There are companies that help people with bad credit by using a variety of strategies, such as getting negative items removed via negotiation, identifying errors and having them fixed, etc. Since the industry is wrought with scams, it’s important that people are careful with their choice of a company. Not all affordable credit repair services are legitimate.
It’s possible to identify the trustworthy companies by knowing what kinds of red flags to look for and to avoid any company that has those red flags. A few of these red flags include:
• Trying to charge money upfront. This is actually banned by the Credit Repair Organization Act.
• Promises of a “quick and easy fix”. This is simply not possible – especially if they haven’t taken the time to first look at the client’s credit reports.
• Making any types of guarantees or specific claims, such as “Raise your score 200 points!”
• Having a lot of negative reviews and complaints filed against them.
• Not being open about what types of strategies they are going to use.
• Suggesting that the client actually create another identity. This is obviously against the law.
The ideal credit repair organization will always be upfront about what they will be able to do and what they won’t be able to do. They should have a team of lawyers working for them and use only legal means to get negative items removed.
Find Affordable Credit Repair Services
What about affordability? Only AFTER giving a free consultation should a credit repair company bring up payment. Some affordable credit repair services offer different levels of service at different prices. The lowest priced option will at the very least offer Bureau Challenge services and Credit Interventions. Even though they cannot make any specific guarantees regarding credit scores, they can provide a personalized score improvement analysis each month, which includes targeted information that could potentially help raise the score.
Communication is another important factor, in addition to price and payment plans. It’s very helpful if each client has a legal expert such as a paralegal assigned to their case, with whom they can communicate at any time, via email, phone, or chat. There should be coaching and guidance, as well as tools to help clients keep track of their case and monitor the results 24/7.
There are many credit report repair companies and only a few of them are legitimate and affordable. One company to really consider is Lexington Law, where free consultations are available. There are a few different payment plans to choose from, all of which include affordable credit repair services.