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Experian Not Accepting Credit Disputes by Mail?
Posted on Jun 8, 2007 by Tom Fragala
I have heard from two separate well-placed sources that Experian is ramping up a campaign to drive credit disputes online and is no longer accepting mail to their previously published PO box address for disputes (or making it awfully difficult). One source I cannot name and the other is MyFairCredit.com which says:
Experian has been especially difficult in shutting down a post office box where it accepted disputes for years (PO Box 9595 at Allen Texas). It didn't forward it's mail to another address. Do your own research on addresses before mailing your letters. The addresses that have worked recently are as follows:
701 Experian Parkway, Allen, Texas 75013. You can check at www.experian.com to see if Experian lists a physical address. It is obvious it wants everything sent electronically or by phone. The Experian Parkway address is not the official Experian address, but it will be hard for them to stop deliveries on their doorstep!
I talked to Mark Enderle of Preferred Credit Solutions today about this. Mark has reviewed over 4,000 credit reports in his 8 years helping people manage their credit. He has not heard of it and agrees with me that it seems almost impossible for Experian to get away with. Would not this practice run afoul of the FCRA and FTC? How could a consumer provide the proof so often necessary if the disputes are done online? And what about those consumers who aren’t able to use the online channel?
If this is happening or begins to happen, the impact to consumer data accuracy, credit scores and identity theft could be huge. If you can’t provide written proof of many disputes, they won’t be accepted. And any credit dispute should always be mailed certified mail return receipt, otherwise it might not be worth the paper it was written on. If the dispute ever comes to litigation, you would nearly always need to have proof of mailing a dispute and the date. I am surprised that the many consumer advocacy groups have not raised a stink—but maybe they are not aware of this yet.
Anyone have any information on this? Have you had mail to Experian returned undelivered? Submit a comment or send me an email (tom //at// mytruston .d.o.t. com).
Update: Mark did some checking and responded to me:
I followed up what you mentioned yesterday regarding Experian not receiving disputes letters. I thought that highly unlikely, but had to check it out on the rare chance it was true.
It is not true. It is true that Experian does not tell people how to do it on their website, and only shows consumers how to do it online. However, when you call Experian, and get into their phone cue, and start hearing their recordings, they give out specific mailing instructions as to how to
dispute items by mail, including their mailing address.
I do not believe they could do this legally (refuse dispute letters via mail), because everyone in the country does not have internet access.
Anyway, that is the final answer to that question: Experian does accept dispute letters via the mail.
I have to agree with Mark. However, it is possible that Experian or another consumer credit reporting company might put a lot of effort into having consumes dispute online. Why? Mark told me he heard that a bureau receives 10,000 disputes per day. I suppose if they make it easy to dispute the simpler types of report problems online (phone numbers, addresses), consumers might benefit.
Tags: credit+report
Comments
Dave on Jun 10, 2007
This is still a problem. Credit investigation issues most often require the mailing of documents. The CRA's do not encourage email attachments and a PO box cannot be used by courier services (USPS, FedEx, etc.)nor can a certified letter be signed if it is sent to a PO box. This means a consumer has no way of documenting these type of communications with the CRA's. This works to the advantage of the CRA's and to the consumers detriment.
Tina on Oct 4, 2007
All I know is I spent forever on their website trying to find an address. I was refused credit at my bank, but they did not give me a copy of my credit report. Therefore I have no file No. to dispute online so I have to mail. I hate these credit bureau's! When is the SEC/or someone going to investigate these people. They are indiscriminate and destructive to consumers.
==================================
Tina,
Here is an Experian dispute address:
Experian
National Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 2002
Allen, TX 75013
Please be sure to send any dispute letter or package by CERTIFIED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT requested. Also, include the first page of your credit report, and any pages with disputed items on them, circled clearly. You also need proof of identity and potentially evidence to back up your claims.
--Tom, Truston
Jean Maccinile on Nov 21, 2007
I was told by credit alert to contact you regarding an error on my monthly review. I have a CITI Bank notation of an account 9-1-07 that I did not open. Please tell me how to advise you of this error.
==================================
Jean,
I'm not sure what a monthly review is. I checked and your email address is not even listed as being a mytruston.com member. I am guessing you received a credit monitoring alert from somewhere. I recommend you call Citi Bank abotu the fraudulent account and then contact the credit bureaus and report a fraudulent account.
You can also get help for this from our website. Go to www.mytruston.com and select "victim".
--Tom
CEO
Truston
Jose latimer on Jan 28, 2008
I am very upset by this! It seems they just want you to buy their report so that they can make money. If you recieved 10,000 disputes a day or week multiply times the cost of a report. That is some major bucks!
Elias on Mar 23, 2008
It is obvious that Experian is part of the problem they elect to place bogus claims and information from creditors for a fee at the top of your credit history section so that potential creditors will note that the bogus information is not consistent with the infromation you may have given to other potential creditors. Both Experian and Crooked Creditors work together using trickery and deceptive placement of bogus and false claims to make your credit history appear derogatory and weak and lackin creditworthyness.
