Does Montgomery Ward report to the CRAs now?

[britishbooklady]

Hi all,

I received a catalog in the mail the other day from Montgomery Ward telling me that I'm "Pre-Approved" and offering me 20% off all products for a full year if I sign up for their optional membership program that has a $39.95 annual fee. Now, the little card inside the catalog with my name and account # on it shows that I've been a cardholder since 2007, which is true...but when I realized that they didn't report to the credit bureaus I simply paid them off and never used them again. 

FFW a couple of years and now that I'm diligently working on raising my scores, I'm considering using this account again, but only if it's going to show up on my CRs. I wonder if that's what this whole new "membership" deal is about. 

Since the account was originally opened 3 years ago, I don't foresee a problem with it reporting as a new account. 

Does anyone have any knowledge of how they work now? Thanks, in advance, for any advice.

[austinguy907]

Didn't realize they were even still in business.

[Pushto700]

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@austinguy907 wrote:

Didn't realize they were even still in business.

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I said the same. In San Jose (Bay Area City just south of SF) they were all phased out. Never saw one again...I thought they went belly up.

[lajntx]

No they are not the same company as the Old Montgomery Wards. Its an online catalog company that resurected the name thats owned by Swiss Colony ( Figis, Swiss Colony, Midnight Velvet, Monroe and Main, etc ). They do give credit lines, but DO NOT report positive history. The only way they report is when you dont pay them.

[britishbooklady]

Well, I don't think they have any actual brick and mortar stores anymore. It seems to be strictly an online/catalog company now.

I went onto their website today and read their "Credit Terms effective July 1, 2010." There's quite a bit of verbiage about credit reporting: "You agree to give us permission to access your credit report in connection with any transacation...extension of credit...for the purpose of reviewing your account...etc." And, then, at the bottom of that same paragraph it says: "If you think we reported incorrect information to a credit bureau, write us at..."

So, I guess that answers my original question.

[britishbooklady]

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@lajntx wrote:

No they are not the same company as the Old Montgomery Wards. Its an online catalog company that resurected the name thats owned by Swiss Colony ( Figis, Swiss Colony, Midnight Velvet, Monroe and Main, etc ). They do give credit lines, but DO NOT report positive history. The only way they report is when you dont pay them.

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Well, I guess I took too long to post once again.  Sorry I didn't check to see if anyone else had replied first.

That's the problem I had with them a couple of years ago...but these new terms that I just read seem to imply that they do report now. Do you have a current account with them?

[Boonie]

I have had a Montgomery Ward account for over 6 months and they have never reported to CRAs.  I also have Midnight Velvet, Swiss Colony and Seventh Ave all with $950 limits but no reporting to CRA's.

[Boonie]

FYI, they do pull a credit report (hard) when you first apply.

[Anonymous]

You know, I used to think this pre-approved thing was a come on. I have called for pre-approved and then I was asked for S.S number so they could check my credit history and naturally, if my credit was good, I would not be looking at their over priced catalog. Amazingly, enough, I recently received an offer. Sure enough I was granted the privledge of ordering. Maybe, my credit score came up. I have tried to get my FREE credit score and couldn't because I didn't want to subcribe to their monthly information, which you have to cancel after your FREE score. Why does everything have to be so misrepresented. Commercilism has gotton so bad. Be sure to read ever line and the fine print, which you must read with a magnifying glass.  I recently went for surgery. I was handed a three pager to sign just as I was being wheeled in for surgery, and guess what, the surgery was done by traines. I thought something suspicious when I heard the anthelogist say the F word. If I could have gotten of that table, I would have smacked him right in the mouth. Is that against medical ethics? I haven't had time to look into it. Well, I got away from the Montgomery Ward thing, somehow I feel they work along the same lines. Pesamestic today. Yes.

[RickyRay]

Only GrandPointe will report to the credit bureaus, the rest dont! I have 7th ave, ginnys, mw, and several others with them. I know that they dont report all the stores, but i was able to finance my airconditioner with homeatfive, and i got my hdtv at stoneberry. I still dont have good enough credit to get stuff from walmart etc, i dont have a visa or m/c yet either. But GrandPointe has helped me establish a 575 credit rating, before it was only 450, Low man on the totem pole here. I have really bad credit, but slowly rebuilding

after the loss of my wife from cancer 6 years ago. Its been a slow recovery for my credit, but Im getting it back on track little by little. My other problem is that since that i am disabled and get social security...no one seems to want to give me a credit card.  They only seem to want people that have jobs, and high paying ones at that.

 The only people (companys) that seem to like me is banks for the direct deposit of the goverment check, other than that no way, they wont touch me with any kind of credit.

 However, Comenity Bank , the one that issues King Size, Roamans, LaneBryant etc. I did get 10 of those accounts, but I had those years ago, just had paid them off and just recently got back open with them. The old bank network that had them never closed my accounts with them, but they all just have $250 credit limits on them after 15 years.

 But I dont use them enough to really build any thing on them. Anyway thats the info that I have on MontgomeryWards. I just half to keep gardening my credit til i can get into a better way of it.                            Starting scores TU 450  EX 535 EQ 515

                                                    Today 4/2013   TU 637  EX 620 EQ 610