How Can I Dispute a Bad Credit Report
“How can I dispute bad ratings, especially bad credit on my reports?”
There are a lot of things you can do to dispute a bad credit rating on your credit report. Reports from Experian, Equifax or Transunion sometimes have errors listed. You have certain rights according to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (”FDCPA”) which offers protection for you as a debtor.
The most effective tool you have is a Letter of Dispute, which is addressed to the three major collection agencies. You are guaranteed certain information once you ask for it in your dispute letter, and they – the credit bureaus – are obligated by law to respond. However, you can expect that the bureaus, especially in the case of an Experian dispute, to move slowly, hoping that you become frustrated and just give up.
Don’t give up! Correcting wrong information takes time and patience. When writing your dispute letter, include the following information: Ask the debt be deleted immediately upon investigation. Remind them they are violating your rights by listing a erroneous entry.
Demand to know the correct amount of the debt, the date it was incurred and proof that it is, in fact, yours. Do they have a contract or anything else with your name on it? How do they know the debt is yours? You may have grounds to dispute even if it doesn’t belong to you.
Its safe to make copies of anything to write to the credit bureaus, and make sure you send it certified mail with a return receipt requested. Most credit bureaus prefer you do the investigation request on line, but then you don’t have a paper trail to fall back on. Why make it convenient for them, when you are the one being inconvenienced? Don’t write your full social security number. Block out the first five numbers, and only list the last four.
You need the hard copy to have proof in case you need to take your case to a court of law. If you don’t, its close to impossible to show you requested an investigation.
Discover how to dispute credit the legal way.
May 7, 2010 | Posted by Eileen Loveman
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