what should I do about a ca soft pull?

[ktl55]

Should I be concerned about a ca doing a soft pull? Should I call them, if I do call them will they starting killing me on my work or cell phone? I don't have anymore debt unpaid, everything was paid in full.

[Anonymous]

There are many on these boards that are more knowledgeable than I am, but if it were me, I would probably call them. In the short time I've been repairing my credit, I've started thinking in terms of "offensive" (getting derogatory items removed, paying down my cc limits, paying on time every month) and "defensive" credit repair (keeping things from hitting).

I think I may have borrowed the term from someone or maybe the FAQ (?) but it helps me to think of it that way. If it were me, I would assume that they are pulling the credit as a preparation to attempt to collect the debt, and I'd rather deal with them before they report something to the bureau rather than after.

Also, I have been sued, and it sucks. A $75 dollar check cost me over a thousand bucks. I'd rather talk to them and find out what's going on.

But like I said, I'm new to this whole thing, so don't do what I'd do.

Edit: I know you said debt was paid in full, but for me at least, it's easy for something to slip by (like a med insurance deductible) or they may have the wrong person. Either way, I think it would be easier to deal with them now.

Message Edited by StartingFresh on 07-12-2007 10:09 AM

[Anonymous]

Are you aware that you have any outstanding collections that maybe you might have missed that you thought you paid, or that you forgot about, that you have not yet seen posted on your CR?

[ktl55]

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trinigal wrote:

Are you aware that you have any outstanding collections that maybe you might have missed that you thought you paid, or that you forgot about, that you have not yet seen posted on your CR?

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nope, not likely. I'm going to call and see what they say. *67 here I com

[Anonymous]

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't call just based on a soft pull if I was certain I had no lurking collections. It alerts the CA that you're concerned about your CR and it might actually give them an incentive to report it, even if they know it's probably bogus. And if they were already planning to report it, a phone call won't stop them.

But it's a matter of personal preference, since possible outcomes are just speculation ...

[Anonymous]

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Revike wrote:
Just my opinion, but I wouldn't call just based on a soft pull if I was certain I had no lurking collections.
But it's a matter of personal preference, since possible outcomes are just speculation ...

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That's why I asked the questions I asked earlier.  For a soft pull, and you know you don't have anything unpaid, I'd leave it alone.

[Anonymous]

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ktl55 wrote:

Should I be concerned about a ca doing a soft pull? Should I call them, if I do call them will they starting killing me on my work or cell phone? I don't have anymore debt unpaid, everything was paid in full.

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The nice thing about soft pulls by a CA, they know what's on your CR and perhaps they are lurking and lying in wait to try and decide whether their B.S. claim is worth dropping on your CRs. Since you know they are there, but they don't know you know, you have an advantage.

If you know with certainty there is nothing out there lurking from years ago, then you could hit them with a PMS letter (Pay Me Sucker). Whether hard or soft INQ, if they don't have PP then they are in violation.

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/fico/board/message?board.id=generalcredit&thread.id=3900

I'm sufficiently disagreeable that I'd probably do it. But that's just me.

A less confrontational option would be to keep an eye on them, and maybe pull your CRs once a week or once a month to see if any new COLL show up. Note the address of the CA, file it away, and print off a hard copy of your CRs just in case the CA decides to delete the INQ.

I believe the SOL on FCRA violations is 2 years. Maybe after 18 months, then hit 'em with a PMS letter.

[ktl55]

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trinigal wrote:

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Revike wrote:
Just my opinion, but I wouldn't call just based on a soft pull if I was certain I had no lurking collections.
But it's a matter of personal preference, since possible outcomes are just speculation ...

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That's why I asked the questions I asked earlier.  For a soft pull, and you know you don't have anything unpaid, I'd leave it alone.

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I dialed using *67 and without *67 using the phone #'s on their website and the ones I got from BBB and I get either the number is out of service or a fast paced busy signal. I'm glad I didn't get through after reading revikes post. Their isn't a number reporting on my cr only their addy.

[Anonymous]

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Noah_Bodie wrote:

The nice thing about soft pulls by a CA, they know what's on your CR and perhaps they are lurking and lying in wait to try and decide whether their B.S. claim is worth dropping on your CRs. Since you know they are there, but they don't know you know, you have an advantage.

If you know with certainty there is nothing out there lurking from years ago, then you could hit them with a PMS letter (Pay Me Sucker). Whether hard or soft INQ, if they don't have PP then they are in violation.

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/fico/board/message?board.id=generalcredit&thread.id=3900

I'm sufficiently disagreeable that I'd probably do it. But that's just me.

A less confrontational option would be to keep an eye on them, and maybe pull your CRs once a week or once a month to see if any new COLL show up. Note the address of the CA, file it away, and print off a hard copy of your CRs just in case the CA decides to delete the INQ.

I believe the SOL on FCRA violations is 2 years. Maybe after 18 months, then hit 'em with a PMS letter.

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Or you could do that

See Noah, I'm just not that clever.  I learned something new today

[Anonymous]

I guess I should also add that if you're in doubt, and there might be something out there lingering (even if it's really old), it could be the preclude to a COLL on one's CRs.

Because they did a soft pull, it's possible they know they are on shaky ground, and they just wanna know if you're currently applying for a home loan so they can squirrel with you. If you seemed to be in the middle of buying a home, and the debt were really old or not yours, then they would have some leverage to try and get a few bucks outta you.

There's nothing in the TOS about posting unethical behavior of CAs.