You don’t need to look for credit help. It’ll find you. Usually in your spam e-mail inbox or junk mail in your home mailbox. The problem is most of the so-called credit help will usually do your credit harm if you’re not careful. There are a number of credit services out there that offer credit rebuilding, rapid rescoring, improved Fico scores, and credit counseling.
They all make big promises and seem like a great idea. Who wouldn’t want to boost their credit score 20 points in 48 hours? But most of the time credit scores are an accurate measure of your borrowing history, and little can be done to change them instantly.
Sure you can improve your credit scores over time with a conscious effort and determination, but quick-fix credit repair solutions aren’t the best way to tackle credit issues.
If you really want to fix bad credit you need to analyze the root of your credit woes. Get your hands on a free credit report.
This is the only legitimate free credit report service provided by the government to consumers. Many other credit companies owned by the three bureaus masquerade as free credit report companies, but they will carry a fee or offer a free introductory period with a money-back guarantee. Look closely and you will see that many big name credit report companies are owned by the three credit bureaus, which also happen to be publicly-traded companies.
I’ll admit it. I used one of the pay services years ago to check out my credit score. I did so assuming I would cancel the service after the 30-day trial period. When I purchased my free credit report my Fico score was somewhere around 660. I didn’t know much about Fico scores at the time so I investigated further.
After a bit of exploration I found a medical collection on my account. I knew this had to be an error since I had never used any medical services in the past. Luckily I was able to use a tool included in my free credit report package to challenge the inquiry. Although the process took over 30 days to reach a resolution, it was eventually removed from my credit report and my score jumped up to 700. Of course I ended up paying for a month of the service for about $29.99, but in hindsight it was worth it.
Article comments
1 - Marcos
Well this was helpful. I have low credit score and trying to refinance and this article helped me understand what I need to do to make my score better.
2 - Shiela
To get a house, get a car, have a credit card, and basically legally exist in the United States, you need to have credit. And if you want to have the best opportunities for success, you’re going to need GOOD credit. Yes, you did see those words ‘Good Credit’; it’s not an oxymoron " it’s quite possible!
3 - nickle young
Great!Well this was helpful for me. I have low credit score and trying to refinance and this article helped me understand what I need to do to make my score better.thank you!