you wanna f/r me? go bl*w yourself, amex.

[Anonymous]

ha, the financial review fairy came calling tonight!  as i was answering the softball questions, awaiting the request for tax returns, i thought, well, i can do one of two things here....1) i can be a b*tch, fill out the form, and let them snoop around in my tax returns, or 2) i can tell them to go fly a funking kite. 

i chose option number 2.  on my apps, i was completely honest; in fact, i did not even include my income from a second job that i have worked continuously for 4 years.  i kind of figured that in 6 months to a year, i can get cards from the companies that tend not to backdoor a man. 

this happened a couple of hours ago, and, guys, i am walkin' tall.  no regrets.  and i even got them to immediately credit my bank debit card with the $135 dollar annual fee that i had immediately paid on that piece o' crap delta skymiles card. 

it feels good to NOT need those cards!

[Anonymous]

Different approach than the one I took, but if it makes you feel better... Congrats

I personally want the benefits of the card and want the TLs on my bureaus. Just a personal decision.

Rob

[MidnightVoice]

As I said in the "personal abuse" thread elswhere, I now know that I will never apply for an Amex card 

Not that I need or want anymore cards - I have 3 CCs, a store card and a gas card for a company that no longer has stations here, but is pretty old and a good TL to have    Seems enough to me 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like enough, combined with Paid Closed and Paid current installments and Mortgage... Your profile is a great one. It's always nice to read your posts and hear your minimalistic approach to FICO management. I know your score is high...

But our approaches are different as well. I'm looking for expedited FICO amplitude, and I need to keep the Amex TLs on my CRA for the maximum growth over the next 5 - 11 months.

Keep fighting the good fight Midnight!

Rob

[MidnightVoice]

---

FICO_Focused wrote:

Sounds like enough, combined with Paid Closed and Paid current installments and Mortgage... Your profile is a great one. It's always nice to read your posts and hear your minimalistic approach to FICO management. I know your score is high...

But our approaches are different as well. I'm looking for expedited FICO amplitude, and I need to keep the Amex TLs on my CRA for the maximum growth over the next 5 - 11 months.

Keep fighting the good fight Midnight!

Rob

---

I started the fight all on my lonesome in February, then discovered this board and all the tricks and tweaks    So now I know what NOT to do with credit and inqs and scores, and the only thing that will help more is time. 

[Anonymous]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

this happened a couple of hours ago, and, guys, i am walkin' tall. no regrets. and i even got them to immediately credit my bank debit card with the $135 dollar annual fee that i had immediately paid on that piece o' crap delta skymiles card.

it feels good to NOT need those cards!

---

Good for you! The only way AMEX will be persuaded to stop FRs is when enough people stand up and say, "No, what do you think you are, a space alien? You can't probe me there! Take your card and take a hike!"

[Anonymous]

I'm with you, dog. If they wanna FR me, I'm going to politely tell them that I was honest about my income when I applied, they pulled my CRs so they know what debts I have, and if they like I'll be happy to provide them with income verification thru my company. They make it real easy to do.

Get a first name when they call. Use of their first name personalizes and humanizes you. It's a trick employed by telemarketers. Use it against AMEX reps.

"I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"Bob."

"Hi, Bob. Thank you. How may I help you?"

A few random thoughts for declarative or interrogative statements to pose.

"Am I currently over my credit limit?"

"Was I late on a payment?"

"Was there some unexplained or irregular charging behavior on my CCs?"

"Is there some question about my stated income?"

"Has American Express obtained adverse information about me from a source other than my credit reports?"

This last one, is subtle, yet accusatory. They might be pulling from any of the myriad of specialty CRAs or the OFAC.

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/fico/board/message?board.id=generalcredit&message.id=11392

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/fico/board/message?board.id=ficoscoring&message.id=6934#M6934

Could be a Noah P. Bodie on Homeland Security's terror watchlist.

Don't hit 'em with every question all at once, and be nice. It's mean to be nice. Nice can hurt them a lot worse than screaming. If you're nice, guilt might set in. If you scream, they figger you're getting what you deserve, in their pinheads.

When they call, pose a question and wait for an answer. Respond, "Oh, I see." Then pose another question.

The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded.

Attempt a Jedi mind trick.

"Bob, this account is fine."

"This account is fine?"

"Yes, this account is fine."

[Anonymous]

^^^^^

Rob

[Anonymous]

thanks guys,

that is exactly what i was thinking.  i refuse to allow any company to drag me around by the cojones.  if amex had asked for my income tax returns during the application process, i would have withdrawn my applications then.  what makes it even more egregious is that it appears that they are pulling this stunt on just about everyone who opened an account recently.  i make more money than i claimed on my apps!  i paid my $135 annual fee the day i activated the skymiles! i didnt even use the damned cards yet!  and you want my income tax returns?  the returns that have my childrens ssn's, that tell how much i spend for child care, that show how much interest i paid on student loans last year, that show my personal and business deductions, that show how much of a tax refund i received this year, that show how much i pay for health care?  i'll tell you what amex, go get that info from some other sucker.

hey amex, i aint going to treat you differently than any other merchant....if the clerk at the corner grocery is rude, i dont shop there....if the local video rental shop doesnt treat me right, i dont rent there....if the cell phone company doesnt provide good customer service, i switch carriers.....if the chinese restaurant up the street delivers cold food, i'll start ordering indian....

amex, i am not a valued customer to you!  maybe if i was asking for a $500,000 mortgage, but a measly $9k combined credit line?  i laugh in your face, and, amex, i sure as hell will leave home without it!

 

[Anonymous]

---

dog wrote:

thanks guys,

that is exactly what i was thinking.  i refuse to allow any company to drag me around by the cojones.  if amex had asked for my income tax returns during the application process, i would have withdrawn my applications then.  what makes it even more egregious is that it appears that they are pulling this stunt on just about everyone who opened an account recently.  i make more money than i claimed on my apps!  i paid my $135 annual fee the day i activated the skymiles! i didnt even use the damned cards yet!  and you want my income tax returns?  the returns that have my childrens ssn's, that tell how much i spend for child care, that show how much interest i paid on student loans last year, that show my personal and business deductions, that show how much of a tax refund i received this year, that show how much i pay for health care?  i'll tell you what amex, go get that info from some other sucker.

hey amex, i aint going to treat you differently than any other merchant....if the clerk at the corner grocery is rude, i dont shop there....if the local video rental shop doesnt treat me right, i dont rent there....if the cell phone company doesnt provide good customer service, i switch carriers.....if the chinese restaurant up the street delivers cold food, i'll start ordering indian....

amex, i am not a valued customer to you!  maybe if i was asking for a $500,000 mortgage, but a measly $9k combined credit line?  i laugh in your face, and, amex, i sure as hell will leave home without it!

 

---

Great post Dog.........I applaud you, sincerely!!!!