Kohls Success...and a few questions.

[Anonymous]

I had a 30 day late payment from 1.9 years ago. This was due to the fact that the cashier did not process my check (with VS and KOHLS I always pay at the same time I make the purchase)and the email went to my junk folder.

I tried calling and GA letters. They said they don't remove correct info.

Last night at 11 pm I sent an email to the CEO of Kohls explain what happened....explained that I have a relatively short credit history so that negative mark was affecting me.

Got a call at 9 am this morning from a wonderful woman who wanted to let me know they are removing it from my credit!! I'm wondering how much of a point bump I can expect? It was my only negative aside from a 30 day late from VS in 2009 (working to get it fixed...my husband was killed and I had to switch bank account and when I paid online I used my old bank info-ugh) I'm sitting around 680 on my 3 scores.

I had charged a lot of my credit cards up thinking that gave me credit and after reading here I realized it's terrible! So I'm sitting at like 76% now but I can pay them off if I need to? Still trying to understand my credit better...as I have paid cash for almost everything or it was in my husbands name up until 2009.

I have $13,000-$16,000 of $19,100 used it credit cards. I took out a home equity (I paid cash for house) in 2013 to build credit. Took out a car loan in 2012 and then paid off/traded in 2013 for a new one to help my score. I have had my VS since 2008. Credit card USAA and a BOA in 2012. Credit Card credit union 2013. I also have about 10 hits in 2 years from moving around. And applying for and backing out of a new house purchase. 4 hits will fall off this month. I also purchased and financed another car 8 months ago.

Should I pay off those credit cards and just let everything sit for a while? Do you think removing the negative will boost my score as well?

[Anonymous]

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@AshleyAng wrote:
I had a 30 day late payment from 1.9 years ago. This was due to the fact that the cashier did not process my check (with VS and KOHLS I always pay at the same time I make the purchase)and the email went to my junk folder.

I tried calling and GA letters. They said they don't remove correct info.

Last night at 11 pm I sent an email to the CEO of Kohls explain what happened....explained that I have a relatively short credit history so that negative mark was affecting me.

Got a call at 9 am this morning from a wonderful woman who wanted to let me know they are removing it from my credit!! I'm wondering how much of a point bump I can expect? It was my only negative aside from a 30 day late from VS in 2009 (working to get it fixed...my husband was killed and I had to switch bank account and when I paid online I used my old bank info-ugh) I'm sitting around 680 on my 3 scores.

I had charged a lot of my credit cards up thinking that gave me credit and after reading here I realized it's terrible! So I'm sitting at like 76% now but I can pay them off if I need to? Still trying to understand my credit better...as I have paid cash for almost everything or it was in my husbands name up until 2009.

I have $13,000-$16,000 of $19,100 used it credit cards. I took out a home equity (I paid cash for house) in 2013 to build credit. Took out a car loan in 2012 and then paid off/traded in 2013 for a new one to help my score. I have had my VS since 2008. Credit card USAA and a BOA in 2012. Credit Card credit union 2013. I also have about 10 hits in 2 years from moving around. And applying for and backing out of a new house purchase. 4 hits will fall off this month. I also purchased and financed another car 8 months ago.

Should I pay off those credit cards and just let everything sit for a while? Do you think removing the negative will boost my score as well?

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Congrats on getting them to remove the late payment.  It will your score but it's impossible to know how much.

Your score now is being killed by the utilization of your available credit.  76% is very high and utilization is one of the bigger factors in determining your scores.  Besides score you don't want to carry that high of a percentage on your cards for long or you risk them taking action against your account such as a credit limit decrease.

You need to pay down in those cards and get your utilization below 10% if possible.  You will see a significant raise in your scores by doing this.

Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much! I had no idea until I spent hours reading the forums last night. It's even more frustrating that I have been paying all that interest all this time because I thought it was "giving" me credit!

So glad I found the forum!

[Anonymous]

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@AshleyAng wrote:
Thank you so much! I had no idea until I spent hours reading the forums last night. It's even more frustrating that I have been paying all that interest all this time because I thought it was "giving" me credit!

So glad I found the forum!

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You're very welcome.  Don't feel too bad.  You're not the only that hass made that mistake.  This board has a ton of great information and good luck in your quest to lower your scores.  Pay down this balances and you'll be amazed at your progress

[Anonymous]

keep us informed on your jump, I'm sure there are others interested in how much boost you get! My last baddy just came off my TU report and I got a 45 pt jump. My baddy however was a collection, so probably worse than yours. I have seen 7 collections come off EX and TU over the last year and 6 off of EQ. Each boost was larger than the previous one. (Think small increase going from 7 to 6 and larger going from 1 to 0.)

Posting success stories keeps others motivated! Congrats on your success and keep it up!

[Anonymous]

I will definitely keep you guys updated. I also had paid my utilization down to about 65% before the statement date so that may help a little as well.

Still haven't heard anything from Victorias Secret CEO....but like I said I just emailed both of them at 11 pm last night. I was surprised to hear from the KOHLS one so soon. That was the one I thought would be way harder to get off. It was most recent card and it was the one and only time I used that card (after they didn't process my payment it made me too nervous to use again). And I couldn't prove a left a check with the cashier.

I really hope VS/Comenity will be sympathetic to removing the 30 day late from 09 as it was due to my bank accounts being changed with my husband's death. Plus I have been a card holder 7 or 8 years...spent probably close to $15,000 in those years and have always paid before the due date...and I carry no revolving balance.

We shall see! It's 5 years old at this point so it will probably be minimal anyways...but I just hate that there will be ONE negative on my credit and that's it:/

[TheGardner]

6.5 yr old 30 day late coming off got a 22 point jump, was my last baddie on the report. I didn't have high UTIL, but your late is much newer so YMMV. 

[Anonymous]

Hi Ashley,

I'm happy that you were successful with kohls problem. I have the same problem and it's affecting my credit score so badly that it has became my nightmare Could you please send me the kohls CEO email?