What is the best way to get a negative item off your credit report?

Question

I have a couple of deliquent accts that still appear on my credit report (they are all paid in full), but at this point i would like to have them removed. I know there are ways of going about this...what are some of the most effective ways of going about getting those deliquent accounts removed from my credit report w/o having to wait the 7 year period?

Answer 1

Dispute....Dispute....Dispute!!!
You can learn more at http://www.mycreditadvise.com

Answer 2

You can only have an account removed from your credit report if the account was proven incorrect. By paying it in full, you've admitted that the debt was valid and you'll need to wait 7 years for it to drop. If the account was negative and not yours, or over reporting the debt, etc, you could dispute the account and have it removed or corrected.

Unfortunately, you can't have something removed simply because it's negative.

Answer 3

Good luck with that. Unless they aren't your accounts, the bureaus will most likely not take them off. You can waste your time begging and pleaing for them to remove them, but you will be wasting your time. Just remember, as time passes the less and less negative affect they will have on your account.

Answer 4

If you are looking to get this information off of your credit report and you do not want to do it yourself (and there are people who will be happy to provide you with links to their sites where you can find excellent information on doing this yourself) you will have to hire a professional. Before you do that, however, read the following. It is my ten criteria for determining if a credit repair/restoration service is legit or not.

Taken from my blog:

This topic is a really hot one right now. People are falling victim to so many scam artists out there who are taking people's money and offering false hope. There ARE legitimate credit restoration companies out there. But that is the key right there; restoration versus repair. Generally speaking, credit repair is a scam and credit restoration is legit. Does this mean all credit repair offers are scams and all credit restoration offers are legit? NO! It is up to you to do the research. If you can't do the bare minimum to protect yourself, then don't come crying to me if you are taken for all of your money. But, to help you determine the scams from the legits, here are 10 tips on how to tell the difference:

1: If they advertise that they will repair your credit in anything less than 18 months, you are not dealing with a legal company. The LAW requires that any credit restoration agency cannot advertise or represent that they can restore or repair your credit in less than 18 months. (Remember this number, it is going to come up again later.)

2: Check on how long the company has been in business. If they have been around for more than 10 years, you are probably dealing with a reputable company. (Honestly, there are really only three that are recognised as legitimate in the United States.) In a future article I will discuss them in more detail.

3: Do your due dilligence. Check with the BBB. The BBB will provide an unbiased report of how many complaints have been filed against the company in the previous three years. There are two things that you want to consider here. First, if there are more than a dozen complaints over the previous three year period, then this company has serious issues and you should be concerned. Also, if the BBB has no file at all on the business, just walk away from the business. Anyone who is hiding from the BBB should be looked upon with suspicion.

4: Ask for pricing when talking to one of their reps. If they hem and haw about what they charge, or say that it depends on how much they have to remove from your report, they are hiding something from you. A good rule of thumb, if the rep is unwilling to answer any question of yours up front and with honesty, you are not dealing with a legitimate company. This does not mean that if the rep states that they will answer the question in a moment, that they are hiding something. It just means that they are getting there and just need to lay a little groundwork first. Remember, reps are all salespersons. They are there to sell you their service. This is good, believe it or not. This encourages competition in the business and keeps costs down. (Which reminds me: DON'T PAY MORE THAN $1000 PER PERSON FOR THE SERVICE.)

5: Ask if the company is licensed, bonded and insurred. Ask for proof. If they will not show you their business license (which can only be obtained AFTER they have purchased their bond and insurance) this should raise alarm bells.

6: Ask for examples of successes the company has had. A legitimate company will have copies of investigation results (with personal information blacked out of course) that will show you how successful they can be.

7: How long are they going to work for you? Yes, that's right, remember that these companies work FOR you. If they are just going to maintain a business relationship with you for the length of time it takes to repair your credit, beware. What often happens in these cases is that after the company has cleared negative information from your credit report they sever their relationship with you and a couple of months later the information returns to your credit report. Now what are you going to do? Your options are to leave the negative information and suffer for 7-10 years or hire someone, again, to remove the information, again. A reputable company will stay with you for the FULL 18 months (I told you this number would come up again). This allows them to continuously monitor your credit reports and remove any negative that may re-insert itself after the initial sanitizing.

8: What other services do they offer? If they are a legitimate company, they will have rescources that will help you to re-establish yourself in the financial world. Things like the ability to help obtain a debit card even if you can't open a checking or savings account. (Yes, believe it or not, it can be done!) Can you call their credit advisors any time for advice? Is legal representation available if you have to go to court against the credit reporting agencies? ASK! If the company is letgitimate, they will have a team of lawyers that will handle these kinds of legal matters for the duration of your contract.

9: Does their contract advise you of your rights? If not, why? Because they don't know the laws! And if they don't know the laws that are designed to protect you, how can you expect them to know the complexities of the Fair Credit Reporting Act which has 340 different laws?

10: Is there a money back guarantee? In this business refunds are usually prorated. In other words, if you have 50 negative things on your reports and they can only have 30 removed, you are refunded 40% of your money since they were able to get 60% of the information removed. If there is no money back offer, run away! A company that has faith in their services will offer to refund the money if they can't do the work.

I hope this information helps people out there who are confused about credit restoration programs. In a future article I will discuss who should and should not use credit restoration.

If you have any questions regarding credit issues, please email me at [e-mail]

Answer 5

dougzinbo hit the nail on the head! Follow his suggestions as he's correct. Good luck!