Citi Card, will they budge?

[Anonymous]

HI all,

Have you guys had a positive experience getting Citi Card to remove negative payment history off your credit report?

Long story short I missed credit card payments for Citi Card (90+ days delinquent) a few months ago. Not due to financial constraints, It was honest mistake on my part forgetting that I still had a balance of $37.76 left from the original balance of $1,800.00 prior to my payment in July of 1,762.24. Whatever statement came in the mail from Citi Card was probably over looked with the assumption the card balance was paid in full, and in addtion to me moving to a new address further delaying me getting notified about missed payments.  In December while going over my monthly finances, I decieded to check all my card balances via online. To my dismay, I saw I owed Citi $37.76 plus the late fees they tacked on.  Without knowledge of late payment negotiations with a creditor, I called Citi Card right away and explained that I made mistake and assumed I no longer had a balance with them, I thought I had paid the amount in full. I then proceeded to pay the balance plus the late fees in full. At the time I had so much on my mind and neglected to ask customer service rep, who was eager to get my payment about Citi not reporting me to the credit bureau.  I never had payment issues ever, so these questions and negoationing. I


Fast forward to January  while paying some bills online, I decided to view my credit score and to my dismay my credit score plummeted from 780 to 650. Via the site tools online, I saw the catalyst is the delinquent 90 +days and late payments. I proceeded to call back Citi Cards customer service and further explain that I made an honest mistake, but I was repeatably told there is nothing that can be done on their end, especially via phone. I even escalated my calls up the chain of command(manager), but to no avail. The fact that I have been with Citi Card since 2011 with no missed or late payment until recent did not even factor with the reps that i spoke to,

I have always been responsible with my credit and always paid everything timely and keeping my balances low. These two items are the only infractions on my credit report, which was blemish free for the past 18 years. All this because of a careless mistake on my part. I'm loosing sleep knowing that i'm going through all of this for such a small balance of $37.76.

I sent a certifeid good will letter to Citi Card last week, which they are in reciept of. Without knowing if they will even respond to me, what are my next steps as far as who to contact via mail or email(manager or Ceo if Citi Card)? I plan on facing This battle head on, and I refuse to give up and just let it be. 

Thanks for any insight you guys can provide.

[Anonymous]

Most CC companies are unlikely to budge on a series of missed payments. If it were only one, then you would stand a better chance. The best you can do is to get in contact with the Executive Office and plead your case, but I honestly wouldn't hold my breath. CC companies don't want to set a precedent of letting people slide for not paying their bills, even it was by mistake and they are good customers. Been with BoA for over 10 years and those SOBs wouldnt even remove a 30 day late from 2011, let alone a fresh missed payment from a few months ago. Best of luck nonetheless though. Hope it all works out for you.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

HI all,

Have you guys had a positive experience getting Citi Card to remove negative payment history off your credit report?

Long story short I missed credit card payments for Citi Card (90+ days delinquent) a few months ago. Not due to financial constraints, It was honest mistake on my part forgetting that I still had a balance of $37.76 left from the original balance of $1,800.00 prior to my payment in July of 1,762.24. Whatever statement came in the mail from Citi Card was probably over looked with the assumption the card balance was paid in full, and in addtion to me moving to a new address further delaying me getting notified about missed payments.  In December while going over my monthly finances, I decieded to check all my card balances via online. To my dismay, I saw I owed Citi $37.76 plus the late fees they tacked on.  Without knowledge of late payment negotiations with a creditor, I called Citi Card right away and explained that I made mistake and assumed I no longer had a balance with them, I thought I had paid the amount in full. I then proceeded to pay the balance plus the late fees in full. At the time I had so much on my mind and neglected to ask customer service rep, who was eager to get my payment about Citi not reporting me to the credit bureau.  I never had payment issues ever, so these questions and negoationing. I


Fast forward to January  while paying some bills online, I decided to view my credit score and to my dismay my credit score plummeted from 780 to 650. Via the site tools online, I saw the catalyst is the delinquent 90 +days and late payments. I proceeded to call back Citi Cards customer service and further explain that I made an honest mistake, but I was repeatably told there is nothing that can be done on their end, especially via phone. I even escalated my calls up the chain of command(manager), but to no avail. The fact that I have been with Citi Card since 2011 with no missed or late payment until recent did not even factor with the reps that i spoke to,

I have always been responsible with my credit and always paid everything timely and keeping my balances low. These two items are the only infractions on my credit report, which was blemish free for the past 18 years. All this because of a careless mistake on my part. I'm loosing sleep knowing that i'm going through all of this for such a small balance of $37.76.

I sent a certifeid good will letter to Citi Card last week, which they are in reciept of. Without knowing if they will even respond to me, what are my next steps as far as who to contact via mail or email(manager or Ceo if Citi Card)? I plan on facing This battle head on, and I refuse to give up and just let it be. 

Thanks for any insight you guys can provide.

