topic Re: Other boards/forums like this? in General Credit Topics

Other boards/forums like this?

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:38:53 GMT

I love this forum! Just wondering if there are any other good active ones out there (dealing with credit repair/FICO improvement) that have solid information and experienced members?

Thanks!

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

MarineVietVet — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:54:05 GMT

@tk777777 wrote:
I love this forum! Just wondering if there are any other good active ones out there (dealing with credit repair/FICO improvement) that have solid information and experienced members?

Thanks!

Nope this is the only one in existence!!

But seriously it is the only one I visit. I won't say you can't get good information elsewhere but I find all I need right here.

ETA: And I will remind everyone to review the Forum's Credit Repair Discussion Guidelines before making any recommendations or providing any links. If you're not sure whether a link to a site is permitted just ask one of the mods.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 3/11 pulled by lender- 835, EQ - 2/11-816, TU - 2/11-782

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:02:33 GMT

@MarineVietVet wrote:

Nope this is the only one in existence!!

But seriously it is the only one I visit. I won't say you can't get good information elsewhere but I find all I need right here.

ETA: And I will remind everyone to review the Forum's Credit Repair Discussion Guidelines before making any recommendations or providing any links. If you're not sure whether a link to a site is permitted just ask one of the mods.

Thanks for the clarification MVV... uh, yeah, not looking for any boards that advocate illegal/dishonest methods. Just people who know how to navigate all the administrative minutiae, have been there before, and explain things simply!

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

llecs — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 04:28:22 GMT

Mod hat off for a sec., I came here looking for the same thing that many others are/were looking for and that's a cleaner report and a higher FICO. I didn't know anything about repair. There are other forums out there and looked for a home, but I stumbled on the dark side of credit repair. I ended up getting some very bad advice and after taking damage to my credit for following their advice, and complaining about it, someone suggested I come here and I did. It was a breath of fresh air. The people were nicer and they were willing to pay it forward by relaying their experiences. I haven't lurked all the forums out there, but hit most of them and having started off as an average joe, this one was the best (IMO).

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:05:06 GMT

@llecs wrote:
There are other forums out there and looked for a home, but I stumbled on the dark side of credit repair. I ended up getting some very bad advice and after taking damage to my credit for following their advice, and complaining about it, someone suggested I come here and I did. It was a breath of fresh air. The people were nicer and they were willing to pay it forward by relaying their experiences. I haven't lurked all the forums out there, but hit most of them and having started off as an average joe, this one was the best (IMO).

Ilecs -- that sounds... ominous. I don't know if you can talk about it in general terms, but what was the bad advice? (I want to make sure not to do it by accident!) Didn't realize that repair efforts could actually damage your credit.

This is the only forum I've looked into so far. I'll have to be really careful to doublecheck any advice that I find in my research, I guess!

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:39:07 GMT

Yes there are!

None of these sites is permitted to be linked to from myFICO. Please review once again the Forum's Credit Repair Discussion Guidelines. MarineVietvet, myFICO moderator

What are some of your questions, maybe I can help.

SDFinch

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

p- — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:10:17 GMT

@tk777777 wrote:
I love this forum! Just wondering if there are any other good active ones out there (dealing with credit repair/FICO improvement) that have solid information and experienced members?

Thanks!

I dug all over the place for advice when I was starting my credit repair journey, and this seems to cover the majority of what you need. There are a few areas, like HIPPA disputing that you might need to supplement your knowledge elsewhere if you have medical collections. Google is your friend for that.

You also might look at some sites that specialize in legal for yuor local SOL's and information about Judgements, proper service, etc.

Otherwise I've found this forum to be all I need.

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:02:19 GMT

The only other one I frequent is [Edited]. They seem to have members that are just as informed, and nearly as much traffic. Their credit pulls database is nice, too.

This credit repair site is also not allowed to be linked to. As I said if you are not sure if a site is allowed to be listed please ask one of the mods.

Thanks, MarineVietvet

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

MarineVietVet — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:28:32 GMT

@tk777777 wrote:
Ilecs -- that sounds... ominous. I don't know if you can talk about it in general terms, but what was the bad advice? (I want to make sure not to do it by accident!) Didn't realize that repair efforts could actually damage your credit.

This is the only forum I've looked into so far. I'll have to be really careful to doublecheck any advice that I find in my research, I guess!

One of the worst pieces of advice often given out is "Dispute everything". This can lead to very bad consequences:

1) Disputing can cause your score to drop. A dispute removes certain aspects on OC TLs per FICO like your balance or CL and that can negatively impact your score if it actually helped your util.

2) Disputing can lead to the early demise of an OC TL. While that may sound good if you have a CO or a TL with a bunch of lates, if that TL was one of your oldest or helped your AAoA, then it's depature can possibly drop your score if the history helped more than the baddie hurt. Also, some OCs will automatically remove the negative aspects at the 7 yr mark and it could have reported as a positive for a while longer.

3) Disputing can lead the OC or CA to report worse than what they were before. If an OC wasn't reporting every late or if the OC/CA had not updated in a while, then they can update their reporting and that can cause your FICO scores to drop.

4) Disputing will almost always lead to increased collection activity if the debt is unpaid, including increased letters, calls, or increased risk of being sued.

5) Disputing makes it harder to get a PFD or GW accepted. I recall calling for a GW for Verizon once and they said that since I disputed an accurate account then they wouldn't grant the GW (though I don't they they'd accept it anyway).

6) Disputing can lead to a fraud alert in some instances if you dispute as "not mine" (I'm sure it depends on the OC/CA).

