Do those "credit repair" places really increase credit scores?

are they legit, and if yes, do they help much at all? How long do they take to do whatever theyre going to do ?

Credit repair should not be confused with credit counseling.

Credit counseling services like CCCS are very valuable services that can really help a person out of trouble if they have gotten in over their head financially. This happens sometimes.

Credit repair services are services that find ways to have negative information removed from your credit report. Contrary to popular belief, it is not just a process of hounding the credit reporting agencies until they get tired of dealing with the account and they just remove it. There is a systematic process of legal challenges that has to take place.

There are those companies out there who will write letters on your behalf and will be successful in having some information removed from your report. If you are looking to just have a temporary increase in your credit score for just long enough to obtain a mortgage, for example, then these cut-rate services will suffice. You can have the job done for as little as $200. Just understand that the job they are going to do for you is temporary and it is likely that the information they remove will return at some point. If you want it removed again, you will have to pay again.

Then there are services out there who will do a much better job for you and permanently remove some negative information from your credit reports. This will cost anywhere from $500 to $1000, though I have seen some as high as $2,500. They will have limited success in removing some negative information from your report permanently. But as a general rule, they will be unsuccessful at removing ALL negative information from your report.

The companies that fall into this category are those like Lexington Law. Yes they will be successful in increasing your credit score. It usually takes about six months or so, longer for some and less time for others. But on average, it takes about six months.

But there are those companies out there who will remove ALL negative information from your reports and do it permanently. They usually cost more, but the results are worth it. They can cost anywhere from $750 on up. As a general rule they will average around $1000. The time frame they work with will be about the same, around six months. However, the reputable ones will continue to work with you for 18 months. This way, after they have cleaned up your credit they can continue to monitor your reports to ensure that the information they have removed remains removed. If it shows back up again, they get rid of it again at no cost to you.

Anytime that you have negative information removed from your credit reports, your score should rise. This is not always the case. As in the case with the person above, what she didn't tell you was that all she had on her report was negative information, so it ALL had to go. This is a worst case scenario. When a person has no positive accounts to work with, the absolute best they can hope for is a clean slate and they will have to start over.

Yes, credit repair is legitimate. As long as they follow the laws of the United States and the state from which they operate. Check with the company to ensure they are licensed, insured and bonded. Ask them to prove it. If they are legitimate, they will offer proof.

Beware of Brian Williams. He is on parole from the State of California for check fraud. He is currently operating a credit repair scam out of Louisianna. I have had several clients come to me with horror stories of how he has taken their money and done no work for them. We have worked with them and done more for them in three months than he has in over a year. It is my understanding that he is under investigation by authorities for his alleged fraudulent activities, however, I have as yet been unable to confirm that.

Are there scams out there dealing with credit repair? Yes. But there are scams in every industry and service in the country. From Enron to mechanics to doctors, to house painters. As with all things, you need to do your due dilligence and research before you sign on with any firm.

If you have any further questions regarding this issue, you may contact me at nebula7693@yahoo.com

Don't pay them for something you can do for free.

Yes many like CCCS are legit, but you have to watch out for a lot of scams where they take your money and don't respond. The best way to repair your credit is to pay your creditors, if you're having trouble paying, just call them up and set up a payment plan. Anything Consumer Credit Counseling Sevices can do, you can do for free.

no, pay who you owe, thats the best way.

What happens is they dispute negative entries on your credit report. This something that you can accomplish your self.

There are alot of scams in this area and most will do more harm than good.

There are several attorneys that specialize in the area of consumer credit. I would trust the attorneys, because they know the law and how to work it to their advantage.

As my attorney recently told me, yes, amazingly enough, they seem to be legit...but can they help get you out of financial troubles? No. If you are taken to court for not paying a debt will they fly across the country and show up in court to help you? No. Do they make alot of promises that they cannot possibly follow through on? Yes. I recently paid a company thousands of $$$, and they accomplished NOTHING. They paid on NONE of my accounts. They RUINED my credit worse than it ever was or ever would have been had I not signed up with them. If I had paid them for the 3 years I was originally supposed to, they still would NOT have been able to "repair" anything. I see these places as "Legal Scams". We were having financial issues because of an on-going medical problem, unfortunately we are now broke and in bankruptcy. This company finished us off. Don't do it.

Actually, there are legitimate credit repair businesses that assist you in increasing your credit score. Remember that NO legitimate business can remove bad credit items if they are true and within the proper reported period. In most cases 7 years. However, what has gotten credit repair business a bad name are the scam ones that claim they can repair your credit, even if your reports are accurate (and reflect a poor payment history). Usually, they send out a bunch of dispute letters on everything (valid or not) and hope that the credit bureaus will remove everything that is not verified by the creditor/lender. However, while this might and I stress the word MIGHT be a quick/short temporary fix, it will not repair your credit for the long term. Only time and a good payment history will do that.

However, a good credit repair service, such as Credit Plus, can help you by assisting you with what you need to improve your score; what you can ignore; and proper verification and accurate reporting of what your record is. I have seen them improve a party's score by 100 points which is QUITE a bit. However, that's a great case scenario and they cannot do that in every case.

Just make sure you check out what ever company you are considering; ask them what they are planning on doing for their money and you; and whether or not they actually are approved by the bureaus to "rapid restore". I will be surprised if every company you talk to will be able to answer all these questions in a way that you are comfortable.

You have to be on the brink of bankruptcy with no assets,60 days late on everything,but they can negotiate payments,reduce amounts owed,under certain circumstances.For a fee.A big fee.

no do it yourself .we recently usd one of those companies and other answers were right.you can do the same stuff yourself.all the credit counselort did for us was have our credit report wiped clear,even the positive stuff to the point that our score is a flat 0.we had a better chance of getting the homeloan before than we do now.good luck

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