Hey Y'all... I'm so freaking happy.
I'm writing this long post first because I'm going to mention the removal in a later post and I am sure people will ask questions because this is one of the most difficult and cold-hearted creditors to deal with.
I have a paid charge-off from First Premier; it's 5.8 years old with a DOFD of 2/2014, not due to fall off til 2/2021. I have been disputing and fighting with them since September of 2017 trying to get it removed. The last direct dispute (before this successful one) was in June of 2018 and received the typical response (from you know who...) of 'we are reporting accurately'. At that point, I took a break from disputing them -- that was my 7th time directly disputing in writing. The truth is, they were technically reporting accurately per FCRA -- but, at the same time, their reporting was misleading, at best.
They were reporting perfectly (paid. closed,was a charge off, $0 balance) at first -- until I submitted a dispute through Experian because there was no DOFD noted on my reports. When they responded to that dispute, they updated some account data and suddenly removed the 'Paid' notation and noted that the account had been sold. But the account was not sold until AFTER I paid it in full. I paid it in full to the collection co., but First Premier still owned the debt at that time. Once I paid the collection co., they officially purchased the account from First Premier. So, I considered this to be misleading info... and sent them several Direct Disputes (by mail) regarding this issue. They continuously refused to revert the status to paid - saying the account was sold and I had to discuss reporting with the collection agency (ughh..LIES).
Additionally, when I received the dispute results from Experian, included was historical ACV data -- which is balance & payment history -- this data was all wrong -- I mean outrageously wrong (my credit limit was $425 but the ACV showed a balance due of $18,063). So I also disputed this via Experian. They updated the account again -- and again the ACV data was wrong -- they changed it, but it was still wrong. I continued to dispute directly by mail over and over and they refused to correct. By June 2018, I felt I needed to let the issue rest for a while because their responses were getting nastier and nastier (not that I cared but I didn't want them to stop responding to me altogether).
In December of 2018, I had the bright idea to send a new dispute right before the X-Mas holiday... why??? So I could hopefully get a different person - someone filling in for the Exec (you know who...) -- because she should be on extended vaca, right?? So I sent a big dispute packet which included a 6 page dispute letter and 20+ pages of supporting documentation. I sent this USPS priority mail on December 21st. On December 28th I received a response -- from a NEW PERSON. The tone of the response was completely different - almost caring, I was taken aback. The overall response was pretty standard -- history of account, charge off date / amount, reporting accurately, etc. -- BUT -- this new person added a line: "The credit report you provided to support your dispute is from June 23, 2018. If the information you are disputing is still innaccurate, please obtain a current credit report and send it to my attention." -- SHE JUST BECAME MY NEW BESTIE.
So I contacted all 3 bureaus and requested current hard copies of my reports --- recieved all in the first week of January. That account had not been updated by First Premier since June 2018 so I knew the info was still the same. I then wrote up a new letter in response to my new Bestie outlining all the misleading notations and incorrect ACV info -- I explained that the account should report as paid - I even referenced the date and time of a phone call I had with First Premier in Sept. 2017 -- after I paid the debt to Jefferson Cap. In the call, I specifically asked the rep when the account would be updated and how it would be reported (as paid or just closed). The rep informed me that the account would report as Paid & Closed. -- so glad I made notes of the communications I had with folks during that time. I also noted that I was not requesting a Goodwill and I know FP doesn't entertain Goodwill adjustments. I explained that my concerns were legitimate and I have tried to have the account report "fairly and accurately" on several occasions, as that would have been acceptable, but have been unsuccessful. I was very nice in tone - thanked her for her time, attention, and assistance - even wished her a blessed & happy new year. I sent the letter, by regular mail this time - and to her attention - on January 9th. I have not received a response at all.
TODAY I check my Experian report as I do everyday (I have daily report updates through Experian) and my score changed (it dropped, -10, but that's another story) - so of course I had to comb through to find out what triggered the change... FIRST PREMIER IS GONE. It's gone. It's never more. I am so happy. I don't even care that my score dropped because of it (and yes, I know it actually dropped because of the removal of this CO - I'll go through that in a different thread later in the 'undestanding fico scoring' section). The account is still on TU & EQ because whatever...they're *bleeping* slow. This was my one and only baddie so now my EX report is squeaky clean and TU & EQ will be as well -- that's honestly all I care about. This CO has been such an eyesore and I know, even tho I was able to obtain scores up to 780 despite its presence, it's been holding me back. I have to work my way back up scorewise (really just a matter of aging my accounts), but everything will be so much better now with a clean report. My rebuild is officially complete.
