Credit Repair Consumer Tips
The more informed you are as a consumer, the better able you will be to select the right Rhode Island credit repair service. Here are some tips to guide your decision.
What to Watch For
The FTC has set forth certain guidelines to help consumers know what to avoid in a Rhode Island credit repair service. If you find a Rhode Island credit repair company that does any of the following things, you might want to look for another service:
- Want you to pre-pay for Rhode Island credit repair services
- Don't tell you your legal rights or explain what you can do yourself for free
- Recommend that you not contact a credit bureau directly
- Promise a "new" identity or credit report
- Advise you to dispute all the information in your credit report
Your Rights
Any Rhode Island credit repair service worth its salt will explain your legal rights to you in detail. Keep in mind that not even Rhode Island credit repair can remove accurate and timely information from your credit report. Here are your rights as a consumer:
- You are entitled to a free credit report anytime a company takes adverse action against you. This means if you are denied credit, insurance, employment, etc., you can get a free report if you request it within 60 days of receiving the notice of action.
- You are also entitled to one free credit report annually from all three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, & TransUnion). You can request these reports via phone, mail, or online. Your Rhode Island credit repair service can help you do so if you don't know how.
- You can dispute errors or outdated items in your credit report for free. However, Rhode Island credit repair is usually a more effective and efficient way to dispute questionable items on your report successfully.
