In the Library Do-It-Yourself Credit Repair section it reads: ...anything you do that suggests you are attempting to repair your own credit will be frowned upon by the bureaus and earn you â??frivolousâ?? status. The bottom line is this: whatever you do, don't get their attention. Question 1) This is a scary statement, does this still apply? I don't want to get one of those â??hawkâ?? thingees. How do I avoid appearing as if I'm doing credit repair if that is, by definition, what I'm doing? Also in the Library: There is no need to wait on sending your disputes. Send them as you get them done, provided that at least 90 days have passed since your last dispute to the bureau. Question 2) Do you still have to wait 90 days after settling one dispute before moving on? I have read many threads that say to settle a few and move right along. I'm confused about how many disputes I should try to fix at a time (1-2 according to PsychDoc's Primer, no more than 5 according to Butch's FAQ, lots of answers inbetween). Question 3) How many disputes per bureau at a time? I'm lost on where to start (not start as in: day 1, but start as in: after reading, reading, reading, organizing, etc.) Little stuff or big stuff? I've read suggestions for both. I've also read to start by correcting personal info. Question 4) Should I start by removing incorrect personal info (10-yr old previous address, bad phone #, name variations), 1 charge-off (legitimate), 2 collections (one paid, one â??not mineâ??), or late pays (one or two late pays to credit cards still in good standing)? Many Thanks In Advance- Alex
The CRA's are sensitive to Credit Repair Companies (CRO's) and will brand any dispute they think is from a CRO as frivolous. Individual consumers get caught in this trap when they start using the cut and paste method of disputing. The CRA's have a handful of people who read these letters. they can spot a cut and paste pretty quickly. Write your letter on your own, using your own words and you should not have any problem. When I started my credit repair my first dispute to the CRA's had over 40 TL's I was disputing and the CRA's didn't brand a single one as frivolous.
Thanks for the answer to that. I'll sound as official, but uncanned as I can. ;-) Can anyone help with question 2, 3 and 4? Thanks.
Thanks again. One more thing...question 4 wasn't yes/no, it was multiple choice (you answered yes). Where should I start? Small or big. I've read in a couple of places that there are two schools of thought here but have yet to come across a solid rationale in my search through the archives. Thanks.
Then the answer to 4 is "All of the Above". The reasoning being - if it's inaccurate or incomplete then it is wrong. You have the right to correct it.
It's also about what you feel you can effectively manage, the next steps get more involved, and if you think you are organized sufficiently to stay on top of them, do them all at once.
Thanks to you both for the clarification. I'm starting with the personal info then moving onto the Collections and Charge-Offs. Then once I eat that frog I'll move onto the lates which should be a lot easier to knock off.