Credit Repair
Disputing negative items on credit report?
I have been reading up on repairing my credit b/c I was going to use a credit repair agency to do this. Everything I have read says that you can get items removed true or not sometimes by sending dispute letters. Does this really work? Do I need to send a letter to all 3 bureaus for the same item? How many should you do at once? I know they would never believe me if I disputed every single thing on my credit report.. How long does this take? Has anyone ever gotten anything removed by doing this?
Public Comments
- I wouldn't lie then what would happen if you really needed to dispute an item
- I've done it with experian online and had about 4 items removed I did them at the same time some were removed within 2 weeks others were removed at the 30-45 day mark. I disputed addresses, collections.
- go to your local credit bureau, they can help and help you file dispute letters if needed. i did this with capital one. i sent them 100 every month on the 1st via internet and they always posted it the 23rd making it late and charging me fees. when i finally proved by printing out the screens on the day i paid, i was able to dispute and win almost 800 n fraudulent late payment fees. they do this alot, im not the only one who complains of them.
- Incorrect, nothing will be removed that you owe. Here is a good article from the FTC. Read up, and learn. http://www.creditscorequick.com/2008/02/ftc-credit-report-repair-facts-for.html
- Oh my these answers! OK, first you need to understand how the "game" is played. I assume you have read and understand the Fair Credit Reporting Act...if not do so now. The law is very clear. If there is an error on your credit report, you have the right to report it. The credit bureau MUST verify that the information is correct, so they MUST contact the creditor. If the creditor does not respond back within 30 days, the item MUST be deleted. Many times, the creditor does not have your records any longer, or they just don't bother to respond. Either way you have now deleted a negative item. OK so the debt is accurate and you do owe them. But read my previous statement.....if there is an error...ANY error...it must be investigated. You are right...if you dispute every item as "not mine" then the credit bureau will file your dispute as frivolous and do nothing. But is that balance they claim you owe accurate? Maybe the collection agency padded it with illegal fees? What about the delinquency date? Did they illegally re-age the debt? By law, they must report the accurate delinquency date within 90 days of posting it. Did they just make up a date? Can they prove it? The FTC did an audit of thousands of credit reports, and it was determined that nearly 60% had some type of error. What you are going is using their incompetency to your advantage. There is nothing wrong with doing this! You are not lying! You are simply enforcing your right to challenge inaccurate info. Yes, you need to dispute items with each of the credit bureaus, as they do not share information between themselves. You can do them all at once in the same letter. Must important...you do NOT need to hire a credit repair agency, as this is EXACTLY what they do, and they will charge you a whole lost of money. Don't forget...you must also send a letter to the creditors and demand that they VALIDATE their debts. They must supply you with copies of contracts, bills, receipts, and everything they used to calculate what they claim you owe.
