Comcast pulled EQ

[Anonymous]

I have absolutely no idea if this is the right place to post this question, but here goes nothing...

Comcast pulled my EQ report when I was applying to set up new service at my house. Will this have the same impact on my score as a new CC inquiry? Or is it viewed differently since I'm not really seeking new "credit" in the traditional sense?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I have absolutely no idea if this is the right place to post this question, but here goes nothing...

Comcast pulled my EQ report when I was applying to set up new service at my house. Will this have the same impact on my score as a new CC inquiry? Or is it viewed differently since I'm not really seeking new "credit" in the traditional sense?

Thanks!

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A hard pull is a hard pull as far as the scoring metric is concerned. With that said, a trained underwriter would see it's for a utility service and not for credit and would likely understand.

[Anonymous]

As far as I know, an HP is the same all the way around regardless of source.  If you did not agree to a credit pull then dispute the inquiry.  I hate it when utility companies request a pull for connection.  Time Warner Cable tried to do this and I said "No".  Lo and behold, they offered to connect without a credit pull if I provided a credit card to setup automatic bill pay (which I was going to do anyways).

[RobertEG]

I would not recommend a dispute.  If they have permissible purpose, then you will get nowhere with asserting an improper inquiry.

FCRA 604 specifically authorizes a business to pull a consumer's credit report provided that (1) it is with respect to a business transaction inititiated by the consumer, and (2) there is a legitimate business purpose for their review of the consumer's credit in connection with the transaction.

Business transactions in which a consumer can accrue a debt, such as being delinquent in billing or use of equipment owned by the business, have traditionally been considered to comprise permissible purpose to pull a credit report.

However, if you initiatiate a business transaction that is a cash transaction for a one-time service that has no future billing or no associated indebetness or obligation to the business, there would be no legitimte business purpose associated with the transaction, and in that limited case, a dispute might be appropriate.

You can attempt to have it coded as soft, but such coding is not regylated under the FCRA or any federal regulations.

[takeshi74]

As stated above, an HP is an HP.  People here get all tied up over HP's but they typically have a relatively small impact* and taper and fall off relatively quickly.

* Depends on credit profile.  Those with thin/poor profiles may see a bigger impact from an HP which is probably why do many here worry over them so much as there are many builders/rebuilders.

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@Anonymous wrote:

If you did not agree to a credit pull then dispute the inquiry.  I hate it when utility companies request a pull for connection.

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Do not dispute.  Comcast had permissible purpose.  One should always do proper research if trying to avoid HP's but I'd recommend expecting an HP in such cases.  Unfortunately, frontline CSR's aren't always a reliable resource for such info so validate, corroborate, etc.

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@Anonymous wrote:

Will this have the same impact on my score as a new CC inquiry?

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The HP has the same impact but new credit accounts have more of an impact on your credit than just the HP whereas Comcast would not.

Don't just fixate on HP's.  They're just one factor among many.