Denied because of bad credit?

**mattm211** · March 13th, 2010, 02:09 AM

Ok. I've been shot down twice (that I know of) right after they get my background check. Utiliquest even had me set to start in two weeks and the day before my start they call and tell "something" in my background will keep them from hiring me...

So I'm supposed to get a letter saying why but it hasn't showed yet. In '06 me and my wife lost everything when she got laid off. (house, car, credit cards, all of it). I'm wondering if my lame credit is keeping people from hiring me last second, even though I'm well qualified. Do they think I'm going to sell their little ranger and laptop to pay back debt or something?

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 13th, 2010, 06:35 AM

A bad credit report is possible though I have not heard of locate firms using bad credit as a reason not to hire a locator.

A big thing with locate firms is driving record. If you have too many points or a DUI/DWI this directly affects their insurance rates.

A history of too many jobs indicating you would not stay after they trained you could be it.

It is also possible they checked with a previous employer who had something bad to say about you. What the previous employer said may be true or not but they can act upon that information regardless.
I have had previous employers attribute to me things I did not do. It is amazing what 'interpretation' people will give of your actions. Call it lying if you will. One employer said I "intentionally hindered work" becasue I wore steel toed boots and at security metal detectors and I had to be wanded taking an extra 30 seconds.

**TheCableVine** · March 13th, 2010, 11:04 AM

You can get a credit report and see if that is what is going or you can just call up the company that turned you down and tell them you don't know what it could be and it would really help you to know what the reason is so you can take care of it if it is something that can be cleared up.

Sounds to me like you might have something floating out there that may not be the full truth.

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 13th, 2010, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by TheCableVine

You can get a credit report and see if that is what is going or you can just call up the company that turned you down and tell them you don't know what it could be and it would really help you to know what the reason is so you can take care of it if it is something that can be cleared up.

Sounds to me like you might have something floating out there that may not be the full truth.

It was about 20 years ago when a banker advised me that as many as 25 percent of all credit reports contain wrong information.

You hear advertised all the time freecreditreport.com which will give you a 'free' credit report. This is only if you sign up to pay $14.95 a month for their other services so the free part is debatable. They offer a free trial period so I do not know if they give you the credit report if you cancel.

Federal law allows you to get your own credit report once a year from three credit report companies. See this link; www.annualcreditreport.com

**mattm211** · March 13th, 2010, 05:26 PM

i got the letter with the reason why from UtilitQuest. It stated 'Criminal Record'. When the background check companies are pulling my background they are finding some guy with the same name as me (diff. middle name), same birthday, same state. BUT he's been arrested 4 times for Marijuana and 1 time for writing a bad check!

I went to the Texas DPS site and pulled the record myself and it has his picture and he looks nothing like me. When the background company gave them the report they gave them one page with my driving record (which is good), one page saying i have a vaild license (which i do) and 5-6 pages of arrests and convictions for this guy (THAT ISN'T ME).

I got denied at UtiliQuest, Stake Center, and another place. Stake Center just started ignoring my calls, but last i heard from them was they were pulling my background...I'm 99.9999% sure they saw the same thing and assume it's me under a different middle name. i'm sure many others are seeing the same thing before they even interview me.

people will be getting phone calls monday from me....

**AULupstate** · March 13th, 2010, 05:50 PM

A LOT of those 'background check' companies just run the first and last name. Never mind a pesky litlle thing like YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!!!!

Nothing worse than finding out you lost a potential employer because of that dumb shit.

**yahoo** · March 13th, 2010, 08:33 PM

Utiliquest will hire you if all other records check out good! that will not stop you from getting hired ,,,,,there must be something else lingering in the background..maybe a bad job history!!!! ??????

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 13th, 2010, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by yahoo

Utiliquest will hire you if all other records check out good! that will not stop you from getting hired ,,,,,there must be something else lingering in the background..maybe a bad job history!!!! ??????

In this case four of the five charges were for drug use which may be an issue in itself.

**yahoo** · March 13th, 2010, 08:47 PM

I thought he said that was some other guy with a different middle name???? sorry!!!

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 13th, 2010, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by mattm211

i got the letter with the reason why from UtilitQuest. It stated 'Criminal Record'. When the background check companies are pulling my background they are finding some guy with the same name as me (diff. middle name), same birthday, same state. BUT he's been arrested 4 times for Marijuana and 1 time for writing a bad check!

I went to the Texas DPS site and pulled the record myself and it has his picture and he looks nothing like me. When the background company gave them the report they gave them one page with my driving record (which is good), one page saying i have a vaild license (which i do) and 5-6 pages of arrests and convictions for this guy (THAT ISN'T ME).

