Some time ago, I needed a loan for a mortgage but was denied. The bank informed me I had a poor credit score. As a result, I was to pay higher interest or forfeit the loan. The choice was mine!
But, on a thorough investigation, we realized the poor credit score resulted from errors from my service provider.
I mean, how can I be punished for an error that wasn’t mine? Well, the deed had already been done and I was in desperate need of a solution without which I would become homeless.
Thank heavens a credit repair company saved the day! They filed a dispute and got my credit scores up in less time.
So, what exactly did the credit repair company do? Wait to find out.
In addition, we will also list the best credit repair companies you can trust to transact with.
Meanwhile, the list below summarizes what we will discuss.
What is a Credit Repair Company?
Everyone is aware that before any financial institution grants you a loan/credit for a house, car, or anything, they scrutinize your financial records to be certain you’re a good investment.
This can lead them to dig out not-so-good information about you. As a result, the credit will either be denied or have a higher interest. There are credits with low APRs.
A credit repair company is one that helps you remove all the negative items on your credit report. They remove items such as late payments, charge-offs, debt collections, bankruptcies, and liens.
In a nutshell, credit repair companies help give individuals a clean financial slate and boost creditworthiness. With it, you can access credit/loan easily.
However, you have to work with the best credit repair companies to get a top notch service.
These credit repair companies work differently, so you need updated information on the strategies each operates with.
How does Credit Repair Companies Work?
We will give an overview of how the best credit repair companies work. Are you ready?
So, basically, they’ll download your credit report from the major credit bureaus. With the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can also download it once per year. Visit annualcreditreport.com or call (877) 322-8228.
After download, the credit report will undergo a review where professionals will spot errors especially those that reduce the credit score.
The prevailing mistakes are incorrect balance, inaccurate personal information, and others.
The credit companies do not have the power to correct those errors without the knowledge of your service provider.
Your service provider will provide evidence that the information on the credit report is false, and this may take a few days. He then forwards the dispute and evidence to the credit monitoring company.
Credit bureaus have a legal obligation to respond within 30 days. They will contact your credit repair company, explain whether they corrected the alleged error or not.
Things to Consider before Choosing a Credit Repair Company
Look out for these when choosing a credit repair company. We advise you go for the best.
Free setup Fee
The Credit Repair Organization Act mandates companies do not charge a large upfront payment because they know that credit repair can be expensive.
Fortunately, most credit repair companies don’t charge a setup fee.
Therefore, any that charges a huge sum has already defiled the act.
Money back Guarantee
The best credit repair companies offer money back guarantee according to the ACT.
Those who work against this rule often use a monthly pricing model and then offer a money-back guarantee. Be mindful of this when making a choice.
Consultation
Even if your credit score is good, you van benefit from the free consultation.
Just be open-minded and they may find areas that can be improved. This can even fix the dilemma of visit a credit repair company in the future.
Customer Service
Most credit repair companies offer the same services. The difference is just a slight variation and a way to stand out is to have an excellent customer service.
They have excellent professionals who will monitor your credit score and send notification when there are improvements.
Customer Reviews
Look out for credit repair companies with excellent reviews from customers. It is almost certain that you’ll experience the same.
Sites such as Yelp, Google, Yellow Pages, and Angie’s List collect reviews from customers worldwide. Also, visit the websites to see if your credit repair company has a positive BBB rating and customer reviews.
Fee Structure
There are basically two methods of paying for a credit repair: a flat fee or a monthly fee. Most companies use monthly fees so that customers will have more flexibility.
For instance, Sky Blue offers a flat rate of $79 per month. On the other hand, the Credit People charges a flat payment of $419 per year, which is $34.91 per month.
How much is a Credit Repair?
A credit repair service can take up to several months to complete a repair. In addition to the flat or monthly fee, you may also pay a setup or enrollment fee.
Many credit repair company charge a monthly fee between $79 and $129.
To cut down the cost, you can buy a credit repair software that saves you time to navigate the credit reports. It costs between $40 and $400.
How Long Does it Take to Repair Credit?
Expect up to three to six months to elapse before seeing results.
It may take less if you correct your credit score annually or have just a few errors. But, if you have never looked at your credit report, just be patient till when your credit score is repaired.
Best 15 Credit Repair Companies in 2021
The Wealth Circle stands with excellence and we want you to get your credit score sorted out by the very best. As a result, we have brought the best credit repair companies. Stay with us.
#1 Credit Saint: Best Overall Credit Repair Company
This is our best credit repair company with an A+ rating from BBB for over 10 years.
Credit Saint starts by offering free consultation to go over your credit history and identify negative items reducing your credit. As the problem areas are identified, they will send the challenges to credit bureaus on your behalf to remove those items from your report.
They also offer a 90-day money-back guarantee and an online dashboard to monitor your progress.
Credit Saint has a very aggressive business model and you can choose from 3 packages. The credit posh package, credit Remodel package, and the clean slate package.
#2 Sky Blue Credit Repair: Best Value for people on Budget
Sky blue credit has a flat-rate structure for all its services. Their price is around $79.95 which is among the lowest. Their services are of excellent value to those on a budget.
In addition, it also offers a discount for couples.
Couples can make use of these budget apps to get their finances intact.
