Credit report disputes: You can't fight what isn't there

John Merris has an above-average credit score. But he felt it was worth taking time and effort to make it even better.

"Although my credit report and score are both good, the credit-reporting agency informed me that my score would be even higher if I had a credit card history," the Shrewsbury, N.J., man explained.

Merris was confused, because he has been using credit cards for more than two decades.

"So, I gathered all the information regarding the three credit cards I have had for the past 20 years. I sent the credit reporting agency a letter listing the three cards, the dates I had them and the addresses where I send payments each month.

"About 2 weeks later, I got a letter from the credit-reporting agency. It stated that I personally cannot submit such information about my credit cards. Rather, the information must come from my creditors. Therefore, all my detective work was for nil because the credit-reporting agency would not accept my information."

It's no wonder consumers get frustrated with credit-reporting agencies. Although federal law gives consumers the right to dispute inaccurate information in their files, it doesn't guarantee them the right to add information about missing accounts.

As Steven Katz, a spokesman for Trans Union explained, "Consumers cannot dispute an item that does not exist on their credit report."

All consumers can do is appeal to the creditor. Start by contacting the creditor and asking if it regularly reports to the credit bureau in question. Although many companies report to all three credit bureaus, some report to only one or two.

"It's possible that some lenders may not have a reporting relationship with a specific bureau," Katz explained. As a result, your credit report and credit score can vary significantly from one credit reporting agency to another.

If the creditor does report to the bureau in question, the consumer can ask the company to make sure the item is being properly reported.

Asa Aarons is a consumer reporter who appears on News 4 You at 5:30 p.m. weekdays on WNBC-TV, Channel 4. His special Daily News column appears Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Send your questions to: Ask Asa, P.O. Box 3310, New York, N.Y. 10116, or you can e-mail him at AskAsa@gmail.com. Questions can be answered only through this column.