Guys and Gals, do not give up on trying to get your negatives / derogs. removed. Order your hard copy (paper) credit reports to see what actually shows on them. Dispute & Goodwill by both mail & email. Keep track of who responds to you and pay attention to their tone - if they seem receptive to your concerns --target them.
Good luck everyone!
@CGeorge wrote:Your stamina and resolve paid off - good for you!
Thank you. And -- my Birthday is on Sunday so this is a like the best present ever. 
Awesome! Persistance pays off or you became a PITA and they said leave us alone already. Delete it! 
@FireMedic1 wrote:Awesome! Persistance pays off or you became a PITA and they said leave us alone already. Delete it!
hahahaha... and that was precisely my intent. Thank you!!
@thornback wrote:
@FireMedic1 wrote:Awesome! Persistance pays off or you became a PITA and they said leave us alone already. Delete it!
hahahaha... and that was precisely my intent. Thank you!!
@Anonymous wrote:Congratulations!!!! Nobody undestands how hard these battles really are until they have to be in the position themselves. They require so much emotional energy trying and trying to deal with it and get it removed. I'm happy for you.
↑↑This↑↑ Yesss, so true. It's so exhausting. Thank you much!
@Anonymous wrote:
Who did you contact I need someone other than Julie glison? Trying to get goodwill for some late pays and I emailed the address I found but no luck...please help
Hi Vampgrl -- welcome to the forums!
We do not post the names of people that work at the companies we deal with because this is a public forum (that's why I did not name names in my original post). Also - that email address is the same for everyone in the Business Communications dept - there are no individual emails (at least none that have been made public). I can tell you that I finally received a response from First Premier after the account was removed from all 3 bureaus. The response simply stated that they were removing the account based on my dispute -- and it was signed by Julie. So, it seems that even if you manage to reach someone else, Julie has the final say-so anyway with regards to account removal / correction.
First Premier will not entertain Goodwills; it's even stated as policy on their website -- so don't bother requesting one, you are wasting your time. You need to prove that there are innacuracies in their reporting of the tradeline - it's the only way. I suggest you request your hard copy (paper) reports from all three credit bureaus and look at how the account is reporting. Do not go based on how the account looks on Credit Karma or any other web-based platform because sometimes, due to the user-friendly fluff software, line items are skewed providing a false representation of how the creditor is actually reporting the account to each bureau.
After you receive your hard copy reports, closely review each one and make note of any innacuracies you find - no matter how minor it may seem. Also make note if the account is reporting different information for each bureau, or if info is missing. Once you do that, you need to write up a Direct Dispute and send it to First Premier -- I highly suggest you send this by mail, not email. Your dispute should start with the following sentence:
This is a Notice of Direct Dispute under the provisions of FCRA §623(a)(8)(D) and 16 CFR 660.4, of the accuracy of information First Premier Bank has reported to my credit file. This correspondence further serves as notice that First Premier Bank is in direct violation of FCRA regulations.
Then, lay it on them... I did mine in an outline form with bullet point explanation for each innacurate notation I was disputing. But you can do it however you wish, just make sure it's clear, detailed, and accurate. List everything that you find to be innacurate or misleading and reference the report to which you are referring (ie. if the error is on Equifax, state that). Then, attach your supporting documentation -- this will be the copies of your credit reports with all of the errors highlighted and old billing statements, if applicable. End your dispute with a demand that the reporting be corrected immediately, or the account removed. Mail your entire packet to:
Premier Bankcard, LLC
PO Box 5114
Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5114
Attn: Business Communications
I sent mine via USPS 2-day priority mail - but regular mail is fine too. You will receive a response -- and they are pretty quick -- maybe 2 weeks, 3 weeks max. Please understand, a single dispute may not work. It took me a year to get them to remove this account. You will need patience and determination and you may have to send multiple disputes. Good Luck!