7) Disputing takes too much time. Sending a GW or calling in a GW if paid or a PFD if unpaid takes a week tops. A dispute can take up to 30-45 days.

8) When disputing, you typically only have one shot before being labeled a "frivolous disputer" by the CRAs (EX in particular).

9) A dispute comment can lead to a mortgage denial. YMMV on the lender.

10) A dispute can lead to a split file (primarily EQ).

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:17:08 GMT

@tk777777 wrote:
I love this forum! Just wondering if there are any other good active ones out there (dealing with credit repair/FICO improvement) that have solid information and experienced members?

Thanks!

I love this forum, too! Just a quick note that this forum has a "How to Rebuild Your Credit" board rather than a "How to Repair your Credit" board. Even though it seems like a matter of semantics, that very real focus is one of the things that sets this forum apart from the others.

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

JonStur — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:20:40 GMT

tk, I lurked on this board @2 years before corresponding with others. Since then I've researched and chat on many forums, but this one is by far my fav. The Mods allow people to express themselves but know when to reign it in, and most people are generally quite knowledgeable and love to offer advice based on their experiences. I have personally seen my FICO scores raise by almost 90 pts. learning how and when to dispute or determining the proper time to apply for credit. Like anything in life, take what others say as a guideline and do your own research to determine if it is the best course of action for your situation.

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:21:13 GMT

why not just lock this thread? anyone recommending an outside site/forum is getting shot down with an edit.

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

MarineVietVet — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 03:48:33 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
why not just lock this thread? anyone recommending an outside site/forum is getting shot down with an edit.

If you'll read the Forum's Credit Repair Discussion Guidelines you'll understand why myFICO has to be very careful about discussion of credit repair and thus what other sites are allowed to be linked to from here.

So far none of the sites recommended fit the criteria of what is permitted.

Edited for a typo.

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 03:39:37 GMT

@MarineVietVet wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
why not just lock this thread? anyone recommending an outside site/forum is getting shot down with an edit.

If you'll read the Forum's Credit Repair Discussion Guidelines you'll understand why myFICO has to be very careful about discussion of credit repair and thus what other sites are allowed to be linked to from here.

So far none of the sites recommeneded fit the criteria of what is permitted.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 3/11 pulled by lender- 835, EQ - 2/11-816, TU - 2/11-782

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".

Sorry. I didn't realize when posting that this question would be controversial and/or touchy.

Mods, you can delete my original post if it's causing problems.

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

MarineVietVet — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 03:52:49 GMT

@tk777777 wrote:

Sorry. I didn't realize when posting that this question would be controversial and/or touchy.

Mods, you can delete my original post if it's causing problems.

IMO your question is completely appropriate and not controversial at all.

The problem is other people not understanding why certain sites cannot be linked to. The reason for the restrictions is there for all to read if they would take the time to do so.

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

p- — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:41:09 GMT

@MarineVietVet wrote:
@tk777777 wrote:

Sorry. I didn't realize when posting that this question would be controversial and/or touchy.

Mods, you can delete my original post if it's causing problems.

IMO your question is completely appropriate and not controversial at all.

The problem is other people not understanding why certain sites cannot be linked to. The reason for the restrictions is there for all to read if they would take the time to do so.

From a BK years ago to:
EX - 3/11 pulled by lender- 835, EQ - 2/11-816, TU - 2/11-782

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem".

In layman's terms (correct me if I'm wrong):

This forum limits advice and postings to clear ethical practices in credit improvement, like disputing only invalid items. When a member offers advice that may be illegal of unethical, a moderator comes in and edits or removes it, or responds with a clarification.

Some credit forums do not have any such concerns. Advice found there may contain "tricks" to hide true credit problems from view, including disputing everything valid or not, or how to rent credit in authorized user form. Some also may contain advice that leads to short term gain but long term detriment. Some sites are for hire services that claim to be able to fix your credit, when in reality you would do better on your own following the free advice here.

Myfico has decided that they do not want to promote, link, or reference sites that may contain items like this. I have seen plenty of sites linked in these forums; just no one has put any on this thread that the Mods don't reject.

Maybe if the Mods put up some links to sites that they have allowed in other threads this would be clarified.

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

llecs — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:24:48 GMT

Ditto to -p. I can't speak to the notices of myFICO and see the same Guidelines and TOS that everyone else sees, and I hope I'm not overstepping any bounds, but it boils down to the advice offered. There's a law out there called the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA) as well as some similar state laws. This law governs how companies are to offer credit and credit repair advice and guidelines are strict. Because myFICO offers credit reports to all of us for those that want it, and because these forums are a medium for credit advice, there is a fine line that cannot be crossed from myFICO being a place for us to communicate on all things credit and a credit repair organization. As a result, there are more strict rules here than elsewhere that have to be enforced to prevent myFICO from being a CRO.

There are websites and forums out there that offer unethical credit advice but since they don't necessarily provide reports, they are mostly immune to the CROA. And many of these other forums offer terrible and unethical advice (IMO and IME). Because myFICO doesn't want to be seen as an endorcer of these sites, any links, inactive or active, are removed by us. You can certainly talk about CB, CIC, or others (I think they are even in our abbreviations page), but links are a no-no. In general, sites that offer unethical repair or credit advice (e.g. dispute everything and let God sort it out, or lie on applications to gain membership or to get credit, etc.) are zapped, as are any comments in these forums.

Re: Other boards/forums like this?

marty56 — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 20:31:24 GMT

One of the great things about this forum is the dedicated people here who not only strive to improve their credit the legal and ethical way but the poeple who help others do so as well. I wouldn't go anywhere else.