Correcting errors on your credit report can be a tedious and error-prone process. And there are way too many eager companies out there that are willing to take your money to do it. Here’s how to find the good ones.

Now that we’ve identified the outright illegal scams out there, let’s look at the aspects of the legitimate and reputable credit repair companies.

Since most people don’t get their credit report on a regular basis, they’re unaware of the inaccurate and damaging items that exist on most credit reports.

A recent study from the US Federal Reserve states that up to 79 percent of credit reports contain some type of error and 25 percent contain errors serious enough to result in denial of credit.

That’s why it’s important to get your credit report and get rid of the inaccurate and damaging items as soon as possible. Hiring a professional is one of the best ways to remove these items, since dealing with the reporting agencies is no walk in the park.

Can Credit Repair Company Guarantee Results?

The short answer is no.  Never. Any credit repair operation that says it can guarantee results is one to be avoided.

It’s kind of like an attorney guaranteeing his client that he will win the court case.  It can never happen in the courtroom and it can’t happen in the credit repair business.

However, a good credit repair company might offer some sort of refund if it doesn’t achieve the results it was expecting.

Attributes of a Good Credit Repair Company

While there are many outright frauds in the credit repair business, there are also reputable companies that are completely ethical and use the dispute process to defend you against negative entries on your report that you find to be incorrect.

These companies will use the rights that the law affords the consumer through federal legislation like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the Fair Credit Billing Act.

Through the use of these acts, an experienced and legitimate credit repair company, like Lexington Law Firm or Ovation Law can achieve results that will significantly improve your credit score.

A >good credit repair company< will:

• Use the legal dispute process resulting in negative items being dropped from credit reports. (whether the items are accurate or not)
• Educate you as to what to expect and give you details of the repair process.
• Offer detailed personalized service. This includes 24 hour access to support personnel.
• Give regular updates as to progress.
• offer a refund policy if expectations are not met.
• Use the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to your advantage.

Each credit repair company must also comply with the The Credit Repair Organizations Act.

The law states that credit repair organizations must give you a copy of the “Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law” before you sign a contract.

They also must give you a written contract that spells out your rights and obligations. Read these documents before signing the contract.

The Law Contains Specific Protections for You

For example, a credit repair company cannot:

• make false claims about their services;
• charge you until they have completed the promised services; or
• perform any services until they have your signature on a written contract and have completed a three-day waiting period. During this time, you can cancel the contract without paying any fees.

Your contract must specify:

• the payment terms for services, including their total cost;
• a detailed description of the services to be performed;
• how long it will take to achieve the results;
• any guarantees they offer; and
• the company’s name and business address.

Stick With it For 1 Year

The most important thing to remember is that repairing your credit is a long-term process and there are no easy fixes. Legitimate, reputable and effective credit repair companies request that you stick with the program for at least 6 months, since the 3 major credit reporting bureaus are slow to respond and will use stall tactics to get you to give up.

Remember, they (the big 3 Experian, Equifax and Transunion) are not making any money off taking the time to correct your report.

Lexington Law Firm is a legitimate and reputable credit repair law firm that’s very successful in repairing and restoring credit. They delete thousands of negative credit report entries each month.

You can stop living with bad credit and let a law firm remove your negative items from your credit report.