Tracy
Las Vegas,#2Consumer Comment
Wed, August 20, 2003
I am the owner of a stenography service that helps people dispute and challenge inaccurate and erroneous entries on thier credit bureaus, as well as a Jr. Loan Officer for a Mortgage Co. here in Las Vegas. Some free advice for you all: 1) Get copies of all 3 of your bureaus. Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. Most creditors do not just report to one bureau. 2) Write letters of dispute to the bureaus, detailing perfectly what the discrepancy is and request updated addresses and names of the contact person in their dispute department. Yes, this process does take a minimum of 30 days because the bureaus have to contact the creditor. 3)Once results are received from the bureaus, then it's time to contact the creditor directly. Any phone conversations you have with them, tape them, but you do have to tell them you are taping it for quality assurances. They do it to us, so we have every right to do it to them. Make sure you document everything. If you have to, write them till you get it in writing that they are going to delete the entry. I have the FCRA in fron of me right now - ask if they know what it states in Section 623 "Responsibilities of Furnishers Of Information To Consumer Reporting Agencies, and of Sections 616 & 617, and all their subsequent paragraphs regarding "The Civil Liablities for Willful Noncompliance and Civil Liability for Negligent Noncompliance." It would be to your benefit to get a copy of the FCRA (can be obtained thru the internet) make copies of these sections and send them with your letters. If you need more info please post your questions below.
Karen
Rancho Cucamonga,#3Author of original report
Sat, June 07, 2003
I think some of the noise I've made and I made A LOT of noise, letters and email I've written have finally done some good. It took 3 weeks of me steadily applying pressure and vowing to Verizon that I will not go away....I will not get tired of fighting them until they do the right thing. Well, hell froze over today in Southern California. I recieved a 2 voice mail messages from Mike Livingston, Executive Consultant at Verizon Wireless West. His attitude had greatly improved since the last time I talked to him, last week. Since then he had stopped taking my calls or returning messages I left for him. ( I called or emailed him everyday ) Well, folks.....today he called and said he was taking my account out of collection and sending a "deletion of information letter" to remove the charge off from my credit profile! And he faxed me a copy of it. I was about to go to the next level in my fight with them. I had already written ( by email and registered letter) to 5 executives at Verizon in California and the corporate headquarters in New Jersey, Federal Trade Commission, The Better Business Bureau, Consumer Affairs,the FCC,posted complaints on this site and another one called Planet Feedback. I've told the story to everyone who will listen, hoping someone would have a solution, or a suggestion about what to do. Apparently one or perhaps a few of my letters hit their mark? I made 100 color copies of my complaint at RipOff Report and had 5 friends who were all set to help me warn Verizon customers as they enter the store in Rancho Cucamonga. Verizon's west coast administrative offices are 10 miles from my work, so that was next. I planned to cover their office door with my complaint, leave them on car windshields in their parking lot and talk to as many employees and customers as I could. It was a last resort, because I thought nothing else I've tried was bringing results. The moral to this story is: Don't stop until you get what you want! Persistance pays off. They hope to wear you down, that you'll tire and quit. Don't ever quit if someone has fraudulantly damaged your credit rating!! It's a pricelss thing and you have to protect it. Above all else........ BOYCOTT VERIZON WIRELESS ! VERY IMPORTANT !!! WARNING !!! NEVER,EVER, FOR ANY REASON GIVE VERIZON WIRELESS YOUR SSN. They have proved that they will go back many, many years and report false charges off in your name. No one is safe doing business with Verizon!
Karen
Rancho Cucamonga,#4Consumer Suggestion
Sat, May 24, 2003
I am the original poster, and am updating this post with information as of 23 may 2003 I have exhausted my options with the Office of the President Brian Shay and have moved on to President of the company ( Verizon Wireless) Mr Dennis Strigl. I've written email and made telephone calls. I spoken to 4 executive consultants and the bottom line is : "Once a charge off is reported it is our policy not to correct or recind it" Talk about a lack of integrity! Even when they've made a mistake, they will not correct it because it is their policy! Wow. I am now including in all my correspondence, a reminder to Verizon of their own comapny's Business Code of Conduct: "Our sucess depends on our ability to connect through integrity with each other, our customers and our many business partners" So far, I haven't had the pleasure of connecting with anyone at Verizon with any integrity. But I haven't given up yet. It may be futile, but I will continue to work up the executive chain of command until I get this situation resolved. I am making a lot of noise and forcing them to see what they've done. So far, they don't seem to care, but my credit rating is being held hostage, so it matters to me. For those of you who are in the same situation go to Forbes.com to view a comapny profile. All the executives are listed, there's contact info too. I left a voice mail message at President/CEO Dennis Strigl's ofc on Friday May 23 and am sending a registered letter to follow up. I've been advised to mark it Personal and Confidential (the odds are better that an assistant won't intercept it)
Karen
Rancho Cucamonga,#5Consumer Suggestion
Thu, May 22, 2003
Your response is very interesting. This is what I did when calling them didn't work. Go to the company website at www.verizonwireless.com and email the pres/ceo. His name is Dennis Strigl. Tell him the whole story and demand a satisfactory response within 10 days. Brian Shay is the res. of the "western area" I emailed him too. There are other pres. of different parts of the country and functions within the company. I emailed 5 in all. ( Talk about top heavy, that company has it's head up it's ---) I got 3 phone calls from Verizon yesterday and an email from the executive office. In my case they think it was an Air Touch account I had back in 1997. When I moved from San Diego to LA, the account was transferred and (they say) there was money owed on the San Diego account. Funny, I was never billed and continued to have service with them for a year afterward! Now, 6 years later they discover their billing mistake and send a write off the 3 credit bureaus! I'm not going to take this. I will call the pres./ceo in New Jersey EVERYDAY if I don't get this resolved. You may want to do that too, considering we are both having the exact same problem. His name is Dennis Strigl and he's the pres/ceo of Verizon Wireless. 908-306-7000 At the very least start writing email if you can't call long distance. Write everyday and demand they fix their sloppy mistake. I also filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Comission, Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau. I let Verizon know too. If anyone has any other suggestions about where I can go for help, please post them here. I'll update this post as things happen.
Perales
Austin,#6Consumer Suggestion
Wed, May 21, 2003
When reading about your problem it ws like listening to myself over the last 3 days. Verizon on 5/18/03 put a 1300.00 charge off on my transunion credit file. I have spent at least 6 hours over the last 3 days, calling and talking to9 customer service, fiancial services, loss prevention, in house recovery and the fraud department. Each of which I was disconnected from at least once and held for more than 30 minutes for someone to pick up. NO ONE at that company Verizon Wireless West, can find anything with my social security number or my name, but its on my credit now. They saidthe account "looks" like it was from AIrtouch cellular in 1996 or 1997. But today is May 2003 - 6 almost 7 years later and they are trying to put this fraudulent derogatory information on my credit report. I do not know what to do. There has to be a way to stop them.