I tried Lexington (Mistake!)

Radiohead,
My condolences on getting screwed... I wish you the best on getting results the creditnet way.
Go get em!!

 

I understand if you can get a hold of them on the phone, you should be able to get some or most of your money back.... do some research and keep pounding emails and letters.. I bet you get a check or a refund.

 

radiohead,

why did you go there? you were doing so good on you own?

P.S. I was wondering where you were !

 

Thanks for the "heads up" As a rookie(I hate the word newbie) I have wondered whether to start the road to repair myself or enlist the services of a pro. Fortunately I have decided to go it on my own but I am one of those people that has to force myself to be patient. I am going to copy and paste your post and put on my front page so every time I get frustrated from doing it myself I will have a reminder of what can happen if I don't do it on my own.
Thanks Again, and sorry you got screwed.

 

Just a note. I am cancelling Jack Scrold's service as soon as I can figure out how. They served their purpose and got (2) really nasty accounts off my files. However, it has been slim pickings since then. A few lates here and there deleted. I think I can do better on my own. It's just that I didn't really have the time before. I guess I'll just have to make the time because I am working on a deadline. I need clean reports by January to get a decent mortgage and if I stick with Schrold I don't think I'll make it.

 

I here you. I bought some time and explained to my wife that interest on things would be so expensive that it wouldn't be worth it. Now we are going to pay cash for a $1500 clunker and wait on another house until I have cleaned up our reports. I've also commited to making time for handling this on my own. I just stay up after I get home from work, sometime until 2 am. I'm going to beat this one way or another. BAD credit most of my adult life.
EQ 478
EX 557
TU ???(don't know yet)
So, my journey begins!!!!!!!!!

 

Wow-I joined Lexington also, but luckily I have not had any problems so far. I joined in June. I am going to cancel my account with them also though. Their process is too slow. Actually I got so frustrated waiting for their process to start I started disputing myself online and managed to get my first deletion on my own. I went to Lexington because I just was not comfortable starting this journey on my own. I am better armed now to fight for myself because of all of the info I have learned. My reports are a mess and with or without them, I have a long way to go!

 

Radiohead, how did this happen? From what i understand from Lexington, there is very little chance of deleting a positive account. My friend signed up recently and did the Dispute Valet. She emailed me the logon so I could look around. It seemed pretty clear cut to me. I used to be a member at Jack Scrold's office and there is ample room for error in that situation. I thought Lexington looked like they were more on top of things. Did they email you and tell you that they were disputing these positive tradelines?

 

Yea, I thought they did some wierd stuff too. For example, my friend emailed them and asked a specific question. They emailed back with the most non-specific answer. The answer they gave could have applied to any question asked. She wasn't happy with the detail of their response, emailed them again, and asked a more specific question about the same issue. They replied again with an email that was just funny. It was so flowery and did not address her issue at all. It looked like the emails were just waiting in que for a question. If she emails me the first time, send this response. For the second time, send this response and so on. I don't know if she ever really got her question answered. I haven't heard of their progress yet, but I am dying to know.

 

You had more succes then I had with them.
I was almost decided to sign up with them, I sent them an e-mail asking them a question before I sign up.1 week later no reply at all, I sent another e mail asking them If they ever reply to e -mails and again no reply!!!

I gave up on them for now.

 

Pass on Lexington .

Lexington disputed one of my positive tradelines and it was deleted. It had a similar name to one of my tradelines that has some late pays. Both of the tradelines were deleted! Imagine how ignorant they would have to be, I not only sent in a highlighted copy of my reports, but also used their online dispute valet.

They disputed one tradeline with late pays which was updated as paid, never late on the first round, and then turned right around and disputed the now positive tradeline again.

I called them on both of these issues and they stated that they would never do such a thing. I then e-mailed them scanned in documents of the reports, dispute results, and my original list of items to dispute where it was obvious what they had done (f^#*&ed up). The Lexington rep told me he could not open my scanned files. This was a complete lie as I sent each and every one of my reports and documentation via e-mail to them from the beginning. They never had any trouble before and I never sent one piece of snail mail to them.

They also disputed a tradeline which I specifically asked them on multiple occasions not to. I told them that I was working on this myself and I was nearing a resolution and didn't want to stir things up.

Their e-mail replies are very vague and even after you restate the question over and over again, they still don't really answer you. The phone conversations are the same way. Thier people don't even seem to be completely familiar with the FDCPA. I am surprised that they can even get dressed and make it to work in the morning.

They tell you to wait 60 days to hear back from a dispute and they don't send disputes CRRR. They will misrepresent this fact to you when you ask. I sent them an e-mail before I joined their service asking that specific question, "Do you send CRRR, and do I have to pay the postage for this?". They replied "we pay all postage."


