Anyone ever try a credit repair expert?

Submitted by HarmisonPaul on Mon, 06/02/2008 - 15:10

I’m looking to pump up my credit score from 640-to 700 to get a better interest rate on my mortgage. I’ve heard opening new credit card accounts can help (some say it could hurt) the score but i doubt that would be enough. I surfed the internet and read about credit repair experts that could help. Has anyone tried these guys? Do they really help and if they do how much can they help. The agency i talked to there name was Lexington, but not sure if they can help as much as they say they can.
Thanks for the advice
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I have heard of lexington, they will somehow get off all the junk that is on your report, from everything that I hear they are worth the few hundred dollars that they charge.
Do more research before you invest your money, but I have heard good things about them.

Tue, 06/03/2008 - 01:57 Permalink

Agree about the credit repair companies. It's not that hard tp build up your FICO. Over 1/3 of your score comes from payment history, and just under 1/3 comes from proportion of balance to available credit. So here is what you do. Pay all of your existing credit cards down to less than 20% balance, pay them off if possible. If you cannot pay them off then continue to make payments of them (not the minimum) and stay under that 20%. If you can pay them off, DO NOT CANCEL THEM, with the exception of department store credit cards or any other type of consumer credit card (Best Buy, Office Max, etc.). Now, let's say you have zero balance and 4 open cards. Use a different one every week to get something small that you would normally buy with cash, say a tank of gas. Pay each one off before the end of the billing cycle so as not to incur any interest charges. You are getting the benefit of the consistent payment history, with the benefit of low balance to available credit ratio, and it's not costing you any extra money to use those cards. Keep that up for a while and your FICO scores will be up there with the best, the right way.

Tue, 06/03/2008 - 13:22 Permalink

I just don't understand why you would pay for somebody to repair your credit when you can do it for yourself very easily and for free. Atleast if it is Lexington Law Firm you are referring to they do have a satisfactory rating with the BBB. I would recommend doing some research first and seeing if you can't repair your own credit. The FTC website offers some valuble information about credit repair.

Best of luck

Wed, 06/04/2008 - 02:49 Permalink

HarmisonPaul,

YOu should pop over to the credit repair forum and read about debt validation. Each account your letters get removed can raise your credit up to 20 points. Oh, and a credit card will raise your score if you pay on time.

Wed, 06/04/2008 - 05:22 Permalink

To raise your credit score you can try out the following
First sent a DV letter to the CA and on getting a validation of your debt sent them a PDL agreement and come to an agreement with the CA that you can repay only a certain percentage of the debt say 50%, but the CA must remove the debt from the CA as soon as you repay the debt. As soon as the CA removes the negative element from the CR, your score automatically gets increased. So why pay extra money to somebody else when you can use this money to pay back your debt.

Wed, 06/04/2008 - 07:26 Permalink

I too think that going for credit repair companies will only make you spend more cash out of your pocket. If you manage your own debt properly by paying back the debt in time, i don't think there is any need to go for credit repair companies.

Wed, 06/04/2008 - 11:55 Permalink

I agree and you can actually learn about credit repair and management and do this all yourself, it never hurts to learn these things, you will be so much further ahead to have all this knowledge.

Thu, 06/12/2008 - 00:58 Permalink

I too agree with you goodnatured. it is always advisable to have a complete knowledge of how to repair your own credit. The forums like this helps a lot to learn. Moreover having a sound knowledge always helps us to manage our credit efficiently and saves dollars which would otherwise have gone to the credit repairing companies for no reason.

Thu, 06/12/2008 - 08:59 Permalink

Someone had mentioned Lexington Law. Well, since we can post our OWN experiences with them, here it is. They SAY it takes only "$99.00 to start their services, and $39.00 per month." I don't know what they were thinking, but, they took MORE than $99.00, out of my bank account and kept saying they need MORE than $39.00 (this should have been a 'Red Flag' to me..) to "RAPIDLY ( in less amount of time than they originally said) 'fix' my Credit Score. I put a 'Stop Payment', for the additional $99.00. After a month of 'services' with them, they informed me they "could no longer do business with me BECAUSE of the 'Stop Pyament'. I tried to explain that the 'fee' was debted 2 times. they din't want to hear it. However.....the NEXT month they tried to debit ANOTHER $99.00..because thy claim they never recieved the FIRST $99.00. GOD..what a mess!

