What Do You Like Or Hate About Credit Scores?

I decided to post this thread as a result of the responses that another thread received.

I would like to hear people's opinions about credit scores, credit checks, and credit reporting in general. What do you like or dislike?

I'll start off with a rant about "The Big Three", Equifax, Trans-Union, and Experian. These are the 3 major credit reporting agencies in the US.

Imo, they are way too big, but more importantly, way too unresponsive to the needs of us, the consumers.

Have you ever tried to get a negative item removed from your credit report? It can be done, but the results aren't likely to be what you expect them to be. But it takes forever to have something changed on your credit report. The only means of communication you have with the Big 3 is via snail mail, and typically they have 90 days to respond to you. And believe me, they take 89 of those 90 days to do anything.

Another pet peeve is the way credit scores are posted. What's with this range of 300 to 850? Why not make it something simple, like a 1 to 100 range, or something we're familiar with?

There's much more that I dislike about the system, but I'll let others weigh in.

Getting things removed from your credit report is an arduous task, for sure, but it can be done and the truth is, unless you have some really large debts on there, they will almost always be junked thanks to a no response.

Each service has a similar method for dealing with credit report items. You can request information/verification of each item on your report. Any company that fails to provide documentation within a certain time frame, will see their debt removed from your credit report. Since most consumer debts are not massive and they often wind up in the hands of collection agents, it becomes somewhat time consuming and costly for the creditor to provide this documentation so they don't.

Perhaps the companies make it so difficult because they know the creditors aren't going to do much to prove the debt.

Also, with identity theft so rampant, I would imagine the companies are a bit more forgiving on certain items.