Dear So and So

[indysteel]

Not-dear old electric company (and gas company):
I paid the bills myself, on time, for a year. And apparently none of this came up in the credit check, so I'm stuck paying the new electric company a rather large security deposit. I can almost understand the electricity, because they spelled my first name incorrectly (though it should still be tied to my SSN) and never corrected it even though I called about it. I don't understand why the gas thing isn't on there, since they actually got that right.

Not-dear new electric company--
Is it because nothing came up in the credit history check? The fact that I'm a student? Or the fact that I have never had service with you before? I'm an unknown quantity, and according to your company policy, that means I'm automatically not going to make payments on time? How the heck do you spend $60 a month for a 1BR apartment, anyway? (Granted, the stove and heat is electric, but still, I was paying $30 a month for a two-bedroom with a power hog computer in the mix.) I'd better get that deposit back with interest, jerks.
And your hold music is incredibly irritating.

Have you ever run a credit report for yourself, Owlie? It might be a good idea to start monitoring it every so often. My guess is that even if you paid your utility bills on time for a year, you still don't have much of a credit history. A lack of credit history is about the same as a bad credit history, which might explain why you're paying a large deposit to get service. Do you have a credit card? If and only if you can be disciplined about paying it off (and I can't stress that enough), put a minor amount on it each month and never carry a balance. It'll help you build your credit such that when you go to make your first big purchases on credit, e.g., a car, you'll have some history to work with. Do not open multiple charge accounts. Stick to one and keep it open with a low credit limit. Use it judiciously.