@Anonymous wrote:
MY CAREER
I am a wardrobe stylist, personal shopper and image consultant. For years I used my own cash to purchase items for my clients. This payment method is always best because if I needed to return an item I didn't have to wait for the money to be credited back on my debit card. This is also the reason I never applied for any of the store cards I frequent. Personal shoppers can easily spend $500 - $2,500+ on a single clients, especially if they are getting a makeover. If I was using credit or store card and did a return I would have to wait until the charges reversed before I could shop again ( depending on the amount of cards I had and limits ) which is not great for business.
THE OCCURRENCE
I was a victim of identity thief via mugging. [ I wouldn't wish this experience on a identity thief ] My wallet was taking during the mugging... I canceled my debit cards, my credit cards and placed alerts on my credit. I thought my nightmare was over. Somehow my ID was used at my credit union(s) by someone who they said looked exactly like me (HOW DID THEY MANAGE THAT. SMH) and they withdrew all but $50 in all my accounts over the course of 3 days.
THE DELEMMA
Now here is what leads me to needing advice. My cash was gone leaving me with NOTHING but my two credit cards. I resulted to using both credit cards I had everyday. I assumed the credit unions would realize that I was not the person who took out my money and things would go back to normal. I was WRONG! Long story short I am still fighting for my money and the results of having no cash left me making late payments. ( Details below )
My family stepped in and got me back on my feet allowing me to work and make some money again.
ADVICE NEEDED:
I now need to apply for some credit cards so I can have room to make several purchases. Which cards should I apply for based on my credit rating and recent late payments?
WISH LIST ( NOT ALL AT ONE TIME )
TJX
Saks
Macys
Dillards
Barney's
Nordstrom
Bloomingdales
Neiman Marcus
Anything Capital One
MY CREDIT PROFILE: ( August 2015 )
Credit Cards
GTE Federal Credit Union $5,000
Opened: September 2010 - Open
GTE Federal Credit Union Secured $1,000
Opened: December 2010
Closed: June 2015
Capital One Secured $3,000
Opened: September 2010
Closed: August 2015
REVOLVING
Student loan and 2 car loans $66,000
CREDIT REPORT
Experian FICO 8 - 664
Oldest Account: 11 Years, 3 Months
Average Age: 4 years
Inquiries: 1
Utilization: 85%
TransUnion FICO 8 - 639
Oldest Account: 13 Years, 5 Months ago
Average Age: 4 years
Inquiries: 1
Utilization: 53%
Equifax FICO 8 - 657 - Equifax 700
Oldest Account: 11 Years, 3 Months
Average Age: 5 years
Inquiries: 1
Utilization: 0%
BADDIES:
Car payment 31 days late once. August 2014
Credit card payment ( GTE Federal $5000 ) 3 times. 6 months ago
Student Loans: Sold to Granite State Management in August 2011 and no payments since.
SIDE NOTE
* I paid credit card balance down to $346 to help my utilzation to just waiting on the update. Statement closes on the 17th.
* I recently opted in to get pre approvals so im optamistic about showing up on either Capital One, Chase or Amex.
* I called Infiniti to see if would remove the 1 late payment but they said NO! I also called my credit union and asked will they remove the late payments since they have first hand knowledge on why the payments were late they also said NO.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
OK. after reading the entire Thread. this is a tough call to say the least. Lets get the commonality. GTE. I know just from the fact you have GTE as your credit union you are in the Tampa Bay area as myself. now you said 3 times late in the last 6 months. hmm. late is being one thing. Were any of them over 30 days late? because you do know that the CEO of the credit union is available at The main Branch many times on Dale Mabry and is always Glad to talk to members. including myself before. but since they are on your report im guessing they all are over 30 days. Also. nisaan financial since it is barely a year old. All you could do is good will them. The good thing as that approachs 2 years old. It will have very little effect on your scores. But will have some affect never the less. Good you have the police working on your case trying to get your money back from the bank. Also. Looking at the Student loan. is that in Deferment or something? im trying to put my self in your shoes and see what is best. As far as your wish list. many things are still available to you based simply from where your Ex and EQ Scores are. even Tu could get you a couple of Cards being in the 630's, Im just wondering how your utilization Differs from each report? Are some things reporting on some reports and not on others? Just questions to help me understand before going further into this.
