My Goodbye Speech To Macy's

Wow, you guys really don't know anything about the laws involving
credit reporting. There is no law stating changing lates on a report
is illegal. If fact, in the interest of consumer relations many credit
card companies will remove a single late notation if the situation
warrants it. I'm not saying that this response from this customer is
correct, but all you people responing with comments like "Illegal" are
wrong.

It is against the law for creditors to report anything other than the
100% truth to the credit reporting agencies - - in this case,
"goodwill" does not exist - - nor does forgiveness or compassion - -
the law is the law. You did not ask for "assistance" - - you asked
them to lie and they refused. Blast Macy's all you want, but no other
creditor would treat you any differently under the same circumstances.

You have true information about some late payments on your credit
report and you expect Macys to just "take it off?"

In other words, you want Macys to lie to the credit bureaus about
those late payments and pretend they didn't happen.

Macys won't do that because it would constitute fraud to knowingly
give false information to a credit bureau.

I am also saddened that you used the 9/11 card to try to convince
Macys to commit fraud for you.

I have been through a heck of a lot more than a lay-off that caused
late payments on MY accounts - including, but not limited to, a
divorce, a lay off, major surgery that occurred when I was 72 hours
away from complete organ failure, and, after I finally secured a job
after that, I was injured on the job and lost my worker's comp case.
I struggled with payments to creditors with whom I had had a very
solid and stable payment history for 6+ years. And in the end, they
don't want excuses, they want their money - can you blame them? If
someone owed you money, unless they were a dear friend (and regardless
of how good a customer you are with Macy's, it's doubtful you'd be
considered their "friend"), wouldn't you want the money back,
regardless of excuses?

Legally, credit cards that receive late payments are REQUIRED to
notate and report it with the major credit reporting agencies. Like a
previous poster said, your only recourse is to perhaps write to the
credit bureaus to have them attach explanation to the credit report.
Or, there are companies you can hire to "clean-up" your credit report
by removing false info from your reports - and if you truly believe
that Macy's falsely reported that sutff (which, fropm the sound of it,
Macy's had every right to do), it can be investigated.

If you were only a little bit late in making payments, though, I know
for a fact (having worked somewhere that offered loans to people in
the past), though it's on your credit report, shouldn't lower your
score so drastically that you wouldn't be approved for a loan. You
might face higher interest rates, because of the negative credit
report marks, but even there, you could accept a loan at higher
interest rates, and after a certain length of time making payments on
time, most companies will offer to reduce your rates.

Unfortunately, that is just the way it is!!! The REASON someone is
late with payments to a creditor, is irrelevant!! If you are 30 days
or more late on a payment, it AUTOMATICALLY gets reported to the
agencies, regardless of the reason, and that information stays on the
credit report for 7 years, no if's, and's or but,s (unless it is there
in ERROR). I don't think it is a case or Macy's "not taking the time
to help a customer" as you stated, but more of a case that there is
just nothing they CAN do.

Perhaps, rather than complaining to Macy's... you need to take
responsibility and write a letter to the 3 major credit reporting
agencies so they can attach it to your credit reports explaining WHY
you were late. Many crediters, will take these statements into account
when making a decision for financing on things such as a car loan or a
mortgage.

There's no principle involved. You are asking them to do something
illegal and they simply will not do it. No company would.

There are no extenuating circumstances in your situation - at least
none that you mention. If you bought stuff you couldn't afford and
then fell behind on payments when your economic situation changed,
that's your fault. It's way different from someone who lives within a
budget, has a crisis and then has to go into debt to meet living
expenses. That person would have my sympathy.

The fact that the 9/11 attacks depressed our economy is not Macy's
fault. It is a defect in our culture. You don't see it happening in
other countries.