When asked for a copy of the disputes they send so I could see what they were up to, they say they don't keep them for "privacy" reasons....which is total BS. They keep copies of your credit reports but not the letters??? What kind of privacy issue is this. More likely they don't want you to see the very unprofessionally written letters they send out to the CRA's.

TU has already identified them and are on gaurd when they receive any mailings from them. I spoke with a TU rep anonymously about this. I am theorizing that they watch the bar code on the envelope for their zip but a TU rep would not admit to it. In fact, after 3 rounds of disputes, TU labled each one of them frivolous. However, when I personally disputed them, I got deletions on the first round. Lexinton will only respond that they are working on this issue and looking into their legal options. Great for you, but I can't wait a year to get these errors cleared up.

I cancelled Lexington. I thought they would be more convenient than doing this myself, but I spent more time hand holding them than doing it myself. I have had much better results on my own.

 

Dear Quasar27,

I am a consultant to Lexington Law and their principals have been watching this thread. Here's what I found (and what I know from long experience in credit repair

1. Lexington would never dispute a positive account and would never dispute an account that the client didn't specifically ask to be disputed. This is impossible as the database itself will not serve up an item to be disputed without the client's say so. However, when a tradeline is multifaceted - when it has a negative entry on the report and a positive entry on the same account - then the bureaus will typically delete both if the tradeline doesn't respond to the dispute. This happens regardless of who disputes the item (a lawyer, some credit repair company, or yourself.) And, it's far, far better to have a negative/positive tradeline pair deleted completely than it is to keep the positive (plus, there is no other way.) In other words, we know of no way to control the bureaus into deleting one-half of a tradeline. You have to argue that "this part of the Amex account is somehow wrong while this other part is somehow right." This approach would never work reliably. It is better, and much more likely to get a deletion, to dispute the account generally and let the paired positive go. (This pairing of positive and negative under the same tradeline is not very common, anyway.)

2. Putting CRRR postage on a dispute letter is a double-edged sword: it can hurt the dispute process as much as help it. Lexington does not CRRR most disputes because they've found, in past tests, that this tends to increase the incidence of rejected disputes. Mostly, Lexington would like their disputes to slide into the investigatory process without raising any undue attention (which the CRRR does.)

3. For a creditnet poster, the email replies might seem vague simply because a creditnet poster is going to ask process-heavy/nitty-gritty kinds of questions. The attorneys pre-write or review most common email replies to ensure accuracy and regulatory compliance. Lexington is under enormous regulatory oversight and is extremely careful about how they answer unusual, procedural questions such as the ones you indicated. Furthermore, when you start asking them process questions rather than casework questions, they're not super thrilled to give you the crown jewels (the credit repair techniques that they've pioneered and tested at great expense to themselves over the last ten years.)

4. Since I wrote the original piece of code that generates dispute letters, I can tell you with certainty that they do not keep copies of disputes letters.

5. TU would like to catch Lexington letters, but that is not possible on any serious scale. You assume that Lexington sends their letters from their home zip code (which is not true and has never been the case.) Lexington dispute letters come from close to or directly from the client's own zip code. TU has done their best to catch Lexington correspondence (they fight Lexington tooth and nail) and make as much trouble for Lexington as they can, but that is simply not possible on an ongoing basis. Lexington gets hundreds of TU deletions per day - as much as from any other credit bureau.

Once again, we have this age-old conversation with Creditnet posters: you think that the methods discussed on this board are superior to Lexington's (while Lexington has had many, many years and hundreds of thousands of disputes to establish best-possible methods.) Not to discount the pioneering that goes on with this board - Lexington watches the board for new approaches. Rather, the methods of Lexington are proven, while the hands-on methods of this board are innovative. It would be as arrogant for Creditnetters to discount Lexington as it would be for Lexington to discount the innovators of this board.

Also, credit repair hobbyists, as we find on this board, are not good Lexington clients. If you want to dump a bunch of your own attention and energy into credit repair, you are better served doing it on your own! Don't hire a firm and then get your fingers in the pie! If you're willing to put up the time, do it on your own. You'll be happier, if not more successful.

Rather, if you don't want to become a hobbyist, hire Lexington and let them do their job (without worrying the details.)

Rock on Creditnetters!

 

I just want to jump in here. I work in Client Support with Lexington Law Firm, and I am very concerned about some of the comments made in this thread. I am available by phone during business hours, and I would love to work with you Radiohead, to resolve any issues you have had with our service.

I want to assure you that it is our policy to dispute ONLY negative items on a client credit report. In many instances either the credit bureaus or a creditor will delete all account information when we dispute a simple late pay.

