topic Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit in General Credit Topics

Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:26:16 GMT

I am the bookkeeper for the family business. Many of our company credit cards are in the personal name of my father, and I missed a payment on an HSBC/Best Buy card, and a 30-day late showed up on his credit recently.

I have online access to the account, and I changed it to online statments, without his approval. he does not review the accounts, and the responsibility to make the payments is mine, but its his credit that has been affected by my oversight. If I could take it on personally i would.

They denied my GW request over the phone, and I am preparing to start the letter writing campaign, but is there anything else that can be done given the cirsumstances? I am desperate to fix this mistake, but I don't know what other options i have.

Message Edited by Im_doing_it_right on 10-08-2008 08:26 PM

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:11:11 GMT

If I write a letter stating that I changed the statement delivery method to online statements without their permission, and I accessed the account through the pay by phone system, misrepresenting myself as my dad (I have his SSN) am I liable for fraud charges from the CC company?

both of these things are effectually true. And if it will get this info off of his Credit Report, I think I would be willing to take that risk...

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

laz98 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:17:57 GMT

Yes, that would DEFINITELY be admitting to fraud. please do not try that method.

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

score_building — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:17:37 GMT

yeah, i agree don't try that method since it isn't even really accurate. doesn't sound like you were trying to harm anybody. online method is much more efficient. you are the one responsible for paying the bill, no? so you chose a more efficient method to benefit your dad not defraud him. it was the right thing to do. while you may have informed him of the change in payment method to online versus snail mail- it's not too late to let him know you opted for a more environmentally friendly and efficient method of payment on his acct. to help keep payments timely, and unfortunately you hit a snafu. you are a human being and mistakes happen. learn from this and move on. if this is an isolated instance i am quite hopeful you will eventually have a good response to a gw letter which should initially just plead with them to remove the notation as a courtesy. why would place a negative spin on your actions when it sounds like you were innocently trying to upgrade his account's delivery method to something better overall? it's like you forgot to tell him you replaced his old clunker crt tv with a more energy efficient flat screen - a forgivable offense no doubt! GW, GW, GW. GL!

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:33:41 GMT

Just be honest and tell him. Nothing was done intentionally. I understand you are the one that pays the bills but, it is his credit that takes the hit for the late payment. I would much rather find out from you than through a credit report he may pull down the line.

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:44:13 GMT

I agree that you should tell your dad what happened. Go at it from the angle that you were trying to make things easier/save the environment/ time.... If he gave you permission to pay his bills he trusts you.

Dad's can be pretty forgiving. Tell him what happened and why and maybe he can get it straightened out. But you definitely don't want him finding out on his own. Tell him and let him know you are sorry. It will all work out.

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

RobertEG — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:37:46 GMT

I dont see any issue of fraud here at all. Your dad apparently gave you general authorization to act on his behalf, notwithstanding that he did not give specific permission for each action you take on his behalf. Fraud is legally a matter of intent, and you clearly had no intent to defraud anyone. As long as dad backs you up, I would not worry about any legal issues of fraud.

No one is going to bring legal action against you for this.

While I see the logic of other posters, I will offer a different view. You must now attempt a GW justification to the OC. Tears of good will are being asked for. Just reading your post, I see one who can plead many responsibilites, and was acting on behalf of an elderly father who needed your help (I am not saying dad is old and feeble, but consider playing it up anyway).

That reached my heart. It might help, and wont subject you to any fraud prosecution, IMHO.

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

treski — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:44:51 GMT

@RobertEG wrote:
I dont see any issue of fraud here at all. Your dad apparently gave you general authorization to act on his behalf, notwithstanding that he did not give specific permission for each action you take on his behalf. Fraud is legally a matter of intent, and you clearly had no intent to defraud anyone. As long as dad backs you up, I would not worry about any legal issues of fraud.
No one is going to bring legal action against you for this.
While I see the logic of other posters, I will offer a different view. You must now attempt a GW justification to the OC. Tears of good will are being asked for. Just reading your post, I see one who can plead many responsibilites, and was acting on behalf of an elderly father who needed your help (I am not saying dad is old and feeble, but consider playing it up anyway).
That reached my heart. It might help, and wont subject you to any fraud prosecution, IMHO.

What Robert said!

You have just written us all an excellent GW letter. I would plead this as this case to your OC through a phonecall, perhaps, email, snail mail, anything. You sound honest and made a silly mistake. I have been granted GW for blatant lates with little excuse.

I'm sorry this happened to you!

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:52:44 GMT

My dad already knows, and its not that i would be worried about going to him with a mistake. the problem is its an HSBC/Best Buy Card, and HSBC has already turned down a GW request on this matter.

its not that i would be worried about him taking action against me(i know he never would), its my liability to the CC company. Can they take action? at this point i am willing to try almost anything to get this baddie off his report. its the only one he has in the past 18 years, and i fear that it has seriously dropped his score.

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

fishbjc — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:53:01 GMT

Are you sure you just missed one payment? They usually don't report that early. HSBC is NOT good about giving gw.

Just keep sending the letters, you may fine someone who is sympathetic to your cause.

Re: Please Help!! I messed up my dad's credit

haulingthescoreup — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:23:12 GMT

Im_doing_it_right wrote:

My dad already knows, and its not that i would be worried about going to him with a mistake. the problem is its an HSBC/Best Buy Card, and HSBC has already turned down a GW request on this matter.

its not that i would be worried about him taking action against me(i know he never would), its my liability to the CC company. Can they take action? at this point i am willing to try almost anything to get this baddie off his report. its the only one he has in the past 18 years, and i fear that it has seriously dropped his score.

Even on their end, the only way that they could establish improper access to the account would be by having the account holder (your dad) state that you weren't authorized. Naturally, he's not going to do it, and they're not going to bother to accuse you of something you didn't do. If he has authorized, however unofficially, you to access his account and pay his bills, then you obviously have permission to do what you did. I manage several of DH's accounts for him, because he gets lost online within about 3 seconds. Discover knows, because I'm an AU on the account, but BofA doesn't, because I just go in and click for him. Heck, I created his username and password, as far as that goes.

It's OK!

But for the other, I'm afraid that you have an uphill battle with HSBC. FWIW, a single 30-day late starts fading noticeably at 6 months and then again a year, and at 2 years, it pretty much doesn't count. DH has a four-year-old 30 on EX and an 810 or something score.