Reviving Bitter Memories : Bad Credit

Your article, “Is There Life After Credit?” (by Jeannine Stein, Oct. 12), was only a partial and insufficient treatise on the subject. The article dealt chiefly with the irresponsible or abusive credit user.

If not self-controlled, credit use can become a real problem. However, the established framework of the credit system is also abusive, and quite dishonest. The present credit system is a tyranny that would be illegal, if only people could realize that it actually supplants the legal system.

A citizen is considered to be guilty until proven innocent by the credit system. First, the citizen “debtor” is never contacted before any entries being made to the credit report. Very often, we do not even know of discrepancy entries to our record. If a citizen does want to inquire about his or her credit rating, a fee must be paid, except in the single situation of credit refusal.

Secondly, even in challenging an adverse credit rating, being honest and correct are not enough. A credit bureau can simply choose to insert a citizen’s counterstatement, rather than to be obligated to change or correct a disputed bad credit claim.

The credit system should be changed. It should be merely a for-profit reporting agency that keeps track of legal adjustments. It should not be for creating or for judging a history of someone at the whim of business data entries.

WILL KINUM

Upland