@Anonymous wrote:Oh trust me, I've fumed about it aplenty, and it is a ridiculous thing to lose so much credit over. But it ultimately was my oversight because it was my debt and I owed it and I know I have to pay my bills every month.
So at the time, I did consider trying GW letters. I had read that Target is not terribly lenient on the matter, though. And I was pregnant at the time, then lost my mother to covid, and then the baby came...by then I had forgotten all about Target, much less what sleep looked like.
You're right, though. I'm here now and focused, and it certainly can't hurt to try. Thanks!
@SoCalGardener wrote:At this late date I don't know how much, if any, good it would do to attempt sending a 'goodwill' request to have the negative info removed, but if I were you I'd give it a try. The worst that can happen is they say no. All the other bad stuff is already happening. A 'no' among all that won't be a big blow.
Even if you did contact them before, what about trying again? I'd attempt pointing out the ridiculous nature of having my credit destroyed by a *NINE* dollar payment you weren't aware of, and paid as soon as you were. This isn't like thousands of dollars; this is clearly an innocent oversight and I think any reasonable person would see it that way. I don't have any experience with the Target card, so I don't know how responsive or nice their CSRs are, but I think this is worth a try. You shouldn't have to suffer the way you are for such a paltry amount that was obviously an oversight.
You're welcome! Please keep us posted if you should decide to contact them. I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd be interested in the outcome.
You've been through the wringer lately, and getting this nuisance off your back would really be nice. Condolences on the loss of your mother. 
@lgtwriter wrote:@Anonymous
As for the other cards, the credit card companies will see $27k of debt against a shrinking total amount of credit as a problem. The only way to stop the snowballing adverse actions is to get the balance on each card below 25% utilization ideally. This will still keep your scores repressed but it won't trigger adverse reactions hopefully, all other things remaining equal. Do not apply for more credit to try to pad your utilization. With your situation right now that would be another big red flag that could backfire.
It was my understanding that known thresholds for credit scores are at 8.9%, 28.9%, 48.9%, 68.9%, and 88.9%, and the original poster saId that utilization was around 27%, so the next threshold barrier to reach would be all the way at 8.9%. Obviously lower is better, but I wondered if the 25% number had a particular significance? Do I need to update my thresholds? 
If I'm about to get a loan, I'll try to make sure that no credit card posts above 8.9%, but I do have a balance on Care Credit and a couple other cards that have a 0% interest offers. If one of those would post at 52% for example, then I'll make sure to pay it down below 48.9% before the statement cuts to have the best possible score that I can before getting the loan.
In OP's situation, if 27% is a total utilization, then perhaps a break down by card would show some cards that are right on the edge of the next threshold and lowering those down below the next number could be a quick fix to help bump up the credit score and slow down the adverse reactions. OP said that the current utilization was 27/27/25 which I took to mean the current reported utilization for the three credit bureaus, but if instead OP means that they only have 3 cards and it's at 27/27/25 for the three cards, then it would probably be a slower fix.
Edit: I just saw in another reply that there are 15 total accounts with some being maxed with balance transfers. If it were me, and my goal was to stop adverse reactions, I think I would go about it by raising my credit score. List out all 15 cards, and figure out the utilization for each one. If one of those balance transfer cards is at 92%, then see if you can get it to 89.8% instead for the next statement. See if any other cards are close to a threshold then try to push them under it for the next statement or three statements out. If you have extra to pay, then that's the card that you pay extra to until you meet your goal. Then move on to the next card and the next goal. This should impact your credit score in the fastest way, although may not necessarily be the best method for reducing your total debt.
For example, doing this you may end up sending extra money to a 0% transfer card to get utilization down, while only sending minimums to a lower utilized card that actually has interest being charge. That's going to cost you money, and the overall goal is for credit to make your life easier, not cost you money. So my advice would be to only chase the score if you're also able to pay balance in full on the cards that do not have 0% on them.
I love the advice earlier in the thread about just stop looking at your score for awhile, and pay down your debt, and that may be the best course of action at the moment. Especially since the B&H card seemed to be something that happened to everyone, and not necessarily due to the Target mishap. I also agree with contacting Target and trying to get them to remove it. You have nothing to lose.
Best of luck, and keep us updated!
