Repairing Credit: There's Nothing Wrong With Asking for Help
January 20, 2009
If you've never done it before, you can try to bake cookies without a recipe.
Sooner or later you'll get something you can choke down, but there will be a
mess in the kitchen and you will have wasted a ton of time.
If you've never done it before, you can also try to repair your car's
transmission by yourself. Chances are you're not going to drive your car for a
while. And there will be a big mess in the garage.
And if you've never done it before, you can try to repair your own credit
reports. However, as is the case with many repair jobs, using the
trial-and-error method could make things much worse, not better. You only have
one credit history, and if mess things up while tinkering around, it may be
years before you can get the mess cleaned up. You may even find yourself getting
sued in the process.
Think how much sooner you can be enjoying great cookies with an expert baker
walking you through the process. And how much better those transmission repairs
would be with a master mechanic digging into the internal workings instead of
you being the one with grease under your fingernails. The difference will
probably be significant enough that you would gladly spend a few dollars knowing
that the time you save and the results you receive will make it worth it in the
end.
So while many would have you believe repairing your credit is "so simple a
caveman could do it", correcting your credit report can actually have as many
complexities as reassembling your transmission. There's much more involved than
just mailing a few letters or submitting a form online.
Companies specializing in credit correction understand the credit repair
process, know what to say and how to say it, and have experiencing using the
credit repair tactics most people aren't even aware exist. For the
inexperienced, making a single improper statement can result in your dispute
being dismissed which can delay your credit repair efforts by months. Working
with someone who can lead you through all the tricks and traps might even help
shorten the time it takes to get results.
Be wary of the phrase "There's nothing a credit repair firm can do for you that
you can't do yourself for free." While technically accurate, it is very
misleading. There is also nothing a baker or a mechanic can do for you that you
can't do for yourself.
Also, as anyone can tell you, there are good and bad chefs out there. There are
good mechanics, and scam artists with wrenches. The credit repair world is no
different, however there are also solid, established, consumer-focused companies
whose counsel can be valuable. And they can keep you from making a mess too
tough to clean up.
