Are credit repair specialists frauds?

[Anonymous]

My wife found a woman who claims she is a former worker for one of the credit bureaus. She also claims she can clean up your file in a mere 7 days for $450.
Another Guy said the same thing for the same price except his time window is 3 months.
Im usually a risk taker but if this is true, why didn't everyone doing it?

[Unoriginalnj]

While they may/may not be frauds, you can do a lot of the same thing they're doing for free.

[rckstrscott]

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@Anonymous wrote:
My wife found a woman who claims she is a former worker for one of the credit bureaus. She also claims she can clean up your file in a mere 7 days for $450.
Another Guy said the same thing for the same price except his time window is 3 months.
Im usually a risk taker but if this is true, why didn't everyone doing it?

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There is no way anyone can clean up their credit report in a week. It just cannot happen.

Maybe if someone has ONE collection account.. but if someone has a report than needs real help, it just takes time.

I don't really think credit repair specialists are 'frauds' per say, although if they offer 7 days then I would be VERY cautious.

The real reason people advise against repair agencies is you can do anything then can do, and do it cheaper (ala your own time and postage) -- and most repair companies use disputes as their primary tool and that really can only get you so far.

-scott

[Anonymous]

I figured it was a little shady for a week timeframe. I will continue to work on it myself. We are 16 months discharged on A BK-7. My nastiest baddie s a state tax lien. My EQ FICO is 662, but I feel that the lien will prevent me from future loans. Thanx for the response.

[drkaje]

Sounds like someone just wants $450.

Repair takes time. It's not unusual for people to spend almost as much time repairing as they did getting into to a position where it was necessary.

[llecs]

I'll add that there are federal and state laws that apply to credit repair organizations, including licensing for some states. If ever interested in hiring a company, it's worth studying the industry first.

[diabla]

I agree that they're not frauds, but they are taking advantage of people without the knowledge or motivation to do it themselves.  I have no problem if they're honest about what they do or attempt to do, and not make unrealistic promises or lies to get your money.   

But I'll tell you one thing I've learned about credit repair, if you don't put in th ework and do it yourself, then the odds are that you will mess up your credit again because you haven't learned anything about how or why your credit got that way in the first place.  You'll be stuck in the cycle of messing up, paying someone to fix it, and messing up again.  Once you learn yourself how the whole thing works, and put in the work to get it clean, you appreciate it so much more.

Like people who think its okay to pay a day or two late, its no big deal.  Or you think, well I've got a $500 credit limit so what's wrong with me spending $499, as long as I make the minimum payment, right?  Until you go through the credit repair process yourself, you will never get it!

[721405]

People tend not to follow through on the task at hand, that's a simple fact. I work for a credit repair company and I too have a few blemishes I want erased but just have not been able to find the time to challenge those items properly myself... Again, people tend not to follow through. At work, I see and work on people's credit all day long, but after work, I don't have the urgency to take the extra time and work on my own.

Credit repair is a time sensitive process that requires one to have patience and follow through. Credit repair companies do this or help you with this most important process. They keep records and dates, responses and complaints on file to ensure that each step in this process is being done in a timely manner.

Yes, it's true that most credit repair companies are fly by night, but find one that is licensed and bonded and you should be in good shape. If for some reason they say they can fix your credit or at least try and offer a refund, but they don't, they are at risk of loosing their bond.

Most consumers are unaware that there are many laws that protect us against mis-reported credit items which ultimately are derogatory and hurt our credit scores and worthiness. By using a true credit repair company you will be able to have someone in your corner who really knows how to properly challenge negative credit and cite case law on the proper validation methods creditors should follow in order to report negative credit. The law states that credited must report accurate, timely, and valid information. If one of those criteria are not met, then by law it must be removed.

[guiness56]

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@federalcreditadvocates wrote:
People tend not to follow through on the task at hand, that's a simple fact. I work for a credit repair company and I too have a few blemishes I want erased but just have not been able to find the time to challenge those items properly myself... Again, people tend not to follow through. At work, I see and work on people's credit all day long, but after work, I don't have the urgency to take the extra time and work on my own.

Credit repair is a time sensitive process that requires one to have patience and follow through. Credit repair companies do this or help you with this most important process. They keep records and dates, responses and complaints on file to ensure that each step in this process is being done in a timely manner.

Yes, it's true that most credit repair companies are fly by night, but find one that is licensed and bonded and you should be in good shape. If for some reason they say they can fix your credit or at least try and offer a refund, but they don't, they are at risk of loosing their bond.

Most consumers are unaware that there are many laws that protect us against mis-reported credit items which ultimately are derogatory and hurt our credit scores and worthiness. By using a true credit repair company you will be able to have someone in your corner who really knows how to properly challenge negative credit and cite case law on the proper validation methods creditors should follow in order to report negative credit. The law states that credited must report accurate, timely, and valid information. If one of those criteria are not met, then by law it must be removed.

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No, not true.  It only needs to be updated to reflect accurate information not remvoved.