Similar to Credit Saint, Sky blue credit gives you get a free analysis of credit history after sign up and the company will end dispute letters on your behalf.
Their services are free for the first 6 days while they gather your reports and also offer an impressive 90-day money-back guarantee.
#3 Lexington Law: Best Credit Repair App
Lexington Law is actually a law firm specializing in credit repair services.
They help improve credit scores if affected by identity theft, divorce, military service, student debt, and medical bills. In 2017 alone, they had over 10,000,000 negative items removed from their clients’ credit reports.
#4 CreditRepair.com: Best For Simple Credit Repair Packages
With creditrepair.com, you’ll get very simplified services and they have various tools to make your credit score repair as quickly as possible.
You’ll get a personal online dashboard, score tracker, mobile app, TransUnion credit monitoring, and alerts by both email and text.
With monthly plans starting at just $99.95, CreditRepair.com is one of the best credit repair companies in the industry.
#5 The Credit People: Best Guarantee
The credit people have been operational for over 15 years. They offer both monthly pay-as-you-go and a six-month flat-rate service.
Their pride sterns from the fact they offer speedy quality service to customers and as a result have been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and SmartMoney.
The credit people charge an annual fee of $419. This makes it cheaper than other credit repair services. You may try The Credit People for one week for $19 to see if you like it.
The company also offers a 60-day money-back guarantee.
#6 Pyramid Credit Repair: Best Customer Service and Married People
Pyramid started as a self-help software shop but has expanded. They have excellent customer service.
Users who sign up for the couples plan receive a 50% discount for the first month. Teachers and veterans receive an additional 15% and 20% respectively.
In addition to these, they provide a 247 protection plan and $25,000 insurance in case of identity theft.
#7 Ovation Credit Services: Best Website Interface
They are best known for being cost effective and great personalized customer support.
Likewise, you’ll be charged $89 for a basic package and this fee drops to $79 after the first month.
Lastly, Ovation has a Better Business Bureau rating of A+.
#8 Trinity Credit Services: Most Customizable Plan
This credit repair company has been in operation since 1996.
The major drawback is that you can’t information about pricing on the website. According to the balance who called their agency, before you can sign up a credit professional will review your credit history with you. If the company thinks their services won’t work for you, then they won’t sign you up.
This is an excellent feature if I’m asked.
In conclusion, Trinity will create a custom credit repair plan for you with a fixed fee for six months of service. Its average starting price is $399 but there are monthly fees. They also offer a money-back guarantee.
#9 The Credit Pros: Best for Ongoing Monitoring and Comprehensive Financial Tools
With credit pros, you have access to FICO certified professionals who will work with you to repair the bad credit.
The registration is super easy on its user-friendly website.
The Credit Pros’ basic package, CreditSentry Monitoring, costs $19 a month. For the most comprehensive services, the MoneyManagement package is $69 a month, the Prosperity Package at $119 a month, and the Success Package at $149 a month.
#10 CreditFirm.net: Best Value and strong reputation
This is the best credit repair company if you are looking for an inexpensive service.
The company offers one flat, pay-as-you-go package at $49.99 a month.
With an A+ rating from BBB, creditfirm.net is known for speed, reviewing clients’ documents within 5 days. Now, that’s fast.
#11 Credit Assistance Network: Best for Manual Operations
CAN has an A+ BBB rating. When you sign up, a trained credit consultant will review your credit reports and identify items.
Instead of using form letters, a credit consultant manually drafts each dispute letter separately to ensure conformity with the facts at hand.
#12 AMB Credit Consultants: Best for Customer feedback/Education
Subscription to AMB’s plan gives you unlimited access to the dispute resolution team.
Founded in 2008, and an A rating from BBB, it offers discounts to couples. But there are no free consultations.
Despite charging higher than average fees, the company earns excellent customer feedback.
#13 Credit Versio: DIY Customers
Credit Versio sells a software that helps customers who are on a budget and love DIYs.
The basic version costs less than $20/ month, and it supports customers who want to send dispute errors for their credit reports.
Whereas the premium package is $29.95 per month, and it provides identity theft protection.
Credit Versio is an excellent choice if you want to fix your credit yourself.
How does this software work?
It imports your credit reports, applies AI techniques to identify problem areas, and helps you generate professional dispute letters to remove problematic items.
Do you have an online business? Read these financial magazines to make informed decisions.
#14 Pinnacle Credit Repair Management: Best for AI
Pinnacle uses artificial intelligence and they promise faster results.
They give you credit mentors who will coach you on improving your credit. They have top private lenders as partners who will grant you personal loans to merge debts.
Similarly, there are educational videos that teach how to manage credits.
#15 Credit Glory
Credit Glory has a 90-day money-back guarantee, an A+ rating from BBB, 247 customer service, and when you call, you get a free 15-minute consultation.
The only bottleneck to Credit Glory is that the service is expensive when compared to others.
That is why it is the last best credit repair company in our list.
Conclusion
In using Credit repair companies, be sure to avoid being scammed. Remember that credit repair companies shouldn’t accept payment until they finish your service, although some circumvent this rule by having setup fees. Good customer reviews can help you here to avoid scams.
We wish you the very best!
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