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You can try the office of the CEO, and it certainly won't hurt to do so, but let me give you my take on these sorts of things:

The question you need to ask yourself is "Is this something to lose sleep over?" Are you committed to a house purchase within the next two years? If not, your scores are *mostly* irrelevant, TBH (as long as they are not in the 500's like many here). The fact is that your scores will mostly recover all by themselves in about 24 months without you doing anything other than pay everything on time. Chalk it up to a learning experience (set up auto pay for minimum due *as a backup* and turn on email notifications) and go on with life. These were legitimate lates, and at some point you just have to accept that you messed up - a MINOR mess up for sure, but still yours. Really, I'm not trying to be mean here, and I don't want you to take it that way, but in this credit world, there are always battles that are simply unwinnable, and this may be one of them.

[Anonymous]

 First, thanks SouthEast80 and NormanFH for your feedback.

NormanFH, in regards to your question about purchasing a home, yes, I'm planning on purchasing my first home in the next year and half to two years. I was always deligent about paying my cards and keeping my credit in good shape with homeowner ship in mind. Just this one minor $37.76 unpaid balance cost my scores big time. NormanFH, you said my credit score is likely to recover in about two years, but I was under the assumption that multiple negatives (deliquent 90 + days) would keep my score down until it comes off with age or is removed?

Even though the news that most creditors are unlikely to budge, I will still continue to send out a few more good will letters and keep my fingers crossed.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

 First, thanks SouthEast80 and NormanFH for your feedback.

NormanFH, in regards to your question about purchasing a home, yes, I'm planning on purchasing my first home in the next year and half to two years. I was always deligent about paying my cards and keeping my credit in good shape with homeowner ship in mind. Just this one minor $37.76 unpaid balance cost my scores big time. NormanFH, you said my credit score is likely to recover in about two years, but I was under the assumption that multiple negatives (deliquent 90 + days) would keep my score down until it comes off with age or is removed?

Even though the news that most creditors are unlikely to budge, I will still continue to send out a few more good will letters and keep my fingers crossed.

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They may indeed still have a score effect, BUT, after 24 months that effect is greatly lessened. This is by no means an absolute, as the scoring mechanisms are a tightly controlled secret - but it has been well established that a single 30 day late does indeed lose ALL of its scoring effect after 24 months, but the effect of more than one *may* be more lasting. A 30, a 60, and a 90, on a single account will most likely have a lasting effect as well, BUT the impact is still greatly lessened after 24 months, just not entirely. As long as you have strong current credit lines established, your scores should be back in or very near 700 territory, when these age past 24 months.

Mortgage lenders will generally not be concerned with lates beyond 24 months, and many will just require a 12 month perfect payment history. So this is by no means a mortgage killer. While it may result in less than stellar interest rates, even thats not a huge problem as one can always refi into a new rate in a few years.

Yes, by all means you should try to get it removed, just don't lose sleep over not being able to do so, because that is a very likely possibility.

Thing is, the "prime banks" like Citi are highly vested in the current credit reporting system, depite the fact that it is so obviously broken. I liken them to the occupants of "The Matrix" when Morpheus describes them to Neo as being so dependant on "the system" that they could not survive outside of it.

[Anonymous]

I've had success with Citi, Amex, Cap One, Honda. Just keep emailing them, write letters, etc. To be fair whenever I've used the BBB complaint form, I've gotten better results. 

[Anonymous]

Mrestrepo, can you provide more insight on using the better business complaint form? 

[Anonymous]

Just to update you guys, I recieved a letter response Friday from my goodwill letter I emailed to the Citi Cards ceo. My request to remove the negative lines was denied(bastards!). They stated in the letter " We have reviewed your account and the information being reported is correct.  We thank you for reaching out to us with your concerns. Please contact the credit bureaus for futher information. We have opened a dispute with all three bureaus". My question is, why would Citi Cards open a dispute? I did specify in my goodwill letter that I'm not disputing the accuracy, I just want the negative lines to be removed.  Is the assumption that a dispute would not further lower my credit score correct?

[gdale6]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Just to update you guys, I recieved a letter response Friday from my goodwill letter I emailed to the Citi Cards ceo. My request to remove the negative lines was denied(bastards!). They stated in the letter " We have reviewed your account and the information being reported is correct.  We thank you for reaching out to us with your concerns. Please contact the credit bureaus for futher information. We have opened a dispute with all three bureaus". My question is, why would Citi Cards open a dispute? I did specify in my goodwill letter that I'm not disputing the accuracy, I just want the negative lines to be removed.  Is the assumption that a dispute would not further lower my credit score correct?

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They havent opened a dispute per se in the way that you think what they have done is report to the CRAs that you are disputing something in the TL even though you didnt. While its marked in dispute certain aspects of the TL are removed from Fico scoring so your score could move either way. If you are going to app for a mortgage these dispute comments would need to be removed so they can get a true Fico on you. You can write to them and request that they remove the dispute comments if you wish. Personally  would just put them on a GW schedule of a letter every month, 2 months or other time period of your choosing. GW can sometimes take years.

[Anonymous]

Do you guys atler your good will on the resend campaign, or do you keep the same format?