@tinuviel wrote:
@NY_Beauty wrote:"Huh"?
I asked the question because I did not know. Isn't that the purpose of these forums? I also posed the question to someone who had gone through the experience.
Yes, of course the purpose of the forums is to be able to ask questions; that's how we learn. I think the other poster might has simply been a little confused; I doubt that the intent was to offend.
So, HP or no HP, that is the question? Here's how I understand it:
If you are blacklisted, they will not pull a report at all but will automatically reject, so no HP.
If you are not blacklisted, they will pull a report and make a decision. You will either be approved or rejected. Either way, it will result in a HP.
I hope this helps clear things up.
+1 Thanks Tinuviel because I didn't see this.
OP, no I didn't mean to offend you at all. Apologies to you since that's what appeared happened. I was and still am a little confused by you saying that you are "afraid" of an HP. So I was just stating the same thing that Tinuviel stated. And also letting you know that any time, or I should say the mass majority of the time, you apply for credit that you will have an HP. Also Amex will treat your application as a new application because they will not accept financial information for you from 1994. However if you do succeed in getting a new account they can backdate the opening to 1994. I think that's where you are getting confused.
Oh BTW, some people have escaped the blacklist and opened up new accounts with Amex yet still owe them money from back in the day, but instead of poking the bear and requesting the backdate which somehow links your old and new accounts together, they just chose not to ask and move forward with what the new credit they were granted. I do beleive though that they have some sort of internal scoring that knows it anyway.
Thanks for the info!
FYI - I called and found out that my account was too old find (over 15 years old). They said they do not keep records past 10 years so it seems if you can wait it out that long you can simply reapply but you won't be backdated or have any history.
@NY_Beauty wrote:FYI - I called and found out that my account was too old find (over 15 years old). They said they do not keep records past 10 years so it seems if you can wait it out that long you can simply reapply but you won't be backdated or have any history.
CSRs don't always know what they are talking about. While it is true that they don't have all old records, it is definitely not the case that they don't have anything over 10 years old. There are plenty of accounts of them backdating older cards.
However, in your case, I'd take this as a positive. I wouldn't be pushing them to try to find record of your old chargeoff. If you can apply and get approved, that's great. Start fresh with them.
All that said, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that you 1) are blacklisted an the CSR did not know how to check records properly, 2) are not blacklisted and if approved, are backdated, or 3) are not blacklisted and if approved, are not backdated. Unfortunately, this just isn't the kind of thing that is prioritized in the training of frontline CSRs. So there's really no way to know for sure until you apply.
Starting Score: ~500 (12/01/2008)Yes it is interesting....I have one that is backdated to 1984. Perhaps a misinformed csr, who knows? I've personally seen sometimes that if you ask 3 different csr's the same question you get 3 different answers. Maybe there is an archive somewhere that after a new account shows up in the system it can get linked to an old account. So OP, if you do get the Amex, when you login online to your account look up top and it will show "member since xxxx" and if you see that it goes back to 1994 then you can request to get your account backdated.
@Walt_K wrote:
@NY_Beauty wrote:FYI - I called and found out that my account was too old find (over 15 years old). They said they do not keep records past 10 years so it seems if you can wait it out that long you can simply reapply but you won't be backdated or have any history.
CSRs don't always know what they are talking about. While it is true that they don't have all old records, it is definitely not the case that they don't have anything over 10 years old. There are plenty of accounts of them backdating older cards.
However, in your case, I'd take this as a positive. I wouldn't be pushing them to try to find record of your old chargeoff. If you can apply and get approved, that's great. Start fresh with them.
All that said, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that you 1) are blacklisted an the CSR did not know how to check records properly, 2) are not blacklisted and if approved, are backdated, or 3) are not blacklisted and if approved, are not backdated. Unfortunately, this just isn't the kind of thing that is prioritized in the training of frontline CSRs. So there's really no way to know for sure until you apply.
Ha!! We posted at the same time saying the same thing...LOL!!!
Also yes I would consider this a positive because if there was a red flag then when the OP called they would have easily pulled up her info. I'd say that yes go ahead and apply when whatever update you are waiting for on your CR's post.
@NY_Beauty wrote:FYI - I called and found out that my account was too old find (over 15 years old). They said they do not keep records past 10 years so it seems if you can wait it out that long you can simply reapply but you won't be backdated or have any history.
Well, it seems that you're not on the blacklist, so congratulations on that. 
But, they certainly do keep -- at least some -- records that go back more than 10 years. Amex contacted me in the fall of 2010 in an attempt to collect on my debt from 1992. As it was well outside the SOL, and I was actively paying off debt from old cards that were within SOL, I informed them that I would not be making any payment arrangements with them (I didn't want to restart the SOL clock). Then, on top of that, the old account suddenly popped up on my EX and TU reports as an old account in good standing. Finally, they sent me an offer to apply for a new card. I have to admit that I was a bit dumbfounded by the whole thing, but decided to give it a shot as it appeared that I didn't have anything to lose. I was approved and the new account was automatically backdated to 1987, so I know that they have records of my old account. After getting back in their good graces, I've been a very good customer to them. I use the card a lot and always pay well ahead of the due date. I regret the mistakes that I made when I was young and am determined not to repeat them. By forgiving the old debt -- as they appear to have done -- and reinstating me as a card holder, Amex stands to make more off of me in the long run than if I had remained blacklisted. My intent is for this to remain a mutually beneficial relationship for many years to come.
So, you never know what might happen for you until you apply. If you decide to do so, I wish you nothing but the best.
Current Scores: EQ 775 (03/04/2014), EX 756 (03/01/2014), TU 760 (03/01/2014)
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I agree! Thanks for the info! I'll keep you posted. I will apply in 4-6 months.