Placing such bogus information is done intentionally and placed out of chronilogical order so that pontential creditors will determine that the order of events appear as derogatory and untruthful.
Thus not matching current adress, employment, and other information provided to the potential creditor by the consumer. (You and Me)
Perhaps the perpetrators (Experian and many Crooked Creditors)have a misconception of our dynamic perception of such simple phyco-graphical manipulation techniques to persaude potential creditors.
Experian is clearly aware of this practice and may have knowledge that such practices is illegaly and violates consumers rights by working in cahoots with creditors who knowing participates in unfair credit and leanding practices. Thus for the right (price), fee charged by Experian bogus claims be placed on consumers credit bureau and can go un-noticed for years. In many cases bogus and derogatory information is intentionally placed and retained on the credit report if the consumer is not willing to pay a(extorttion), fee payable to Experian.
Do not pay to have a clean credit report. Consumers should take a close look at you credit report and evaluate the report pattern, cross-reference and keep track of creditors you have applied to.
and make note of the spelling of your name and other duplicated information the exceeds the number of creditors you have applied. Make it a point to file a complaint on line to the Federal Trade Commission and visit nagc.gov you may also express your concerns to the following e-mail: alphahell.llc@sbcglobal.net
Best regards, Elias
Theresa Johnson on Apr 28, 2008
I have tried to work with Experian regarding errors in my credit report, and a year later those errors are still there along with additional mistakes. Thanks for the information about filing a complaint with the federal trade commission. But what can I do after that? Experian was supposed to be REQUIRED to remove those items from my report and did not. Is there any legal action I can take?
Nonaii on Jun 7, 2008
Thank you for this information. I don't know what Experian gets out of it, except that if they have a mailing address to send disputes to they should include that along with their online dispute button. The other two credit reporting agencies do.
What happens when you dispute online with Experian is that you're never allowed to dispute again if you use the online button. The next time I hear someone has successfully disputed something with Experian using that button will be the first time, for me; and THAT'S what's frightening for me personally.
I have read too many accounts online of people who have proof that accounts are not their, and Experian will not accept that proof by letter because the information was already 'verified' online. I have read too many accounts online of people who demanded by certified mail that Experian tell them exactly how such accounts were verified, and Experian ignored them. For myself, if I had known that using the Experian online dispute button -- the only option Experian gives online when receiving your free credit report online -- would be the equivalent of saying 'keep this item on my credit report forever even if it is false' I would have never done it.
This is why people put freezes on Experian. The only way to make Experian stop these practices is to band together and make it unprofitable for Experian to do this.
Robert on Jun 25, 2008
Can experian legally refuse to investigate an account I have previously investigated and was not removed? How can I make them re-investigate it?
Tom F on Jun 25, 2008
@Robert,
Experian can refuse if, according to the FCRA law, the dispute is considered "frivolous." If you provide documentation of an error or other issue, then you may have a case the dispute is NOT frivolous.
You may have a case to sue for statutory and punitive damages, but you would probably need to show damage in some way. Whatever you do, make sure you dispute in writing, sent USPS certified mail. Otherwise you'll never get a lawyer to help. And if you contact an attorney, make sure they specialize in FCRA and consumer credit laws. I recommend Bob Brennan if you are in SoCal, www.brennanlaw.com is the URL I think.
Autumn Johnson on Jul 22, 2008
Thank you for the address which was very hard to come by. I had a similar problem with Experian claiming that an account was "verified" as legitimate although, I know that it is not mine and has been duplicated. In one case I paid an old phone bill and Experian had this account listed twice. I tried to tell them if I had one outstanding phone bill why would they give me another phone at the same address... Anyway this was resolved...How you ask? by me paying this account twice. There is a racket going on with these credit bureaus!!!
Nissim Sasson on Aug 30, 2008
what can i do if i received a letter from experian indicating that the negative item "remains" ?
Karen McCarthy on Sep 22, 2008
On Privacy Matters123, which will alert you to any change in your credit reports, Experian, unlike the other two companies reporting, does NOT give anythng but an online address. They are trying to make it hard for you to defend yourself. Surely this is against the law and should be investigated. I tried to go through their online dispute and GUESS WHAT?? After filling out all the forms, they tell you YOU MUST HAVE ONE OF THEIR CREDIT REPORTS TO CONTINUE! How many bucks do they make off that little ploy do you think?
Davis on Oct 4, 2008
The credit bureaus get over 8,000 letters of dispute a day. If you are not sending certified mail and are sending letters threatening Experian with lawsuits or so, they will surely dismiss your dispute anyway they can. I have been doing credit repair for over 7 years and in the last 4 years Experian is the only credit bureau that will accept verbal confirmation from a creditor rather than physical evidence and proof from a consumer. Experian is starting to smell like a dinosaur. www.allhoustonsolutions.com
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