Guest jeeptravel Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Companies can get you into trouble so check them out first. Doing it on your own is possible and much cheaper.jt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miracle Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Thank you Jeep! I think those are some great things to take a look.. Thank you for helping to look out for all of the members on the boards. Especially new ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeeptravel Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 No problem. Happy holidays to all board surfers, and MIND THAT POCKETBOOK (Speaking mostly to myself there)jt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miracle Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 I Hear ya there JT!!! Happy Holidays!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edubb007 Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Jeep.... I totally agree with "Credit Repair Scams!" that you are talking about...... BUT I think that some poeple really don't want to be bothered with attempts and there are several people(from this board) that will help them out. If a Doc, Morrow, Sis, NIghtstar, etc were to offer me a service for a few hundred dollars to help me submit disputes that I have NO idea bout, I'D PAY! Barring I have a good income and can afford to pay HONEST people than there shouldn't be a problem. It's the "Credit Repair Firms, Literacy groups and Agencies" I am truly scared of. Just my morning rambling!Thanks...Edubb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crod Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 I agree that there are a lot of bad apples on the tree, but there are good ones there too. The first thing to make sure of when doing business with a credit repair company is wheather or not they are licensed and bonded with the state. The Credit Repair Organizations Act requires that all professional credit repair companies are registered. Ask to see there bond and registration certificate from the state. This is federal law, so they are all required to have one. If they are not, WALK AWAY and save you $$$$$$$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edubb007 Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Did you know that in PA and maybe other areas you have to give a $$$ back garuntee of satisfaction of %95? That's what I was told in order to become a CRA. That's rediculious! The rules have changed in the favor of those loking to get repaired but that's a bit drastic! If want something fixed in PA pay the Credit repair company than say your not satisfied. get your $$$ back! I wouldn't do it but! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsgettingbetter Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 the whole point of this site is that we help each other do credit repair (it is a do-it yourself credit repair site).I actually am helping several people now (for free) friends and family--I pointed them to the site--but I also proofread their letters--offer advice etc. I can understand why this site comes up when people are looking into credit repair--and probably lots of people come here who have not decided if they are going to use a service to do this themselves. my advice to them is PLEASE DON'T FALL FOR THE CON ARTISTS. Read up on it yourself--ask other people for advice--and even if you make mistakes along the way ( we all did) you will do a better job than any company. Most of the services will just scam you out of your money--and not do much for your credit. You can learn everything you need to know here. and you can get advice along the way too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeeptravel Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 At the risk of sounding redundant:Companies can get you into trouble so check them out first. Doing it on your own is possible and much cheaper.jt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edubb007 Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 . . . steady Damien . . . .Here we go... A shot. Fare enough but you don't know everything! I am not defending and it's obvious you are WAY to emotionaly involved to get into an argument with you. So here are non biased answers to what we mostly agree upon.Ok. Why a regular member of this board is defending CR services in any situation for the life of me I fail to understand. But that's okay. I know it's OK, it is my opinion. Thanks for the approval! I would never defend the Credit Repair Scams only fellow hobbyists like myself looking to protect myself should a friend or family memebr for some odd reason come after me for HELPING. Is that fair enough?We can differ on opinions.What we cannot agree to differ on are facts.Anyone who corrects mistakes on her/his credit reports should know FULLY that it is not something you should pay someone else or some company to do. Of course I help people in my family and friends and on here through PM's bu that is not a CR company situation. I would never accept payment for doing it because it's touch and go. Surprise, surprise I agree. What I do for poeple is help them along and only make them buy thier own credit report and give them ADVICE. In my state though, I can get in trouble for helping if I don't cover my butt. So I end up teaching them and give them basically a template letter for thier circumstances to send on thier own. I believe people should do it thier selves after I show them. Some people don't have the luxury to read all day on a website so it's just easier for them to ask.There are no "tricks of the trade" or "inside secrets" these companies have with respect to the 3 CRA's. Even the moderators here will tell you there is not much you can do once all the mistakes are corrected. I'll give you a 100% money back guarantee that is true, because I've lived it. True, not once have I or anyone I know said to someone I've helped that thier are tricks.Analogies can be helpful to presenting a rhetorical argument: