FAQ
Is credit repair legal?
It sure is. In fact, the federal government has passed consumer law that allows people the opportunity to have correct, up-dated and accurate information on their credit report. Specifically, the FCRA states: If the completeness or accuracy of any item of information contained in a consumer’s file at a consumer reporting agency is disputed by the consumer and the consumer notifies the agency directly…of such dispute, the agency shall, free of charge, conduct a reasonable reinvestigation to determine whether the disputed information is inaccurate and record the current status of the disputed information, or delete the item from the file in accordance with paragraph, before the end of the 30-day period beginning on the date on which the agency receives the notice of the dispute from the consumer or reseller. 15 U.S.C. § 1681i(a)(1)(A) (emphasis added).
What is the likelihood of incorrect information on a report?
According to CHICAGO Sun-Times, 80% of all credit report entries are, in some way of another, incorrect and affect the consumers’ FICO scores adversely.
How long does the process take?
It really depends on a number of factors. Typically we like to have a client complete their credit restoration within 9 months. However, we have successfully removed foreclosures, bankruptcies, late pays and other derogatory entries in a few short weeks. Be careful of companies that charge by the month. There can be an incentive to string clients along.
Will removed items stay off?
This is a good question. Since the CRA have to remove or correct information within 30 days of the inquiry, the entry may came off and then go back again once the information has finally been verified. This is what typically happens when “Dispute Letters” are used to repair a credit report. Since the Heritage Group does not use dispute letters, but instead uses a proprietary system, items that come off usually stay off.
If you remove a collection from my report, will I still need to pay it?
Our position is; if a debt is actually owed, the indebted one should do all that is possible to pay that debt. When it comes to collection agencies, some very important legal questions can and should be raised as to whether the debt is actually owed. Many have shown in court that a collector that buys debt has a uni-lateral agreement as opposed to a bi-lateral agreement. A legal contract should display your signature indicating the collector provided goods or services and you agreed to pay but with a collection agency no such agreement exists. Also, if there is no longer a presence on your credit report, paying for a dubious debt makes no sense.
How are your clients helped by your network of attorneys?
Simply being a law firm or having attorneys on staff doesn’t necessarily equate to successful credit restoration. In fact, we have many clients who were initially working with a popular law firm that felt they were not getting their money’s worth, paying month after month but not enjoying the results hoped for. Since we do much more than simple credit repair, our attorneys can fight for our clients’ rights when collection agencies violate FCDPA rules of conduct. This often results in our clients receiving cash awards and or having the derogatory entry removed. Additionally, attorneys can sue both collection agencies and credit bureaus if they do not comply with law. We would not hesitate to do this for our clients if deemed necessary.
How much does this service cost?
With Heritage Credit Group, there are no up-front fees. What you can expect is:
- Consultation
- Credit report analysis
- An in-depth scan for incorrect and/or inaccurate entries on your credit report.
- After that, our attorney will check the credit report and all available documents, collection letters and statements (provided by client) for possible violations as determined by state and federal guidelines.
- Comprehensive and communicative workflow initiated.
- Creation of legal documents to be presented to creditors, credit bureaus and/or collection agencies as determined by our attorney.
This entire, involved process (our “first work”) takes approximately 5 full days. After this work is completed, you may wish to pay any fees that may be due. However, some clients often choose to pay any fees after the consultation is completed.
Our most popular program includes monthly contributions. These are not mandatory! If you want us to perform another round (one month’s work), you pay only for that round.
Other services may include working out a payment for debts that are owed, assisting with identity theft management, putting freezes on accounts, creating credit for clients who have no profile, and even putting a history of good credit onto reports when needed. Because we customize our work to the client’s individual needs, determining an exact cost is difficult if not impossible until after the first work, as described above, has been accomplished.
Whatever assistance you need, keep in mind no money for credit repair is ever accepted until you first see results and we always arrange a payment structures for our clients. The Heritage Group never charges an up-front fee, monthly fee, maintenance fee or membership fee. These are ways that inferior companies will fool people into “cheap” programs but end up costing the client a great deal of money in the long run.
For more information concerning our free credit repair service, our fees in general, or our many services please give us a call or use the handy form to drop us a note. We are happy to discuss with you what will best suit your needs.