where do I start?

Some time ago we had a young fella, whom I never see anymore, who basically asked the same question. I thought it might help to see if I could put this into perspective for you, so I'm reposting it here, for your perusal.

It takes a long time just to realize it takes a LOOONG time.

 

Howdy!

You need a plan.

Take a deep breath. Slow down, spend a little time assessing what it is you want to do, and MAKE A PLAN.

GOAL: Raise my score from xyz to abc by 10/1/03.

MILESTONES:

(1) Get Credit123 removed due to inaccuracies.
(2) Dispute CollectionABC.
(3) Convert ChargeOff's to Paid's.

ACTIONS:

(1) Validate and verify tactics
(2) Pursue violations and pocket extra cash for stupid mistakes on the behalf of CRA's and CA's
(3) Read and educate myself daily on the process here at CREDITNET

Et cetera, etc.

BOTTOM LINE: It's a process; and it's not mechanical nor abstract. Combine both of those, and you have a good idea of what this is all about. You have things that work some times (loopholes), things which work all of the time (laws), and things which only work rarely (luck).

Educate yourself, and post questions about what you can't find out or what you need clarified.

Type them into this board, and sit back and let the people here tear into 'em. Some will be ignored - this means you have to read more because the question you asked is probably asked frequently and all are groaning asking things like "Why doesn't he/she read some more before posting that?"

Proper posting involves reading up on what's available, and posting specific questions. It saves everyone time here. And in the end, you'll want to get this thing going rapidly. Just be prepared to spend a little time getting up to speed.

For the record, here are my suggestions:

(1) Read this board. Committ to visiting this board for 10 days in a row, and not doing anything before that. The most common post on this board includes something like:

"I wish I had known about CreditNet.com before..."

or

"I wish I had studied this topic before doing xyz..."

Don't make the new-guy/new-gal mistake and jump right into the process.

(2) Read the INTRO and FAQ on the beginning page of this forum. Read them twice, or three times. Read PsychDOC's primer also. You can't have a good repair process without a good mindset behind it. Trust me. Creditors and Collection Agencies are there to GET YOUR MONEY by hook or by crook. They PREY upon the unsuspecting and generally dumbfounded public, and the public's fear of litigation and consequences gives them all of the power they need.

I'm not saying that you need to be a fool, a crook, or a con artist to get ahead in this game. I'm saying that with EDUCATION, you can level this playing field, and even tilt it to your advantage.

Heck, the CRA's and CA's should know the law, but if you can know more of it than they do: Consumer: 1, BadGuys: 0.

EXAMPLE: Tonight, I basically told Arrow Financial to go take a long walk off of a short pier if they weren't going to meet my request for specific language for a paid settlement. This is for a Crapital One card. Even if I'm wrong doing what I did tonight, (that would suck, but...) I really had confidence to tell them what I WANTED. I knew in advance WHAT to SAY, and what to expect. I knew from reading these boards that they'll say ANYTHING to get you to scribe that check and send those greenbacks, because they don't give a flip in the end. Again, it's YOUR credit, not theirs. Sure enough, true to this board's collective knowledge, they spouted this and that, and said "Illegal to do anything other than xyz", and I knew how to reply, calmly, professionally, and quickly.

I really feel as though I have them on the run. This is only after visiting this board for two nights in row, probably 4 hours total. With that little knowledge (and some previous experience), I can deal with my creditors confidently. It's exciting and refreshing to have POWER -- and I want more education on this site so that I can continue to deal with my obligations with force AND knowledge. It rocks!

(Cue "Eye of the Tiger")

(3) Be patient. It took you a good while to screw things up, or for them to get screwed up. Set a goal. 2 months, 3 months, 1 year, etc. Ask questions about what is realistic. You might be expecting a 900 FICO score with a single deletion, but, uh, that probably isn't realistic. It all depends, but you need to have the patience to do this. Or else, go spend several hundred to several thousand to go get professional help so they can get paid to have the same patience. Trust me, you can do this on your own.

(4) Reread everything, question everything, and learn everything. In this quest, you can be assured that too much information isn't possible. You want to know the FCRA inside and out when and where possible. You want to know the language of the creditor, for they are our ENEMY!! (Opps, getting a little jaded here). Know thyself, and know they enemy. In fact, it's often said, you want to keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. While I don't (and I'm sure others agree) advocate being friendly with your creditor/collections folks or CRA's -- I do strongly recommend you study them like you're going on a hunt for a rare animal. Know what makes them tick, what they desire above all else. Know that; learn it well, and you shall have unlimited power in your hand as you journey down this road.

(5) Get OVER-organized. I'm up to $50 in office supplies, and I haven't even sent my first letter out. I'm getting envelopes, two file boxes, files, folders, stickers, envelopes for return receipts, etc. I'm scanning, faxing, printing and storing everything I can think of, and then some. If (and when) the time comes for you to PROVE IT, you'd better be "Norm the Nerdy Record Keeper" and have your ducks in a row. This is WAR, and you'd better realize the people who come out of this alive have learned to keep immaculate records.

(6) Don't listen to me. Get 3 or 4 opinions on everything.

--> It's YOUR Credit you're dealing with, not ours. <--

(7) Get serious. Take the situation into YOUR hands, and learn how to take responsibility for this process. No one else will do this for you (without paying, of course).

Credit is damned serious business, and you'd better start this off the right way. If you feel you aren't getting the answer from someone, or you don't feel comfortable with the advice you get on these boards, move along, and try others. It aint' no skin of anyone's back.

However, honestly, IMHO, this board is probably one of the better one's I've seen, and I've been searching for about a year, on and off.

Hey, in the long run, it's better that you verify what you hear on this board against other boards, or sites, or articles -- than believe me or someone else and screw your file up big time. In reality, there ARE good veterans on this board, and you can tell the knowledgeable from the clueless, just read their post and look for things which suggest, advise, and recommend -- NOT flame, threaten or guess. In fact, most online discussions are self healing -- a bad comment will more than likely be torn at and shredded automatically. Just be patient and this board will work for you.

Well, finally, good luck. I think that this all really amounts to spit, hard work, and some plain ole' luck. Above all, share your experiences with us, and one day, some visitor will benefit from YOUR words of wisdom.

Sorry I don't have much to offer in terms of hard process, or exact science. I am very new to this too, but I think I have the right attitude and correct posture for this to really work for me. I want to see it work for you too.


NextLevel

 

Wow Next

That was great!

 

NextLevel, I truly enjoyed your post. Being a newbie, it help to reinforce the basics of what it takes to accomplish credit goals.