Credit Problems:  Is there a reliable credit agency that can help get my credit back on track?
104469
hotwire199 gave you some good advice. There is nothing an agency can do that you can't do for yourself. You have to be willing to dedicate the energy it will take to get things on track. Just a little more than a year ago I was so derailed off the track I didn't think there was hope. Now I am back on track and been doing great. I had a FICO of 498 when I started. Now I'm closing in on 700. You can do it! Good Luck!
938453
I highly recommend you call these folks\nhttp://www.cccsintl.org/\nCCCS or Consumer Credit Counseling Service (if you are in the US)\nThey are a non profit credit counseling service that all major credit card, irs, government agencies recommend to help folks with bills.. might even prevent bankruptcy.. They can work with you and help you with contacting your creditors and what to say and help you settle with them, might even negotiate lower payments. etc.. I used to work for a major department store dept collection department and we always referred the worse cases to these folks... goodluck!
862785
Probably Consumer Counseling Service. They consolidate your debys and lower your monthly payments. They work with the creditors and can even lower your interest rates. They charge a VERY minimal amount to process your account and are quite good.
874092
Never heard of them, but i have used a debt settlement company that did a good job. \n\nhttp://www.expert-credit-advice.com/ \n\nYou may want to research whatever companies you are considering by checking out the bbb http://bbb.com/ \n\nAlso the state attorney general.
1158534
When I started my credit repair, I went to "many" different credit repair sites. Some were terrible, some were no help, but I had finally found a couple good ones that I've learned alot from (one in particular).\n\nDon't use a site that charges you for their info on credit repair, you can find the same things and probably more on other sites.\n \nI'm listing the best site that I had found.
91250
Just apply for something that requires them to run your credit report.  Especially if you are denied credit the credit company that supplied that inforomation has to supply you a free copy of your credit report.
179481
I have actually been where you are.  I had very poor credit for years (FICO score under 600).  Today, I own a home and have a couple of 0% interest rate credit cards with high limits.  I wrote a detailed credit-repair guideline called, "When Good People Have Bad Credit." \n\nI'm providing a link below.  Good luck to you!
212550
Federal Ttrade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/repair.htm\nOthers:\nhttp://www.creditinfocenter.com/forms/\nhttp://www.americanloansearch.com/info-creditrepair-letters.html\n\nIf you're simply disputing an item on your credit report, it doesn't take much -- the credit agency from whom you got the credit report can tell you what information they want included.  For the most part, if they say you owe something that you don't think you owe, the burden of proof is on them.
852120
The only thing that can repair your credit is time and current payments. If there is misinformation on your reports you can dispute it and see if the reporting agency will remove it.
630302
NO and I have checked a variety of sources. It is hard to tell the good from the bad in credit counseling.\n\nBefore using any credit counseling services become informed. Use FTC consumer information. Also, you can go to an office supply store and find credit repair kits that you can use yourself.
637759
If the original creditor has no proof of you having a debt they should contact the collection agency to clear this up themselves.There is also a form you can get from the credit bureau to dispute this debt. If you get a letter back from the original creditor send a copy along with the form.But more than likely you won't hear back from them. Most places don't contact you back to say they cleared up the problem. Stay on top of it.It will take awhile they don't do things to fast when it comes to clearing up mistakes, but they can report thing real fast.Check back on your credit report to see if they cleared this up.You can get free credit checks if you are having trouble with creditors.
1175781
The only way I know of is to get a co-signor on a loan, and re-establish your credit from there. See if your bank will work with you on a small credit-reestablishing loan as well. Most banks will, especially if you tell them your circumstances.
925216
That’s great that you atempted to repair your credit yourself before you decided to pay someone. \n\nNow that you know how aggravating the credit bureaus are to deal with, you need to find a legitimate company. Let me tell you; they are far and few between. I tried to repair my credit myself and gave up. Then I hired a company in California called a “Fresh Start” they charged me $695 and stole my money. I never heard back from them. It turns out it was a complete scam. \n\nStill very serious and skeptical about repairing my credit, the 2nd time around, I researched quite a few different companies. I finally decided on a company in Florida called Credit Network. They are a smaller company and they really know what they are doing. They also didn’t charge anything upfront except for a small setup fee, after that they charge $49 mo, after the work is performed for the previous month. When I started I had 73 negative items between all 3 bureaus! That was about 8 months ago, and they have deleted all but 17 bad items. They were realistic when they said it could take over a year, buts that’s fine with me, because they followed through on what they said.     \n\nSomething very important….. The bad debts that you say you owe; you need to pay them off. I don’t care if you settle them or pay them in full, eventually you need to pay them off because if you don’t, there is a very good possibility they will pop back up on your credit after you delete them. I was told that debts get sold and resold, even after the statute of limitations. So if you are as serious as you sound about repairing your credit, you have to pay them off!! \n\nOh yeah, here is the link to them http://www.expert-credit-advice.com/credit_repair_service.htm
975028
Please ignore the above answers.  Another batch of people who guess at answers and won't take a moment to do some research.\n\nHere is your problem.  Protesting to the credit bureau does no good.  All they are required to do is check with the court and verify that there is a judgement on record (and there will be).  They will also check the status.  If it shows that it's not been satisfied, your credit history stays uncorrected.  \n\nYour job is to get this information corrected with the court, but it's going to require action by the creditor to do it.  And as you say, your creditor is being a jerk.\n\nYou need to do some simple research of your state laws.  Going to the court and asking the clerk's will not help because they are barred from giving you legal advice.\n\nLets take Michigan for example (see the law below).  The creditor is REQUIRED to report the discharge of the debt, or face contempt action by the court.  As you can see, in Michigan you simply send the creditor a certified letter demanding that they fix it.  If they don't you can sue them for $300 plus damages.  \n\nDo your research.  Maybe a local attorney will spend 5 minutes on the phone and tell you the local laws.  But I will guarantee you that every state has court rules that require the creditor to properly discharge their debts.
68414
K, I don't know about paying some one.  Look for private owners (apartments that are small, like one building, or several buildings with multiple private owners)  private owners are less likely to check your credit history.
276111
Before wasting any of your money on a credit repair agency, read the links below.  Much of the work you can handle yourself.\n\nNon-profits will still charge you a fee, they are just not as high.  In my opinion they are still not worth the money.
292770
Have you moved since you stopped using the cards?  I would go on www.AnnualCreditReport.com  Get a copy of your report to make sure there are not any problems.  Its a free service provided by the 3 major credit bureaus.