Because I am a Magnet for Credit Crap

Well, folks, I'm still employed, though it is still contract work. It's ok for now. I hope that they will eventually convert me to regular full-time so I can have nice things like paid vacation and unemployment/disability/etc insurance. Beyond the fact that I have to pay self-employment taxes, I don't get any of that state program help should I ever need it (like, say I finally decide to procreate, at this point, I would not get any maternity leave pay from the state, which is poopy. Very poopy). What is a blog post without some bitching about something?

What else can I bitch about? Hmmm. Well, oh yeah, that's right. About 2 and a half years ago I discovered that someone had thieved my identity and opened phone accounts amounting to $3.5K. Took me more than 6 months to get it cleared from my credit report. It was a nightmare of sorts. I now have a fraud alert on my account which makes it quite the exercise to open any sort of account requiring credit. I figured I had my share of credit bullshit after that. Well, guess I haven't. The latest ridiculousness is my old HOA. I checked my credit report just for shits and giggles about 2 weeks ago and found that I had a collections account on the report. For the HOA of the house we sold in April of 2007. Turns out that we recorded the sale on the 3rd of April, and on the 1st of April, the HOA changed property management. Somehow, in this transfer, the old company told the new company that we owed money which no more information. My guess is that it was April dues. The reality is that had we really owed anything to the HOA, escrow wouldn't have allowed the sale to complete. This is standard procedure and is included in the purchase agreement. But did the new management company bother to look into this stuff before unlaterally sending all their "past due" accounts to collections? Of course not, that would be the right thing to do.

Beyond this, I went back to my check register and found every check number we ever wrote to them as well as the escrow statements - every month of dues is accounted for. I called the existing property management about it and she was nice and said she would see what information she could find to get this off my report. Have heard nothing. Called her last week for an update - of course, she has not yet returned my call. I will call again this week. I will continue to badger this woman. The only recourse I have other than pestering is to get copies of all the checks from the bank and contest this via the credit reporting agencies. Getting copies of the checks, by the way, will cost $2 per check. 29 checks = $48. Nevermind that I have to wait for the back copies of my statements to come in because the check number and amount is not good enough information for the bank to retrieve the check images. They also need the date the check cleared. So, sometime in the next 2-3 weeks, 30 bank statements from 2004 to 2007 will arrive and I will have to call them up again and order the check copies.

I swear, why does this stuff ALWAYS happen to me? And my husband? The first name on the records for loan, deed, etc? Not on his credit report. Only on mine. Yeah. I mean, sure it's good that at least both our FICO scores aren't hosed at the moment, but how does that happen? God must believe I have more wherewithal do deal with this I guess. I don't know. I do know that I will be forking over the $12.95 for a credit monitoring service so I can find out about these things ASAP rather than several months later.

I am considering reporting both management companies to the California Department of Real Estate. My Capital One card raised my purchase rate from 9.9% to 17.99% a couple month ago and I thought it was because of the economy. More likely it was this false black mark on my credit report. Thank God I don't carry a balance. But what if I did? I mean, this kind of stuff is unacceptable, in my opinion. Being flippant with regards to people's money - it's not cool. Especially now when banks are finding any reason to raise rates and close accounts. I think I will report them. As soon as I get every ding-dang statement and check copy which may be sometime in 2010 at this rate.

Comments

  1. this is completely unacceptable! damn the luck! i would report it if i were you.

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  2. You've just convinced me to find a way to get a free credit report on myself. Only problem is I don't believe them when they say I can get a free copy. I think they're a scam. LOL

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  3. I agree. They should have to pay YOU for your time and inconvenience in straightening out the matter. And aren't HOA's the worst? They're going to get theirs, come hell or high water. Good luck! I doubt I could have dug up that much paper work to do anything but pay it again.

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  4. Good grief! But I think they picked the wrong person to mess with.

    You may need to contact the collection agency that keeps reporting it on your credit. If they realize it is inaccurate they may at least stop reporting it.

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