Letâ??s keep in mind who we are fighting here. We are on your side. Our commitment is to help you restore your good credit. The bureaus are notorious for storing and selling inaccurate information about you, but as soon as something goes wrong itâ??s easy to assume that it was Lexington who made the mistake. The Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1996 was created to place accountability on the Credit Bureaus for the simple reason that the bureaus get it wrong so often.

I am not avoiding responsibility. If you feel that we disputed positive information I will be happy to review this and I promise that I will resolve this issue.

I want to be very clear. Our passion as a Law Firm is to help our clients restore their good credit. We know that we get it wrong sometimes, but we are always willing to take accountability if we have made a mistake, and the best way to work through this is over the phone. Every client who retains us is given a phone number to his personal Client Advocate. We do this so you can speak with someone familiar with your case when situations such as these arise.

We also feel that the phone is very valuable if you get a responses to an e-mail that doesnâ??t make sense. We personally respond to each and every e-mail you send us, and my team is phenomenal when it comes to responding to emails, but sometimes our responses fall short. We are aware of that and we are always striving to improve the quality of our e-mail responses.

Radiohead, I invite you to call me and letâ??s get this resolved. It is very difficult for me to resolve something posted on a message board. We will do much better on the phone. This offer goes for any of you anytime. Monamour, Skwirl, feel free to call me and I will answer any questions you have about us. My number is 1-800-341-8441 ext. 242.

We are on the same team!!

 

Look at all the Lexington-ites coming out of hiding. At least they seem to be trying to be helpful.

I thought long and hard about replying to this response and I initially decided that a long-winded debate would be a waste of my time. However, I wanted to make sure the record is set straight for the rest of the board members who are considering Lexington... trying to give a little back to the board.

First, I am in no way affiliated with Lexington or any other credit website, firm, book, or otherwise. I am simply a normal consumer not unlike most people here. I in no way will realize any personal gain based upon relating to you my own personal experience nor would I have any reason to tell you a dis-truth. That being said, please find my responses to Jayson in bold within the quote below.

 

...continued...

Unfortunately, the responses that you use to make your work flow more productive and cost effective do not answer even some of the simplest of questions such as:
1) What reason did you dispute this tradeline? (understand that I was asking this about the tradeline you disputed that I had asked you not do so)
2) Did you send the CRA the UDF I sent to you?
3) Doesn't the FDCPA state that the CRA must complete an investigation w/i 30 days?
4) When are you going to respond or send another dispute to TU in regards to their "frivolous" response?

Jayson, let's face it, the dispute process that Lexington uses is cookie cutter. One needs little business experience to understand that volume and simplicity is why Lexington can make money. There are no crown jewels involved. I was very surprised to find that the person I was working with had only an introductory knowledge of the FDCPA and tried to provide me with incorrect information. Lexington is simply massaging the system as are the rest of us. We've just discovered that we don't need to be intimidated by lawyers, credits, and CRA's.

If you think that any normal client would retain a legal firm and then be refused procedural information or be in the dark information concerning their own case, you are mistaken.



4. Since I wrote the original piece of code that generates dispute letters, I can tell you with certainty that they do not keep copies of disputes letters.



I am able to technically comprehend this being true, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt. However, the reasoning provided by the Lexington rep, "privacy," cannot be, in essence, the true reasoning behind the retention policy for these documents. The databases hold much more sensitive information.

In any case, if the rep could have simply told me the reason that they used to dispute the tradeline in question, I would have never even asked for a copy of the letter. I know that I did not give a reason for the dispute on dispute valet, email, or by phone. In fact, I had asked that the tradeline not be disputed.




5. TU would like to catch Lexington letters, but that is not possible on any serious scale. You assume that Lexington sends their letters from their home zip code (which is not true and has never been the case.) Lexington dispute letters come from close to or directly from the client's own zip code. TU has done their best to catch Lexington correspondence (they fight Lexington tooth and nail) and make as much trouble for Lexington as they can, but that is simply not possible on an ongoing basis. Lexington gets hundreds of TU deletions per day - as much as from any other credit bureau.



I can assure you that TU had intimate knowledge of Lexington and it's processes. I don't think this is the proper forum to discuss the information that I know concerning this, as it is mostly hearsay.



Once again, we have this age-old conversation with Creditnet posters: you think that the methods discussed on this board are superior to Lexington's (while Lexington has had many, many years and hundreds of thousands of disputes to establish best-possible methods.) Not to discount the pioneering that goes on with this board - Lexington watches the board for new approaches. Rather, the methods of Lexington are proven, while the hands-on methods of this board are innovative. It would be as arrogant for Creditnetters to discount Lexington as it would be for Lexington to discount the innovators of this board.



My post has nothing to do with arrogance. It is a 100% complete, true, and accurate representation of the service that I received from Lexington.

