There are hundreds of law firms out there that specialize in credit repair. I may get sued for writing this, but its my opinion that credit repair law firms like Lexington Law are scams.
Let's say you have a goal to have perfect credit, meaning no negative entries and the highest credit score possible. Keep in mind that often these law firms can do a great job, but there are couple major problems.
Problem #1: Price Is NOT Right
In addition to set-up fees that average $99 at one of the most popular law firm, the monthly charges can be anywhere from $39 to $79. If their services only took one month, and believe me the 'true' process doesn't take more than a couple of days, then you would only be charged $39 to $79. The problem is law firms are in for business and their perspective is the longer they take to repair your credit the more money they make. This is why credit repair services usually cost you between $567 and $2,000 to get your credit fixed. This is why they are getting very, very rich.
But even that much would be worth it, wouldn't it? If they fix your credit for you? But how much sense does it make to pay $2000 or even $500, when you can get the same benefit from credit repair programs for less than a hundred bucks?! Well, you might say that your time is valuable and it's worth it to pay someone to do all the work.
Problem #2: You Do Most Of The Work Here's a dirty little secret with credit repair law firms. You still have to do most of the work yourself. More work, in fact, than when you use credible repair programs. Here's why:
First of all, you have to sign all kinds of paper work and Power of Attorney forms just to start the process. Some of these forms even require you to get your signature notarized. So the sign up process alone can take hours.
Then, you have to order your own credit reports from the credit bureaus.
Then, the credit bureaus are going to send the reports back to YOU, not to the law firm.
Of course, you then have to re-send the same letters to the law firms so that they have them for the records and making sure you make copies for your own file too.
Then, the law firm is going to scan your credit reports into a computer, and post it on their website.
Then, believe it or not, even with all the money you're paying the law firm, you still have to go to their website and choose for yourself which items you want to dispute and even how to challenge each negative credit item. You heard me right. When I hired a credit repair company, hoping they would take care of my credit, I had to choose which 'items to question' and know which items were errors. I wanted to protest, "How am I supposed to know? That's why I hired a professional!"
The law firm then takes the information you put on their website and create a standard dispute letters that they send to the credit bureaus.
Finally, the credit bureaus will still send all correspondence to your home address. So you will have to open every letter, read it, figure out if it's important, make copies of it for your records, and then put it in another envelope, address it, stamp it, and send it back to the law firm. You might have to do this five or six times every week.
So you can see how inefficient this process is. And because all of this takes so much time, the process drags on and on and the law firm just keeps making more and more money. In fact, credit repair law firms tell you that it can take a year, two years, or even three years before you reach your goal.
Problem #3: Forget about their crappy guarantee All they have to do is improve one item, such as a credit card inquiry, and they consider that they've done their job. Really! There's no money back even if 90% of your credit report is still negative after three years and $2000.
Credit Repair Law Firm
Getting started with repairing your credit is one of the very best things you can do for your financial well being. At the hands of the credit system, you are being abused in the form of inaccurate reporting and an unfair credit scoring model. Through credit repair, you can do your part to make sure you get the credit score you deserve - a credit score that is truly indicative of your credit worthiness.
Choosing the right credit repair company to help you achieve your credit goals is pivotal. What follows are tips and things you should look for when choosing the best credit repair company for you.
1) Look for a credit repair company with experience
An experienced credit repair company will have taken the time to learn what tactics work best for each type of dispute. Having a large number of clients and a track record of removing many items means that a credit repair company has enough information to know what works and what does not.
2) Look for a credit repair company that has been in business for a while
Credit repair, like many other industries, has it's fair share of scammers. Preying on desperate people who long for a better credit score, fraudulent "credit repair" companies promise amazing results but the only thing they manage to do is take off with your money.
Fortunately, these companies never last very long. They are either run out of town or shut down by the FTC or local law enforcement. What this means for you is that you can usually trust a credit repair company that has been in business for a number of years.
3) Check out the company's BBB report
To start with, look for the BBB's rating of the company and their explanation of this rating. For example, the BBB report for the credit repair company Credit Bureau Experts shows the company as having an unsatisfactory rating because of unsubstantiated advertising claims made on their site.
Also look at the number of unresolved complaints to see if the company has been responsive to their customer's problems. Almost all companies will have some complaints, and the larger the company the more complaints it will have, but it is how they deal with these complaints that is important. Look for a company that addresses the concerns of its clients as opposed to a company like Credit Fix Now (see BBB report) who has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB for not responding to to complaints.
4) Get the details on the company's payment policy
A common tactic of fraudulent credit repair companies is to charge you a large fee upfront and then either disappear with your money or otherwise not perform the agreed upon work. Many of the companies have been known to charge several hundred or even thousands of dollars before they will do any credit repair work.
Even though the practice of charging large upfront fees is illegal, there are still a number of smaller credit repair companies that try to get away with it. For example, the companies Credit Clean and Today's Credit Solutions are perfectly content to charge you one time fees of $1223 and $499.99 respectively for a year's worth of credit repair service. Granted, these companies may offer money back warranties, but that will be of little use to you if the company goes out of business or otherwise disappears.
5) Watch out for companies that guarantee to raise your credit score
To help protect you against credit repair companies who make impossible claims, the Credit Repair Organizations Act also forbids any credit repair organization from making guarantees about the results of their service when it pertains the the effect it will have on your credit reports.
While searching for a credit repair company, take note of any claims to "increase your credit score by 100 points", "lower your interest rates", or "remove all negative items from your credit reports". No company can legally make these claims and any company who implies they can should be avoided.
Both David Wada & Stuart Hunter are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
David Wada has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Loans. About The Author: David Wada, who has been repairing credit in Northern California for thirty years, has written a very practical guide to clarify Credit Repair Companies. For a limited period, you can access a free copy by going to his. David Wada's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.
Stuart Hunter has sinced written about articles on various topics from 3 Credit Bureau, Bad Credit Loans and Cars. Based on these criteria for finding the , the obvious choice for most people is Lexingt. Stuart Hunter's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
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