ATT did hard credit check without my permission.

[ariesorphic]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Georgia

On Aug 26, 2016, I asked if there would be a hard credit check after she asked for my social security number. She replied 'no'. Later in the conversation I asked her again would there be a hard credit check, she again replied, 'no'.

She also mentioned I would have ATT's new GigaPower internet - lied.

Visa 200 dollar rewards card - lied.

Waived install fee - lied.

I would also like to add I have this entire conversation recorded. I have also kept the bill ATT sent (Obviously, I cancelled my appointment). It was not consistent to the agreement made on Aug 26.

I have asked for advice on ATT's official forums, they've now deactivated my account. The reason given, it is now in tentative status. I have left 3 voice mails to a representative who left me a message mentioning she wanted to speak with me. She has not returned any of my calls.

I put in a dispute with Equifax in early September, the inquiry is still there.

Do I have any platform for litigation?

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Georgia

On Aug 26, 2016, I asked if there would be a hard credit check after she asked for my social security number. She replied 'no'. Later in the conversation I asked her again would there be a hard credit check, she again replied, 'no'.

She also mentioned I would have ATT's new GigaPower internet - lied.

Visa 200 dollar rewards card - lied.

Waived install fee - lied.

I would also like to add I have this entire conversation recorded. I have also kept the bill ATT sent (Obviously, I cancelled my appointment). It was not consistent to the agreement made on Aug 26.

I have asked for advice on ATT's official forums, they've now deactivated my account. The reason given, it is now in tentative status. I have left 3 voice mails to a representative who left me a message mentioning she wanted to speak with me. She has not returned any of my calls.

I put in a dispute with Equifax in early September, the inquiry is still there.

Do I have any platform for litigation?

I do not see that you have much to support a lawsuit. You were found not to qualify for ATT's promotional offer.

On the conversation that you recorded: Was the ATT representative you spoke to on the phone located in Georgia? Not all states are "one party" consent states so, if you did not inform an out-of-state representative that you were recording the call, you could have violated the law.

 

[ariesorphic]

I did qualify for their offer. Please /quote the part where I mentioned I did not qualify. The number I called was the nearest ATT location. If I violated the law or not would be something I would have to bring up to an attorney. But I would like to know why you think I don't have much of a base of a lawsuit. I caught them red handed in a lie. I am sure I am not the only person who has been lied to by ATT that didn't have the conversation recorded.

 

[quincy]

I did qualify for their offer. The number I called was the nearest ATT location. If I violated the law or not would be something I would have to bring up to an attorney. But I would like to know why you think I don't have much of a base of a lawsuit. I caught them red handed in a lie. I am sure I am not the only person who has been lied to by ATT that didn't have the conversation recorded.

So you qualified for ATT's promotional offer and ATT not only did not give you what they promised, ATT deactivated your account?

Lying, in and of itself, is not illegal. Enticing you to sign up for a service with promises of reward cards, Gigapower internet and no installation fee, and not living up to those promises, would be illegal - unless these offers were made contingent on you qualifying for their service.

If you think that a lawsuit lies in ATT possibly pulling your credit report to see if you qualify for their offer, here is the FCRA list of who can get your credit report, prepared by Experian: http://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/fcra-restricts-who-can-get-your-credit-report/

I still do not see that you have much to support a lawsuit.

 

[ariesorphic]

Yes, ATT deactivated my ATT account. I asked a question on the forums on how to have the credit inquiry removed. I explained in the forum what happened. Next morning I tried to log in and the account is no longer there. It still does not exist.

This credit inquiry is showing up as a deficiency. I want to buy a home within the next year. The less credit inquires I have, the better. Even if it's something from ATT.

If ATT would get this off my credit report, I wouldn't be asking forum.legaladvice.

This is a quote from the site you linked that protects a company.
"Your permission is not required in every instance. For example, your credit history may be accessed without your approval in order to make a preapproved credit offer. In fact, the only instance in which explicit, written permission is required is for employment purposes."

Your permission is not required in every instance.
I specifically gave no approval to the sale agreement if there would be a credit inquiry. If I had not called ATT, there wouldn't have been an ATT credit inquiry. The person I spoke with lied with the intent of being deceptive.

 

[quincy]

Yes, ATT deactivated my ATT account. I asked a question on the forums on how to have the credit inquiry removed. I explained in the forum what happened. Next morning I tried to log in and the account is no longer there. It still does not exist.

This credit inquiry is showing up as a deficiency. I want to buy a home within the next year. The less credit inquires I have, the better. Even if it's something from ATT.

If ATT would get this off my credit report, I wouldn't be asking forum.legaladvice.

This is a quote from the site you linked that protects a company.
"Your permission is not required in every instance. For example, your credit history may be accessed without your approval in order to make a preapproved credit offer. In fact, the only instance in which explicit, written permission is required is for employment purposes."

Your permission is not required in every instance.
I specifically gave no approval to the sale agreement if there would be a credit inquiry. If I had not called ATT, there wouldn't have been an ATT credit inquiry. The person I spoke with lied with the intent of being deceptive.