I don't think anyone would dispute that Lexington has been able to get thousands of deletions by using time honored and traditional "cookie cutter disputes." I am also certain the Lexington is always looking to expand their services but it is also evident that the more in depth methods on this board are beyond the current capabilities of Lexington as they require much more personalized service, time, and personnel investment.

I am providing my own experiences so that others can make an informed choice about their own credit journey. Facts should and can be separated from opinions. The facts are clear and documented. My opinion is that most anyone who has a spare hour per week can achieve the same or likely better, faster results.


Also, credit repair hobbyists, as we find on this board, are not good Lexington clients. If you want to dump a bunch of your own attention and energy into credit repair, you are better served doing it on your own! Don't hire a firm and then get your fingers in the pie! If you're willing to put up the time, do it on your own. You'll be happier, if not more successful.



I agree. I also think that most consumers are capable of the same results on their own. It doesn't take huge amounts of energy or attention. In fact, if that is your selling point, I'd say that I expended more time and energy trying to get Lexington information, getting someone to put it in the database correctly, and over-all hand holding them to make sure they weren't taking advantage of me by dragging out the process. I am sure you'd agree that an informed consumer would want to be on top of a service they are paying for monthly.


Rather, if you don't want to become a hobbyist, hire Lexington and let them do their job (without worrying the details.)



I agree. If you don't want to do anything but get your reports, mail them to Lexington, then sit back and pay them monthly all the while waiting for results without knowing what or how they are affecting on your report...you should sign up immediately. The service is one of the lesser expensive services.

but....
In my experience:
Don't expect quick results. Lexington web site says to expect a year of disputes before they will even consider it a potential wash and issue you a credit.

Expect to have some positive tradelines deleted. It might happen even if you do it yourself, but at least you can be descriptive about the errors on your report and you know exactly what they are when you dispute yourself.

Expect your credit report copies to get lost and having to send them in multiple times before the changes are updated in Lexington's system.

Expect that some data entry mistakes will be made and that accurate tradelines may be disputed even if you are in the process of negotiating them.

Expect to wait a couple of days for responses to any e-mails.

Expect vague responses to your e-mails or phone calls that don't answer your questions.

Expect to be completely in the dark about how Lexington might be affecting your credit report or having you placed on a "special", "watch" or "hawk" alert.

Expect marketing e-mails from them asking you to try their service even after you have signed up for it.

Expect an account review that is incorrect and outdated in order for them to establish compliance and show the value of their service and what they have or have not done for you.

Expect them to whine when you cancel their service and have them e-mail you saying that telling your personal experiences to others with them is slanderous.

I could go on, but there are several other posts concerning individual experiences with Lexington.

In summary...caveat emptor...buyer beware.



Rock on Creditnetters! [/QUOTE]

 

I think that this thread is definitely a must read for all creditnetters. I really shows the pitfalls of hiring a agency to do something that you can do on your own...for free.

The second Lexingtonite that posted made pretty much no sense at all. That flowery BS never really got down to the problems with the Lexington program.

I agree with Jayson that the average consumer might benefit, but the "hobbyist" won't. So true...we won't benefit because we most likely know more or just as much about the law as Lexington does.

 

It's worth saying that the idea that you can do this for yourself "for free" isn't quite true if you value your time. I myself turned my year of intensive credit repair into practically a full-time job. Now, while I enjoyed that, I can tell you that I sure as hell devoted more than $35 of my time per month into the business of cleaning up my credit. (And that doesn't include the cost of CRRR, lawsuits, or whatever your miscellaneous expenses turn out to be for your techniques du jour.) It may be hard for some of us on this board to believe, but some people are simply not interested in delving into the intricasies of FCRA and FDCPA and FCBA and TILA and etc. like we are. For someone who just doesn't want to turn credit repair into an obsession (like those of us who are admitted Creditnet addicts, myself included), I think that hiring someone to do it is a very good option indeed, especially if the price is reasonable.

Every time I hear someone say that you can do it yourself for free, I really have to laugh out loud. Count up your hours.

I myself contracted with Lexington for a few months before I became a full-fledged credit repair addict and experimenter and Creditnet maven. I found them to be responsive and a bargain. In just a couple of rounds, they successfully removed a few tradelines from each of my reports. Of course had I not taken matters into my own hands, I would never have cleaned up some very difficult things as quickly through Nutcase, Goodwill, and small claims suits, etc., and would have never had such fun as a result. (Not to mention that I wouldn't have met some good friends here.) Regardless, and again I realize it's tough for some of us to believe, LOL, but there are people out there -- quite normal people -- who just don't have the time or desire to become credit repair pioneers and full-time FCRA spelunkers and Creditnet addicts. Those normal folks aren't MY kind of folks, LOL, but hey, in a free market economy somebody is going to fill that need, and good for them.

Doc