Unauthorized hard Inq pulled while talking to CSR about APR rate-jacking...

[Scamp]

...anyone know if this was legal for them to do?  Something I read on another thread gave me cause to wonder.  Here's how things went:

When WF rate-jacked me a couple of months ago, I called them to try to get recon on the raised APR.

Since I wasn't applying for new credit or asking for a CLI, it didn't occur to me that they might want or need to pull my credit report, but had I thought about it at all, I would have assumed a soft inq would be done, at most.

I was bumped from main CS to their Credit Dept., and in talking to CD about the reasons for the rate-jack, was told that (among other things) my FICO score had hit the 500's.

As I had just pulled my own reports a week or 2 prior and knew my scores then were around 620-640 on all reports, I told the guy as much and asked when that 500's report had been pulled.

He told me it had been about a month prior to my own pulls - and when I reiterated that my more recent scores were higher, he announced to me that he'd just pulled my report, confirmed that he could see my score increase, but that my higher APR would stand.

I was in shock and told him that inq had better have been a soft one.  He said no, it was hard.  I demanded to know what justification he had for doing a hard without my permission, especially as I wasn't asking for CLI or anything like that, and he replied that we were discussing my APR, I'd told him about the higher score, and checking to confirm that was his justification.

After some heated discussion on that matter, he agreed to have the inq taken off (or maybe recoded as a soft - can't recall for sure).

Well, at the moment, that hard inq is showing on EX and part of the reason my EX score is about 15 points lower than my other 2.   WF CD, when asked, told me it would take a month for any change to take effect, and to call back then if it's still on my report.  I can tell they don't like me much - I was told I'm 'persistent' in a rather nasty tone of voice...

Thoughts on this, anyone...?  Did the CD guy cross the line in pulling a hard inq without my knowledge or permission, in this situation?

Thanks for any input.

[Anonymous]

Did he cross the line ethically?  IMO, yes.

Legally? No.  If you have an existing account, they have PP to pull a hard, even when you're not applying for new credit.

Still, that's complete BS, and I would fight it as far as I needed to to get it fixed.  Just because they are allowed by law to do something doesn't make it the right way to treat customers.

[Scamp]

---

cheddar wrote:

Did he cross the line ethically?  IMO, yes.

Legally? No.  If you have an existing account, they have PP to pull a hard, even when you're not applying for new credit.

Still, that's complete BS, and I would fight it as far as I needed to to get it fixed.  Just because they are allowed by law to do something doesn't make it the right way to treat customers.

---

Thanks for the info, Cheddar.  And believe me, I will!    They've been treating me like garbage, given me nothing but arrogance and nasty attitude ever since the rate-jacking.  They're rapidly attitude-ing their way into causing me to close every account I have with them - CC, checking, saving, the lot (once I get my current credit issues sorted out and can do so with minimal damage to myself, that is!).

[Scamp]

Just an update on this thread - got a letter from Wells Fargo in the mail today saying that they'll recode this inquiry to a soft one.   Yippee for minor miracles!!

I'm frankly amazed, after what they put me through.  I really didn't think they'd do it!

[Anonymous]

---

Scamp wrote:

Just an update on this thread - got a letter from Wells Fargo in the mail today saying that they'll recode this inquiry to a soft one.   Yippee for minor miracles!!

I'm frankly amazed, after what they put me through.  I really didn't think they'd do it!

---

Awesome!  Congrats!  A little persistance goes a long way.

Message Edited by Scamp on 12-13-2008 10:14 AM

[Scamp]

---

cheddar wrote:

Awesome!  Congrats!  A little persistance goes a long way.

---

Thanks, Cheddar, as always.