I have heard that writing letters doesnt work anymore

[Lichjen]

I mentioned to a friend I'mgoing to do this and she was like ' just file bankrupsy instead its easier"

I'd rather NOT - esp b/c I'm moving in a couple years and I dont want to have to pay thousands in fees for rent/turning on utilities and such

[ALVA]

Filing bankruptcy is far from easy, but credit repair isn't walk in the park either. You are going to invest time and energy any way you go.

[nascar]

Writing letters can be very effective if done properly.

I'm not talking about nutcase letters - I mean letters that are timely, relevant, to the point, and supported by law. I have always had great success with them.

[swtprncess281]

Writing the letter, following up, and doing what's necessary isn't going to be simple.

However,

Someone in these forums said that doing this work is what will help them manage credit better in the future. I'm commited to doing this because if I try to find the easy way out I'll be more inclined to repeat my misuse of credit the next time I go through a rough time.

It's worth the work and the lesson you'll learn when you've accomplised your goal

[Denita]

I mentioned to a friend I'mgoing to do this and she was like ' just file bankrupsy instead its easier"

Filing BK is NOT easier...! There is tons of paperwork involved, I just filed and it took weeks to fill out the initial set of papers with over 1500 pages of backup data!!!

I didn't have a choice. You have a choice - don't file if you can do it another way. Letters are a piece of cake compared to filing:(

[LeslieR]

Someone in these forums said that doing this work is what will help them manage credit better in the future.

That's absolutely true.

AND, I agree 100% with nascar.

I urge you to examine/try out any alternative to bankruptcy.

[timbercreektech]

So you're going to listen to the advise of someone who is going to file bankruptcy? There are times where bankruptcy is the best option but doesn't come into play till around 100K of debt.

I'm sure you've been reading a bunch here I think you'll find, you will gain alot of knowledge here and over time, will be able to remedy your situation. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. It took years to get into the stew you find yourself in, and it will take some time to fix it. You should be able to repair your credit before you choose to move.

[Ravenous Wolf]

One of the biggest problems with bankruptcy attorneys is that their answer for everything was to file for bankruptcy. It is the same mentality for so many professions; for a dentist, you need a root canal, for a mechanic, you need to have your clutch replaced even though you are driving an automatic, etc.

As a result, there were a lot of bankruptcies filed for very small amounts of money (that was before the bankruptcy reforms).

But before someone can do credit repair or file for BK, they have to get their debt in order. Some bills come before other bills, like groceries, utilities, car payment, etc. So debt management has to happen BEFORE credit management (that's if you want to have food on the table and electricity).