someone to do it for you, first you must learn how to get the free copy of your
credit report that you are entitled to once a year from each of the major credit
bureaus. You used to have to contact each credit bureau independently to
request copies of your credit reports each year. Not too long ago they made it
easier for people to obtain all three of their credit reports without going through
quite as much trouble.
There is now one central website that will direct you to all three of your
credit reports at no cost. This website is sponsored by the major credit bureaus
and is very legitimate. You can find a direct link to this site by visiting my website,
IncomeandCredit.net. Here you will be led to each major credit bureau’s website
where you can view free copy of your credit for up to thirty days. I recommend
printing these pages as it will make it easier to dispute any mistakes you might
find along the way.
Once you have your credit reports and you have reviewed all of them very
thoroughly you can begin the dispute process to eliminate and correct any
mistakes. On each of your credit reports there are instructions on how to dispute items on your credit towards the bottom of the report. Although there are usually
several ways to do this I have personally found that mail seems to be the best way
to communicate with the credit bureaus.
The reason that mail seems to be the best is because it is much easier for
you to present all of your evidence for anything you are disputing. You should
always include a copy of your credit report with anything you are disputing and
highlight the items you are disputing. Anything you dispute will be investigated
and resolved within 30 days of receiving your dispute or it will be removed
entirely from your credit report. Here is a good example of a credit dispute letter:
Date
Your Name
Your Address, City, State, Zip Code Complaint Department
Name of Company Address
City, State, Zip Code
I am writing to dispute the following information in my file. I have circled the items I dispute on the attached copy of the report I received.
This item (identify item(s) disputed by name of source, such as creditors or tax court, and identify type of item, such as credit account, judgment, etc.) is (inaccurate or incomplete) because (describe what is inaccurate or incomplete and why). I am requesting that the item be removed (or request another specific change) to correct the information.
Enclosed are copies of (use this sentence if applicable and describe any enclosed documentation, such as payment records, court documents) supporting my position. Please reinvestigate this (these) matter(s) and (delete or correct) the disputed item(s) as soon as possible.
Sincerely, Your name Enclosures: (List what you are enclosing.)