We’ve all heard of the horror stories about dealing with the credit reporting agencies. Recently, I’ve had the misfortune to experience this nightmare first hand.
Before I rant too much on this, I want to share some info with the three people who read this blog regularly. If you want to contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies and speak with a human being, take the following numbers down:
- Equifax - 800-846-5279
- Experian - 800-493-1058
- TransUnion – 800-916-8800
The numbers provided above will get you straight to a human being within a matter of minutes. Getting them to do what you want and what the law states in many cases in another matter entirely, so your mileage may vary. The key is knowing the facts pertaining to your particular situation, being honest and probably most important, being persistent.
Before contacting a credit reporting agency, be prepared with all the facts and circumstances pertaining to your particular issue. If you’re looking to dispute an item on your report, I would recommend you speak with someone who has experience in dealing with these types of issues. In many instances, you can do yourself more harm than good.
The cottage industry that has sprung up around credit repair is nothing short of astounding. It’s an industry that is masked in secrecy with a mixed reputation. Just like with anything, you’re paying for their expertise and experience. I highly encourage you to do your homework before paying anyone to work on your behalf.
Avoid anyone who states they can ‘fix your credit quickly’. It’s simply not possible and the old adage of ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is’ certainly applies here. Your credit score is a reflection of how you manage your credit, bill payments, and limitations of credit. If you’ve been irresponsible with credit, future creditors have a right to know this. However, if you have a legitimate issue, the system is designed to help you – which is where the persistence comes into play. If something is an error, you’re not going to stop until it’s corrected.
What is so frustrating is that the credit agencies make it absolutely difficult for good people to dispute legitimate issues. Not everyone deals with these things everyday and sometimes all we need is a human being on the other end of a phone, helping us navigate this confusing and frustrating maze of mis-information. It’s my hope the numbers provided in this post will help you the same way they helped me.
More From scottlaplant
scottlaplant Recommends
No related posts.