Most credit inquiries, or prescreening inquiries, that appear on your credit reports are seen by you only. You can opt out of having these prescreening inquiries if you want to, but their appearance on your credit report should not affect your ability to purchase a home.

I am not sure what showed on the link I provided earlier but here are two additional links with information for you to read on credit inquiries:

http://www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/1305/who-may-request-my-credit-report.html

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf

 

[ariesorphic]

I need to add this credit inquiry by ATT dropped my credit score by 10 points. That may not be a lot to some people, but it is to someone trying to build their score.

 

[quincy]

I need to add this credit inquiry by ATT dropped my credit score by 10 points. That may not be a lot to some people, but it is to someone trying to build their score.

A credit inquiry on its own will not affect your credit score by 10 points. What else is going on with you and ATT, ariesorphic?

 

[ariesorphic]

You're right, it wasn't 10 points. It was by 9. No other problems' with ATT. I just need them to remove this. They're ignoring every request when I've asked them to remove the inquiry.

No other problems with my credit.

 

[HighwayMan]

A single credit inquiry should not affect your credit score.

 

[ariesorphic]

I posted two links to images of the credit drop from Equifax. It is the only deficiency on my credit report.

My other post notes it is edited by ******. So no external links I assume.

 

[Zigner]

I posted two links to images of the credit drop from Equifax. It is the only deficiency on my credit report.

My other post notes it is edited by ******. So no external links I assume.

The reports that the general public get from the credit reporting agencies are not the same as what creditors get. The report that my creditors see tends to be anywhere from 30-75 points higher than the one the same CRA gives to me.

If a SINGLE inquiry from a utility is the ONLY negative thing on your credit report, it's not going to affect your ability to buy a house.

 

[quincy]

I posted two links to images of the credit drop from Equifax. It is the only deficiency on my credit report.

My other post notes it is edited by ******. So no external links I assume.

Links to anything other than government or educational sites will generally be removed by the moderator from a poster's post. FreeAdvice had some trouble years ago with posters linking to objectionable (and to commercial) sites which is why editing is done now on a regular basis, regardless of how innocent the information linked to might be.

I can't explain the 9 point drop in your credit score. A single credit inquiry should not affect your score by 9 points. That is why I asked if there was anything else that might account for the drop.

Did you open a new ATT account and then close it?

The ATT account will legitimately show up on your credit reports as an account opened on such-and-such a date if anything was installed by ATT or you used the ATT service for whatever length of time. If you were charged for installation or use, this will appear as part of your payment history for that account.

When you cancel an account, the account will be reported as a closed account as of such-and-such a date (and appearing will also be payment history and any balance still owing on the account). The information on the report will include something like "closed by consumer" or "closed at consumer request" or "closed by ATT."

This closed account information can remain on your credit report for up to seven years.

If there is a balance owing ATT and it is not paid, probably eventually ATT will turn the account over to a debt collection agency. The debt collection activity will then appear, along with the ATT closed account, on your credit report. These are items that CAN negatively affect credit scores.

The links I provided earlier tell you how to dispute items appearing on your account. The credit reports also have this information. If you feel what is appearing on your reports is being reported in error, you can follow the process outlined for disputing the item(s) on the report.

I fear we are not getting to the real problem here so it is hard to advise you on what you can do next (if anything). Like any major company, ATT has had its share of complaints lodged against it by consumers and ATT has been sued. In fact, there was a class action suit filed against ATT not all that long ago that was decided in ATT's favor.

Not all consumer complaints will have legal solutions, though, and I am still not seeing that you have a legal solution to your problem with ATT, at least based on what you have posted so far.

 

[ariesorphic]

I just want ATT just remove this. I don't have a hidden agenda where ATT did something else and my credit score fell. All I have is ATT's credit inquiry and my credit score dropped. That's all I know.

IF they did have an active account open in my name, then it was done so without my awareness. Again, ATT is not talking to me regarding this problem. There was a bill sent to me via email before the installation men arrived. However, it was not consistent with the agreement on Aug 26 and I did not pay it. None of the services were installed on the bill. I have not received any other bills from ATT since that one email. And there's nothing showing up on my credit report as anything being past due.

 

[Zigner]

I just want ATT just remove this. I don't have a hidden agenda where ATT did something else and my credit score fell. All I have is ATT's credit inquiry and my credit score dropped. That's all I know.

IF they did have an active account open in my name, then it was done so without my awareness. Again, ATT is not talking to me regarding this problem. There was a bill sent to me via email before the installation men arrived. However, it was not consistent with the agreement on Aug 26 and I did not pay it. None of the services were installed on the bill. I have not received any other bills from ATT since that one email. And there's nothing showing up on my credit report as anything being past due.

In order to generate a bill, an account had to have been set up. In order to open an account, a credit inquiry is made. I don't think you're going to get it removed. As I mentioned above, the credit score that you see is different from what others see. The worse that will happen when you are attempting to get a home loan is that you will need to verify to the lender that no new debt was incurred as a result of the inquiry.