dissenters please allow me to fashion a dialectical chart of how I see Credit repair and then go ahead and give me a rebuttal if you would (anybody). (Can you tell I studied Aristotle in grad school?) Your trying a little hard here, don't you think?Analogy#1: If someone doesn't know algebra, they would sensibly pay a company to do the work required algebra better than they could.Analogy#2: If someone doesn't know how to add and subtract, they would sensibly hire a mathematician of +/- to do the job better than they could.Analogy#3: If someone doesn't know how to recognize their OWN account errors on their OWN credit report that occurred in their OWN lifetime and doesn't know how to send a letter easily printable from the internet from any one of the 3 CRA's certified mail from their town Post Office and keep the receipt and copy record in a file in their own home, then that person would sensibly pay a company to do the work better than they could. These instances are all true but the fact remains... Not all people have the time to get all the info and if they know me, they ask questions. I help for free if family or friend or they get thier reports and come to me with so I can look. In many cases I have helped Family memersfriends that don't even have access to the internet. What, would you suggest they do than? I give them the addresses of CRA's but it is obviously easier to just help them along. Is that wrong? In PA's eyes it is! That's why I know about the money back garuntee. I had to look into covering my butt so I don't loose what I worked hard for. I hope that answers your question about why a regular member defends Credit repair services. I do agre they are a scam for the most part! I would pay the people I met on this board in the beginning if they offered the service instead of reading tons of stuff I at first had no interest in. i DID learn allot about my finances but it was allot of work. Thanks for making me defend myself! Enjoy!Please, if you frequent this board I recommend that you stop recommending these services be farmed out. It can only hurt the uninformed once they inevitably become enlightened to the process. Damien I don't even know what Farmed out means but I won't stop saying my opinion. Sorry if you get angry and offended but I've helped allot of good people with bad credit move back into a good spot and am proud of that. So I will keep doing it and post if need be. If you get offended about what I write please remember. I am as much entitled to my opinion as you are to yours.Thanks,Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownAndOut Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 fowler and fowler completely cleaned my credit 2 years ago, and recently cleaned my wifes completely.they cost me literally 10 bucks per deletion back then.cheap.now they are 400 dollars for a year.the results speak for themselves as my wifes scores are in the 700s now, mine were too, but I screwed up and bought a home with my great credit scores that I couldnt afford.now my credit is bad again. they were so honest they told me they couldnt help me as my problems are too new. so I came here and ordered credit is sexy and hopefully I can do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeeptravel Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 I thnk Eric makes some great points. I guess I have to stand corrected in some sense.jt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownAndOut Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 I have nerve? Can you read I said the results of fowler and fowler speak for themselves because they fixed mine and my wifes perfectly.I did not say results of all repair co's speak for themselves.yes I'm new and I guess I posted in the wrong thread for starters cuz I got the grump of the board.sheesh, take some exlax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edubb007 Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Downandout:I am glad and sad at your post. I can say that JT is right about the part that Fowler didi not teach you how to stay on top of your credit. You WILL learn here if you haven't already. Good luck!JT- Seriously... RELAX. Don't become so into it that you turn the people away that you ironically are trying to help.Please! Everyone needs help and if they have 1 or 1000 posts it shouldn't matter.ThanksEric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownAndOut Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 the BBB has a satisfactory report with fowler and fowler as well and my wife and I vouch for them as wellhttp://www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org/nis/newsearch2.asp?ID=1&strBCode=06330000&ComID=0633000004005409 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocDon Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Take BBB reports with a grain of salt. The BBB compiles those reports based upon complaints they receive, so it could be possible to have a good BBB reports and be a scam company - until consumers begin filing complaints.Add to that consumer ignorance (not even knowing they're being taken), and you can see why you shouldn't take the BBB as Gospel.Glad to hear it worked out before, DownAndOut. This time around, you'll walk away with the "why things are" and increase your chances you'll not be in this situation again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownAndOut Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 fowler and fowler has increased fees to almost 700 a year.LOL. was 399 when wife did it, and only 10 bucks per deletion when I did it.they did a perfect job, but now they are too high Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c m chase Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Take BBB reports with a grain of salt. The BBB compiles those reports based upon complaints they receive, so it could be possible to have a good BBB reports and be a scam company - until consumers begin filing complaints.Add to that consumer ignorance (not even knowing