I got denied at UtiliQuest, Stake Center, and another place. Stake Center just started ignoring my calls, but last i heard from them was they were pulling my background...I'm 99.9999% sure they saw the same thing and assume it's me under a different middle name. i'm sure many others are seeing the same thing before they even interview me.

people will be getting phone calls monday from me....

Make copies of the information you got on the guy with the similar name and birth date so you can give it to the firm. Get to latest firm immediately and then send this information to the previous firms. Use registered mail so you get a receipt.

Send to the office you applied too (I would have no problem hand delivering a copy to the manager of the office), the office of the regional manger and addressed to him / her. The same for the regional VP and right up to the President’s office. There is also a HR, Human Resources, Department at their corporate headquarters. Call them and explain that the background check gave the criminal background history of anther person. Ask the name of the person there to send a copy of the records there.

Casually ask what the name is of the company they use for background checks so you can send the a copy of the information,. Ask nicely and if you get the name of the company then ask the address. When you mail the stuff to them send a nicely worded letter, no cursing or threatening language.

The next time you apply for a job attach the other person's criminal record with a short cover letter explaining that background checking firms have not been exercising due diligence and falsely reporting that you have a criminal history.

**Wingfoot** · March 13th, 2010, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by mattm211

I got the letter with the reason from UtilitQuest. It stated 'Criminal Record'. When the background check companies are pulling my background they are finding some guy with the same name as me (diff. middle name), same birthday, same state. I'm 99.9999% sure they saw the same thing and assume it's me under a different middle name. I'm sure many others are seeing the same thing before they even interview me.

I had a similar situation happen to me involving my first and last name with a different middle initial, but I was on the receiving end of the deal.

7 years ago, I received a letter confirming a $46,000 transfer that was debited to my SM&P 401K account. This transaction was totally unexpected. I discussed the sudden windfall with my family and they unanimously stated to leave well enough alone...... I couldn't.

Two phone calls later, I was involved in getting the proper account debited with the $46,000 transfer. It was the right thing to do because I knew the money was never mine.

What's interesting, I'm sure I lost more than $46,000 on that last stock market crash of September 2008....... Oh, well. Nobody claims life is fair!

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**FiosKing** · March 13th, 2010, 10:24 PM

this is horse shit... no one should EVER be declined employment due to CREDIT, so people just have some really bad luck... i myself currently have bad credit... IT HAPPENS!!!! I HADE GREAT CREDITALL OF MY LIFE EXCEPT THE PAST 2 YEARS!!!

**mattm211** · March 13th, 2010, 10:59 PM

I already have the actual report they looked at. They had to send it to me since I was signed to a job offer and they reversed their hiring decision.

One problem when I look at this more is the report in itself is crappy. I've wrote papers the night before school that looked 100 times better than this thing. It has a section saying, basically, this is what we searched (my info). Then it has one line saying 'no criminal conviction found.' then says '*alert* conviction record' right before listing everything this guy has done.
At the top of every page is CONVICTION and then MY info and right below that is the arrest, why, ect, ect. For the other dude.

Second is the Texas DPS site. (I think that's the root of the problem here). It took me 5 minutes and $3 on their site to pull the full record that the background check only hints at. When you search me the DPS site says no records found, but we found someone similar you should see....it kind of insuates that this guy is like my alter ego. But it has full mugshots and finger prints...once again nothing like me at all.

I guess at a time when companies are hiring so many they skim the background and just see 6 pages with the word conviction and my info underneath and think 'next'.

Like I said, people will get phone calls. If I get an answering machine I'll just go to their office, needless to say this kind of ticks me off.

**Turk182** · March 13th, 2010, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by FiosKing

this is horse shit... no one should EVER be declined employment due to CREDIT, so people just have some really bad luck... i myself currently have bad credit... IT HAPPENS!!!! I HADE GREAT CREDITALL OF MY LIFE EXCEPT THE PAST 2 YEARS!!!

I can see why a financial institution or armored car co. would deny employment based on poor credit.

**paintitnow** · March 14th, 2010, 01:10 AM

I had a friend who had the same problem with a guy same name and birthdate but a different middle name. Even the utlities companies now send to the credit reporting agencies, not sure if they pull from them. I remember years go a lot of people were putting the utlities in their kids and grandkids names when my dad had rentals. Employers are now pulling transripts of school to see how people did in school. Some just like to see college degrees on the apps do not even care for what. I gues they are trying to get an insight of what type of employee they may hire