Can creditors update inaccurate info on your credit report?

[Bostonian]

If a creditor has reported inaccurate information on your credit report, can they simply update the information so that it's accurate?

For example, if the creditor reports you opened an account in November when in fact it was actually opened in July, can they just update the entry on your credit report so it reads July instead of November?

Here's why I ask.

In July 2007, I moved from San Jose to San Diego. I leased a house and opened local accounts, including a utility. Crazy enough, a month later I had a great job opportunity back in San Jose. So I paid the lease-break fee, closed my accounts and moved back.

Somehow the July-August bill from the San Diego utility company did not reach me (even though I had ALL my mail forwarded). In turn, the bill went unpaid and my account fell into delinquency. In late February 2008, I received a collection bill from the utility. So being the good citizen, I immediately paid.

When I ran my credit last April, I learned there was a charge-off on my Experian credit report from the utility. At that point, I noticed that the utility listed my account as having been opened in NOVEMBER 2007. However, that is impossible. I lived there from July-August and had moved back well before November.

So I used that as grounds for a dispute with Experian, simply claiming the info is inaccurate. For evidence, I provided Experian with a legal contract (new home lease) which could verify I was living in San Jose during November 2007.

Experian sent their electronic inquiry to the San Diego utility and it came back as verified.

Now I am trying to understand what my options are. I can dispute directly with the creditor, but I don't want them to be able to simply update my credit entry with Experian and invalidate my dispute (meaning change the date I opened my account from November to July).

I'd like to be in the position to sue for damages, especially considering that this entry will undoubtedly lower my credit score and hurt my chances for getting the best possible mortgage terms (my credit report is otherwise flawless). So if they can simply change the info so there is no longer an inaccuracy, I don't have any grounds for a complaint.

Thoughts?

Thanks!!

[Bostonian]

Never mind ... issue resolved.

I ended up calling the City of San Diego Collections to inquire what they saw as my options. I explained the situation and that now it can hurt my chances at getting the best mortgage for a new house.

They looked into it while I was on the phone ... and determined that the original bill sent in August 2007 was in fact returned. They also said they did not acquire my new address until February 2008. Once they sent the bill to my new address, their records showed I paid in a very timely manner.

Altogether, I guess they can look at your situation and make a judgement call whether there's enough good reason to file for deletion.

In my case, they gave me the OK. So they'll update the CRA's electronically and send me a copy of the deletion letter. I can pull my credit reports in another few months and check to see if it has in fact been deleted. If not, I have the letter to provide in dispute.

Solved!