Credit Reports

Finally got the credit reports from Transunion earlier. I've had no problem getting the reports from Experian and Equifax online. However, Transunion for some reason won't let me recover my password (their online help really really sucked) and I had to order it by mail. They weren't able to locate my credit report the first time so I have to send it my W2 to "prove my identity". So...Much...Work...

Despite all the trouble, Tranunion is the only company that did not mess up my record. Since my brother's name and mine are identical (we both decided to just use the 2nd word in our Chinese name as our first name and the 3rd word as our middle name. Just coincident that our middle initial is the same as well) and our social security number only differs in one digit, both Experian and Equifax somehow decided that we are the same person and merged our records together. So kudos to TransUnion for getting this right.

Although Experian screwed up my credit report, I am still happy with them because their online and phone service was excellent. I was able to make some simple changes online (no problem locating my file - though the questions they asked to verify my identity were all about my brothers. But hey, when you paid for your brother's car payment, you would know how much you're paying each month...kakaka). I do need to call them up to clean up the rest of my records, but the process wasn't too painful and the CS representative was courteous and helpful. I even got an e-mail notification letting me know that the changes are available for viewing. Good job!

Equifax, on the other hand, was horrible. Though I managed to get my report online, I still haven't figure out how to contact them to correct my record (yeah - it got merged again with my brother's). I think I need to print out a form and send in the necessary documentation, but the form is only for disputing a particular item in the report and didn't mention anything on what needs to be done in my scenario. I also tried looking at the various website for information but couldn't get very far. So at this point, my credit report with Equifax is still horribly erroneous. Sigh!

Overall, looking at my credit reports, I think I am doing much better than a couple years ago. I think only 1 - 2 years more before it becomes feasible for me to move back home. Hopefully by then, my brother's financial situation would approve (crossing fingers) so that I don't have to worry about him as much. :P