I applied for a Macy's credit card and used my standard, 6-digit credit union checking account number for billing. Later, Macy's claimed that I had not paid my bill - when my checking account had thousands of dollars available. I could not understand this so I contacted Macy's and they said my account number had insufficient digits. I then contacted my credit union and they said that the 6 digits was all they ever required. I have used my standard account number with the IRS, international banks, other credit institutions and brokerage firms for over 20 years without any issue. However, my credit union provided me an additional 6-digit prefix for my account. I relayed this prefix to Macy's and asked why my account was validated for use if the account number was considered incomplete or invalid. The Macy's representative told me not to worry about it and that it would not be reported to the credit bureaus. I am applying for a mortgage now and was shocked to see this Macy's delinquency as the only negative incident on my otherwise perfect credit report! Macy's Auto-bill pay was setup, and there was a more than sufficient balance in my checking account at all times - yet no one at Macy's attempted to explain to me WHY my Macy's account was not being debited successfully. This was an anomalous billing practice by Macy's - unlike any of the 30 or so financial institutions I routinely conduct business with. I am additionally disgusted that the assurance I received from the Macy's representative was an unreliable representation of Macy's policy. Upon learning of this billing discrepancy I immediately paid off the entire balance of the Macy's account. As this billing practice was unknown to me - and should have been disclosed on the credit application - and was no fault of mine - I demand that Macy's REMOVE the delinquency status on my credit report.