Goodwill denied, next move?

[Anonymous]

Hello Folks -

I wrote a Goodwill letter to Citi for the Best Buy Rewards card to remove 3 30 day late payments over the last 2 years, and here was their response:

Why we're writing you Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding your My Best Buy ® Visa® Gold account. Unfortunately, we are unable to change the information reported to the credit reporting agencies listed below, as it accurately reflects your account history with us.

Equifax Credit Information Service P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 1-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com

Experian P.O. Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013-0036 1-888 EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742) www.experian.com

TransUnion LLC Consumer Relations Center P.O. Box 1000 Chester, PA 19022 1-800-888-4213 www.transunion.com

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, we are obligated to report account history based on factual account data. Standards established in the credit industry ensure integrity of data and uniform communication between credit reporting agencies.

Is it worth trying it again, is there another avenue to take, or am I goosed?

[Anonymous]

No harm in giving them a call. Things like that may be "policy" but the person you speak with may have some room to adjust. You'll get 10x more done on the phone than with a letter in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

A GW is not always granted on the first attempt.  You may have to send a GW letter many times before it is accepted.

Calling is Ok too, but I prefer the GW letter sent by mail something like every other month, and it might take more than a year to get it, if ever.

They are not obligated to grant it, so your only option is to keep asking politely.

hth

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the input.

Is sending a letter once a month too much of a "burden"... where it flat out just annoys them?  Does it go on record that I asked and it shows me repeatedly asking?

Sorry for the lack of knowledge.. I'm new here!

[Anonymous]

I am not sure if they keep a record of the GW letters, never thought about it that way before.

I would just set it up as a doc in my pc and change the date and mail it in every couple months at least.  I would not recommend saying something like 'this is the third time I have asked for this', I'd make every letter seem as though it was the first one.  I would also mention something like  'it does not reflect my current habits with my credit accounts'.  I also think I had some success by saying that I was working towards a particular goal.  I said I was trying to buy another used car and I needed better scores to get a loan.

Sometimes its like fixing a problem on your pc - you just have to beat the keyboard into submission. 

Just keep trying - maybe even look to see if you can find an email for the EO or someone in charge.

GL

[Anonymous]

I had success with a GW letter last week.  Here are a few tips that may help you:

1) Make the letter brief but also explain details of why you made late payments

2) Address the letter to a specific individual in the organization, preferably someone with supervisory responsibilities

3) Include a sentence about how this payment does not reflect on your creditworthiness (if this is the only issue you have)

4) Volunteer to provide supporting documentation for #1 and #3

5) Close by stating that you want to solve issue amicably

good luck!

[SunriseEarth]

GW efforts are largely a matter of luck and persistence.  First requests are rarely granted.   I sent several letters to LVNV before they removed a paid collection.   I sent them letters on a monthly basis or immediately upon their response, whichever came first.   So keep trying!   As has been suggested, you can try other contacts within the company.   Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I would just keep sending them. Yes businesses have "policies", but we don't always have to follow them to the T. I work for UPS and I will bend some policies if the person is nice enough to me.