find that most will delete very quickly though.

4) Make it sound like you were really wronged by this collection and are continuing to be wrong. Seem like the person who has a great credit report and this is the ONLY thing keeping you from that dream house or somthing like that.

If you want an example letter. E-mail me.

Rblues

 

Nope, don't know anyone there. Anyone???