 |
| | | |
|
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q. What is the Fair Credit Reporting Act?
A. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that gives you the right to know what Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) have on file about you, as well as outlining your right to dispute errors contained in your consumer file. It sets tight restrictions for CRAs about the circumstances under which a consumer report may be obtained and disclosed. The FCRA gives you the right to receive a free copy of your consumer file if you are denied credit, housing, employment or had any other adverse action as a result of information obtained from a consumer reporting agency. For additional information on the FCRA visit the Federal Trade Commission's Web site at www.ftc.gov.
Q. What is a consumer reporting agency (CRA)?
A. A CRA is a company that gathers and sells information on how a consumer pays bills, whether or not the consumer has a criminal or civil court record, or has filed for bankruptcy. For additional information on what a CRA does, see our Glossary of Terms.
Q. Who is Oil Well™?
A. Oil Well™ is a consumer reporting agency that provides information to Home Heating Oil providers. Providers of home heating oil may obtain your consumer report to assist them in making credit decisions.
Q. Does Oil Well™ determine whether or not I'm approved?
A. No. Oil Well™ does not make a decision regarding your application or whther or not to extend you credit. We only provide our clients with consumer reports that they use as a tool in assessing and control credit risks.
Q. What is a consumer report?
A. A consumer report may contain information from public record sources, creditors, and other data furnished, which prospective creditors may use to evaluate an applicant. A consumer report may also show whether or not a person has been sued, filed for bankruptcy, or has a criminal or civil court record. For additional information on consumer reports, see our Glossary of Terms.
Q. How does Oil Well™ obtain the information in my file?
A. Oil Well™’s clients in the home heating oil industry supply the information in our database.
Q. If I am declined by one provider of home heating oil, will I be declined by all providers?
A. Not necessarily. Each provider of home heating oil has unique approval criteria.
Q. How can I obtain a copy of my Oil Well™ consumer file?
A. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you are entitled to receive from a CRA one free copy of your consumer file in any twelve month period. You are also entitled to a free copy of your consumer file if you meet the following criteria:
- You have been notified of an adverse action based on information in your Oil Well™ consumer file within the past 60 days;
- You reside in a state where you are entitled to more than one free copy in any twelve month period;
- You suspect that your file may contain fraudulent information, or you are a victim of identity theft;
- You are unemployed or you currently receive public assistance.
To obtain a free copy from Oil Well™, you must fill out a Consumer Disclosure Request Form. If you do not qualify for a free copy of your consumer file, you may obtain one for a nominal fee. See the Consumer Disclosure Request Form for relevant fees.
Q. Why do I need to fill out a Consumer Disclosure Request Form?
A. Consumer Disclosure Request Form protects you from anyone else gaining unauthorized access to your personal information. It gives us your permission to send you a copy of your consumer file and discuss the information contained in the file with you.
To protect your file from identity theft, we cannot discuss any specific information in your consumer file until we have received your completed Consumer Disclosure Request Form.
Q. Can I authorize someone else to receive or discuss information in my file?
A. If you choose, you may complete the Third Party Disclosure portion of the Consumer Disclosure Request Form which will enable us to discuss the information in your consumer file with another individual, such as a spouse or guardian. To protect your file from identity theft, we cannot discuss any specific information in your consumer file until we have received your completed Third Party Disclosure portion of the Consumer Disclosure Request Form.
Q. How do I obtain the forms I need to request a copy of my consumer file?
A. If you have a printer, you can access forms from our Forms Page on this web site. You may need to download and install a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to access the forms. If you do not have access to a printer, please call our consumer line toll-free at 1-800-341-9137. Be sure to follow the instructions and leave your name, address, phone number and social security number. We will gladly mail you the requested forms, usually within one business day of receiving your request.
Q. Can I send my disclosure request to you via e-mail or fax?
A. No. For your protection, we require that you send your Consumer Disclosure Request Form to us via U.S. mail so that we have your original signature authorizing us to disclose the information contained in your Oil Well™ consumer file.
Q. How do I dispute information contained in my Oil Well™ consumer file?
A. If you believe information in your Oil Well™ consumer file is inaccurate, please complete a Reinvestigation Form, include any supporting documentation, and mail it to us at:
Oil Well™, Inc.
207 Mineola Avenue
Roslyn Heights, NY 11577
Upon receipt of your completed form, we will reinvestigate the disputed information, update verifiable information in your consumer file, and send you an updated copy of your consumer file within 30 days.
Q. Someone else has been using my identity. What do I do?
A. If you believe you are the victim of identity theft, you should contact the credit bureau(s) for information on how to place a fraud alert or file block on your consumer credit file. This will help prevent unauthorized access to your personal information contained in your Oil Well™ file. Additional information on identity fraud may be found on the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, including but not limited to "Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft," which can be found at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm.
Q. Do I have to pay a fee to obtain information in my report?
A. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you are entitled to one free copy of your consumer file from a CRA in any twelve month period. You are also entitled to a free copy of your consumer file if you meet the following criteria:
- You have been notified of an adverse action based on information in your Oil Well™ consumer file within the past 60 days;
- You reside in a state where you are entitled to more than one free copy in any twelve month period;
- You suspect that your file may contain fraudulent information, or you are a victim of identity theft;
- You are unemployed or you currently receive public assistance
To obtain a free copy from Oil Well™, you must fill out a Consumer Disclosure Request Form. If you do not quality for a free copy of your consumer file, you may obtain one for a nominal fee. See the Consumer Disclosure Request Form for relevant fees.
FACTA required creation of a centralized service for eligible consumers to request free annual credit file disclosures from nationwide credit bureaus. The three major nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) established access for consumers to this centralized service using one of the following options:
| INTERNET: | www.annualcreditreport.com |
| PHONE: | 877-322-8228 (toll-free) |
| MAIL: | Annual Credit Report Request Service
PO Box 105281
Atlanta,GA 30348-5281 |
|
|
|
