What is REAL CREDIT REPAIR?
The Right Way
When most people think of credit repair they think of credit bureau disputes. Historically
credit bureau disputes have been the heart of the credit repair process. It turns out that it is
really just a first step.
Credit bureau disputes are the essential to every successful credit repair program. And
almost without exception it is necessary to start the process with these disputes. But if your
efforts are confined only to disputing your issues with the credit bureaus you are virtually
guaranteed to be disappointed. Time and time again, I hear first hand from clients, saying
that they are fixing it themselves.
Hitting the Credit Repair Wall
If you send a dispute letter to the credit bureaus you will receive a response back within
thirty days or so. You might be excited to see that some of the problem items have been
removed. You are also likely to see that some of the items that you have questioned have
been verified. This can be frustrating. What is the next step? You might think that a second
dispute is in order, and you may be right. Or you may be wrong. Read carefully. Has the
credit bureau asked you to address all future inquiries to the original creditor? If so you may
discover that additional credit bureau disputes produce no results.
Moving On
Many consumers in search of professional credit repair services will find an ample supply of
credit repair companies offering a basic low cost program that consists entirely of credit
bureau disputes. What happens to this consumer when the credit bureaus ask you to direct
future inquiries to the original creditor? There are two possibilities.
The End of the Road
If you sign up for a credit repair program that only offers credit bureau disputes there is
almost zero likelihood that you will end up as a satisfied customer. After the first round of
disputes you may get few additional results. Or, if the company that you have chosen does
offer additional levels of service you will probably find it necessary to upgrade to a more
expensive version of the program in order to get the results that you desire. The truth is
that the dispute only credit bureau version of the program should never have been
offered….EVER!
An Integrity Driven Approach
Remember that I started by saying that credit bureau disputes are the essential backbone
of every successful credit repair program. It is so. In fact, it’s absolutely logical to start your
dispute process with the credit bureaus. But to stop there would be like putting you’re a hat
on and then imagining that you are fully dressed. A truly effective credit repair program will
seamlessly move from credit bureau disputes to creditors as a natural part of the process.
Collection agencies can be challenged as needed in the same way.