1. They're not extending me credit.
Utilities that sell you goods and then collect after that use are extending credit in a way.

I suppose the paper boy and the trash company should start reporting, too.

2. They don't report to the CRA's because they're not extending me credit.

Funny. Most do report if you miss a payment. I guess you only consider it extending credit at that time.

In my experience as a dealership F&I manager, having looked at a half-dozen or so credit reports a day for the last nine years, I have seen utility companies either report a complete payment history or nothing until an account is sent to collections. I've never seen a utility company report only late payments. There is, of course, a considerable difference between a thirty day late payment and an account which has been turned over to a collection agency. Many merchants who do not extend credit or who do not report to the CRA's use collection agencies, often just in pursuit of bad checks.

3. The electric company which does sort of extend me credit does report to the credit bureau, and they report accurately and fully.

This is rare. Most electric companies don't report anything, regardless of the payment set up, unless you miss payments.

Then they will nail you.

I don't really know how rare it is. My experience is limited generally to my work in central Illinois. Illinois power is, in fact, the only local utility company which reports that I have seen. Again, the other utilities in this area, the ones that do not report anything about monthly pay patterns, do not report late payments. They report accounts which have been sent to collections.

Things are different in different places. None of this has anything to do with CapOne's business practices, so all the issues you have raised are really nothing more than red herrings, in my opinion. I can only think of one reason CapOne would not report credit limits. I know it affected my personal credit score. I know that when I switched from CapOne to MBNA my credit score jumped 20 or so points, and that was with adding a new account. CapOne didn't report my credit limit, and MBNA did.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.


Dean