they're being taken), and you can see why you shouldn't take the BBB as Gospel.YES. And I'm going to preach my own little gospel here. People, FILE COMPLAINTS. Just do it!! If you don't think it will matter, just look at CAMCO...enough complaints and they were torn apart by the FTC.The company that is suing me right now has broken SOOOO many FDCPA laws and state laws. I filed my BBB complaint yesterday...and you know what?? I was the ONLY person to have EVER filed a complaint on these cons. ACCK!FILE FILE FILE!!Ok. Done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocDon Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 fowler and fowler has increased fees to almost 700 a year.LOL. was 399 when wife did it, and only 10 bucks per deletion when I did it.they did a perfect job, but now they are too highO.k. That's kinda the point here. It's not so much the scam artists (promising what can't be delivered, taking money up front, etc) that's the issue with most CRC's, as much as it is the cost to do something you should know how to do in the first place.Your credit [not pointing at you directly] is your entire financial picture on a few pages. It's vital that you know what's going on and more importantly, why.However, in the spirit of capitalism, companies want to keep the spooky aura around credit reports because fear + ignorance = $.Ever really watch those commercials for free credit reports? Apart from the membership aspect, they "scare" people into buying a report. "What's on your report? Who's looking at your report? Order your report now!" So you order it. Now what do you do with it? Are you supposed to water it? What does it like to eat?Knowledge is power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c m chase Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Now what do you do with it? Are you supposed to water it? What does it like to eat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Downandout: I can say that JT is right about the part that Fowler didi not teach you how to stay on top of your credit. I agree. Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he spends every day out on the boat drinking beer. JT- Seriously... RELAX. Don't become so into it that you turn the people away that you ironically are trying to help.Please! Everyone needs help and if they have 1 or 1000 posts it shouldn't matter.ThanksEricCouldn't have said it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miracle Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Teach a man to fish and he spends every day out on the boat drinking beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanathos Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Enhance your calm, grasshopper.I understand this is a passionate issue to you, but broad sweeping statements like you've been making don't really fly, Jeep. I for one am not opposed to credit repair companies in the slightest, so long as they are reputable and do what they say they will (i.e. unlike all those web sites that popped up about a year ago offering "dispute nuke" services)They offer a service, just like any other industry out there. Most ppl could change their own oil if they wanted to...but it's easier to pay someone else 30 bucks to do it. I can make a mean rack of ribs.....but sometimes I wanna pay 50 dollars to have someone else cook it for Chickie and I. I could mow my own lawn, but I paid for a robot to do it for me. Housecleaning? Hired a maid. I could learn how to do my own taxes--but I'd rather pay someone else to do them for me. List goes on for miles. There are a lot of different types of ppl out there. The ones you'll find here are one such type. But you can't tell someone who's too busy to learn law, or who can't understand legalese, or who is just too stupid to do it themselves (and yes, such ppl exist) that they should avoid paying someone else to do it for them. If the consumer feels the price is worthy of the fees, and the company does what it says it will do to merit those fees, than that's a happy transaction, and not something to be snuffled at.I also have to disagree with your comment about there being no "tricks of the trade". There is a LOT of information to digest. I've spent literally hundreds upon hundreds of hours studying credit law, and I still don't know it all. It's more than just sending in letters; it's being able to identify a violation of the law, knowing how that law applies to you, knowing how to properly organize and prepare to take action on them, etc. Looking back at all my lawsuits, there are tens of thousands of dollars in extra damages I COULD have claimed but didn't because I just didn't realize them at the time. I for one love those credit repair companies that prepare for litigation AS they are fixing your credit.Bottom line is most ppl aren't going to want to spend the time to learn all this stuff. Or they aren't going to have the time. They shouldn't be forced to--if they feel they are getting a good value for their money, let them do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breathing_easier Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 Well said, Xan. That's the way I feel about mowing my lawn. I pay someone $18 per week for that service. Three guys come descend on my lawn with one of those mega-mowers, weed wacker and electric edger. They're in and out in 20 minutes, my lawn looks great, I'm happy because I didn't want to do it and their happy because they made some $$$. Everybody wins. I may be reading some of the posts wrong, but I think "credit counselors," "debt consolidation companies" and "credit repair firms" might be being confused? Or maybe it's just me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeeptravel Posted December 9, 2004 Report Share Posted December 9, 2004 If a company is in the BBB listings, that is a good sign! I'd have to say you are right there! Thanks for that link.jt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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