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Is ScoreWatch really this useless?

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languedoctor
Valued Member

Is ScoreWatch really this useless?

I noticed that some accounts had updated on EQ a couple days ago, and was getting annoyed waiting for the scorewatch "alert," so I broke down and ordered a score power report.

 

Later in the day, I got the "alert," but it was missing some of the updated information that was present in the score power report from several hours earlier that same day.

 

My ScoreWatch "alert" page now looks like this:

 

Alert: Your FICO score has exceeded your goal of x

 Your FICO score has gone up to (x-7) on May 11, 2012

 

Moreover, the account updates that generated the "alert" score were from > 2 days ago. Meaning that myFICO had to have generated the *cough* alert days ago, sat on it, and randomly issued it today. Because if it had just waited until today to check my score, it would have included the information that was in the full score report.

 

So let me get this straight . . . myFICO generates score updates only every so often . . . and even then they sit on those "alerts" for days before pushing them to the consumer? ROFLCOPTER

 

Moving forward, I think I'm going to stick with Equifax, and just purchase occasional FICOs from myFICO. 

 

 

 

Barclay's Aviator Red | Bank of America Cash Rewards | Chase Freedom | Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select | Discover It
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Message 1 of 15
14 REPLIES 14
languedoctor
Valued Member

Re: Is ScoreWatch really this useless?

So the scorecard looks like this:

 

Fast, accurate monitoring (winner, EQ)

Availability of true EQ FICO (tie)

Availability of TU FICO (winner, my FICO . . . sort of. Until myFICO steps up to provide the 04 model, this isn't much more than a tie)

 

Don't get me wrong - I appreciate that myFICO exists. If it weren't for this place, it probably wouldn't even be possible to order a true FICO from Equifax. I just wish that myFICO's services were more worthwhile in their own right. $.02

Barclay's Aviator Red | Bank of America Cash Rewards | Chase Freedom | Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select | Discover It
(too dumb to figure out images)
Message 2 of 15
AZHeather
Frequent Contributor

Re: Is ScoreWatch really this useless?

+1

 

I have not been overly impressed with the SW alerts either.  I have had a lot of movement in the past couple of weeks and only one SW alert that was a couple of days after I already knew that something had happened.  And, yes...I checked my settings.

Message 3 of 15
llecs
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Is ScoreWatch really this useless?

What updated or changed?

Message 4 of 15
AZHeather
Frequent Contributor

Re: Is ScoreWatch really this useless?


@llecs wrote:

What updated or changed?


For me it was a cli, a deletion of a  derog tl, and a change of 60 and 90 day to "OK." 

Message 5 of 15
llecs
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Is ScoreWatch really this useless?


@AZHeather wrote:

@llecs wrote:

What updated or changed?


For me it was a cli, a deletion of a  derog tl, and a change of 60 and 90 day to "OK." 


Unfortunately SW doesn't alert for any of these, though you will get an alert on the latter if there was a status change from "currently 90 days late" to "paid as agreed", if that were the case.

 

Now SW does give out score alerts from time to time. SW monitors your score every 7 days or so for changes and will alert you if your FICO moved past that target score found within the settings. So, if the CLI, baddie removal, and lates dropping resulted in a FICO change and that change hit or surpassed the target score, then you would get an alert.

Message 6 of 15
AZHeather
Frequent Contributor

Re: Is ScoreWatch really this useless?

Hmmm...not what I expected.  Well, since I am in rebuild mode, I will leave it alone (since I can get all the help that I can get!) Smiley Tongue

 

Thank you for clarifying what it does/does not do.

Message 7 of 15
llecs
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Is ScoreWatch really this useless?

Check out the Score Watch Guide for more info. I've subscribed now for over 4 years and I'm impatient. I want and need to know now and didn't want to wait for the score alerts every 7 days if nothing was triggering an alert before then. Many of us subscribe to a CMS outside of SW. As changes occur, then I come back to SW to pull a FICO report at the 30% discount vs. waiting the day or so for the alert.

Message 8 of 15
AZHeather
Frequent Contributor

Re: Is ScoreWatch really this useless?

I read the guide, but I guess not as closely as I should have. Smiley Tongue

 

I am very impatient too, so I also have a CMS account with USAA (I really like that you can update every 24 hours for free!), which is how I knew changes were taking place even though I didn't get a SW alert.  That is supposed to have an alert thing on it too (I think), but I have never gotten any from them either.  (Man this whole credit watch thing is addictive!!! Smiley Very Happy)

 

I can see how the SW would be very useful after the rebuild (while I am in the garden....ahhh...one day).  It would be nice to be alerted of any changes like an unexpected baddie.

 

EDIT:  Too funny...as I was typing the above, I got a SW alert! lol

Message 9 of 15
llecs
Moderator Emeritus

Re: Is ScoreWatch really this useless?

SW knows all Smiley Surprised

Message 10 of 15
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