September 2009

Credit repair dispute: handle all of your correspondence via registered or certified mail!

It’s important to handle all of your correspondence via registered or certified mail!

I can’t tell you how many times people have written to me and told me that they can’t understand why a deal negotiated over the phone with a creditor or a credit reporting agency didn’t happen, was lost or forgotten by the person or company making the deal.

Hello! There is no way you can prove any promise made over the phone. Whether you are writing to a collection agency, any of the credit bureaus, negotiating a settlement, validating a debt or disputing a credit listing, you are not protected unless you have some record of the correspondence. You must have some written proof!

There are many ways to get proof of a promise or even the fact that your letter was received:
Send a letter certified or registered mail. Depending on the size of the letter and the distance it travels, you will spend no more than 2-3 dollars per letter. When you do this, you will be sent a receipt (a green postcard) which is your proof that your letter reached the intended destination. A great deal of the time, you will be including documents with the letter, which will require a trip to the post office.

Here’s a nifty trick, though: If you are not sending any documentation along with your letter, the US Postal service just started a new service, where you can upload a letter, they will print it out and send it for you certified mail (for an additional fee, of course.) It’s a great time saver. The URL:

http://www.usps.gov

It’s relatively easy for a recipient to blow off receiving a certified letter, if problems arise delivering it, it goes into the trash. However, you will at least have a receipt showing when you sent it.

You can send the letter UPS, Federal Express, Priority or Express Mail, which will provide a tracking number and has a better chance of being delivered.

Remember, just because you send a package by any of the above methods doesn’t mean it will get to the person you want. You will just increase the chances, and have a record that you sent it.

Document Your Credit Repair Efforts

As soon as you have ordered your credit reports and photocopied your order letters and checks, you must create a precise organizational system to track your correspondences with the credit bureaus and your creditors.

Why is this necessary?

Unfortunately, credit items you have worked so hard to remove mysteriously reappear. If this happens, it is usually easy to have the items deleted permanently if you show your complete records on the first removal.

Why take a chance?
As you proceed through these steps, keep copies and records of all correspondence you send and receive. Copies of all correspondence are a must, as well as notes on all telephone conversations! Also, if you should encounter any special difficulty and would like help in repairing your credit, you will need these records to proceed.

Every time you have a telephone conversation with a creditor, you must document the conversation by recording the name of the person to whom you spoke, his or her position, the date and time of the conversation, what was said in the conversation, and what was agreed upon.

James E. used his Palm Pilot to record when he sent his letters, and put his mail receipts and copies of his letters in a safe place.

Credit Repair: Evaluating What To Do

Author: Joel Dresse

Are you wondering about what you have to do with credit repair? Or maybe you’re just curious whether your credit needs fixing or not? Last time you checked, you didn’t but who knows what could happen in five years? Maybe, you already know that you do need credit repair but you’re unsure whether to do it yourself or pay for the services of a credit repair company? Or perhaps, you’re about to undergo a credit check to qualify for a career promotion and you’re hoping to make it absolutely sure that you’ll pass?

If so, here’s everything you have to know about credit repair.

Each step that you take in credit repair must be evaluated carefully. If you’re going to do it yourself, prepare beforehand by reading credit repair books, searching the Internet for advice from experts, purchasing a do-it-yourself credit repair kit and so on.

As you read, you’ll see that the first thing everyone shall advise you to do is to procure a copy of your credit report. If you were under the impression that only finance companies, banks and merchants can ask for a credit report, you’re wrong. As long as you’re asking for a credit report done on you, then certainly you can ask for a copy. This would cost you a bit so better prepare to spend. We advise you to take at least copies of your credit reports from the following credit bureaus: TransUnion, Experian and Equifax because most financial institutions usually base their decisions on either of the credit reports provided by the aforementioned credit bureaus.

Got your copy now? Okay, roll it out and study each and every item in the list. Don’t overlook anything, even your personal records because you’re certainly not the only Lisa Smith in Washington, D.C. and who knows if the other Ms. Smith have unimaginable debts that were somehow mistakenly listed under your record? It pays to be cautious, okay. Now, with a do-it-yourself credit repair kit, they’re sure to advise you about the common things to watch out for. You’ll be surprised to know that approximately thirty percent of credit reports contain items. So who knows if you’re one of that thirty percent?

Lastly, if you find out anything to dispute, it’s time to fill up the form for disputes and then approaching the credit bureau responsible for the erroneous credit report. Take our advice and use time to your disadvantage. File for disputes during the busiest times of the year like the ones following Thanksgiving and Christmas..

More informations are available at http://www.debt-credit-00.info
Magalie Noel Dresse is the Webmaster of http://www.business-00.info, an informative site on small business, and of http://www.debt-credit-00.info, an informative site on debt and credit questions.

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