Sun, 06/15/2008 - 14:23 Permalink

I have never heard anything bad about them, there is a young man that used it and he says it worked out well for him, but he played a pretty penny for thier work. Did you have a bad experience with them?

Mon, 06/16/2008 - 03:31 Permalink

Hi sdchargers_63
I think that if you have all the documents which certifies your payment to Lexington Law, you can sent a copy of it to the BBB and reveal their fraud. You should also place a complaint with the FTC in this case I think.

Mon, 06/16/2008 - 06:20 Permalink

I DO have documents. Bank debits, etc. I tried talking to them, at the time. Never got 'anywhere' with them. Sometimes..you just want to 'let things go'. But, I appriciate the advice, SCOTT.

Mon, 06/16/2008 - 10:08 Permalink

sdchargers,

I would not let it go, I would be demanding my money back, that is a lot of money that they took out of your account. Have you reported them to the states attorney generals office, they may be able to help you get your money back. They are pretty effective, gather up the company information and go to the pa attorney website, you can do the complaint on line, it is really easy to do.

Thu, 06/19/2008 - 02:30 Permalink

Hi sdchargers
I too agree with you goodnatured. In this way they have taken away a lot of money from your account. You should immediately consult an attorney complain against them to the AGs office.

Thu, 06/19/2008 - 13:06 Permalink

I just think that they should have to give the money back if they did not render any service or the service promised and then to take it a few times when you have proof that they did. I would not be sitting quietly by.

Fri, 06/20/2008 - 03:18 Permalink

I have this really good Ebook, that will help you with any credit problems you have. It is called Credit Secrets Revealed. You can increase your credit score within 90 days, even if you don't have credit. It worked wonders for me. I read this book, and now I have almost perfect credit within four months. Good Luck! I have this really good Ebook, that will help you with any credit problems you have. It is called Credit Secrets Revealed. You can increase your credit score within 90 days, even if you don't have credit. It worked wonders for me. I read this book, and now I have almost perfect credit within four months. Good Luck!
[deleted] violation of forum rules - Richard.

Sat, 06/21/2008 - 22:00 Permalink

Hey, awestover can you pm the link to me, the forum will always delete when you put a link on here. Is it a free ebook? If it is, I would like to take a look at it. If you have to pay for it, forget it. thanks

Thu, 06/26/2008 - 04:45 Permalink

I would like the link also, please pm it to me too.

Wed, 07/16/2008 - 02:18 Permalink

i have not recieved a pm yet with any information, has anyone else gotten anything yet?

Thu, 07/31/2008 - 10:03 Permalink

Oh, well, guess we will never know, huh. I tried to open the page but could not get the link to open.

Fri, 08/01/2008 - 02:28 Permalink

sometimes stuff like this happens, people come and then dissappear.

Mon, 08/04/2008 - 15:45 Permalink

I think that we can officially write this one off, I don't think that anyone is going to get their requests honored. oh well, chalk this one up to wishful thinking.

Wed, 08/06/2008 - 04:41 Permalink

I've heard some bad things about that ebook anyways, credit secrets revealed. It's just like the credit secrets bible. You pay a lot of money for someone to tell you that you should apply for new credit, pay your bills on time, and lower your credit card debt. I assure you there's probably nothing in there that you couldn't learn here.

As far as the lexington law situation goes you should definately file a complaint with the BBB. If no one complains about their bad practices then they will continue to a get a way with this. Atleast if you complain others might think twice before doing business with them.

Sun, 08/10/2008 - 01:51 Permalink

I see the Lexington law ad at the top of the forum from time to time. I wonder why they are there if the are doing wrong? As for the ebook I think you are 100 percent in the right there. Just come here and learn it for free.

Sun, 08/10/2008 - 01:54 Permalink

This much is true. So does complaining about it.lol.

Tue, 08/12/2008 - 17:23 Permalink

They must be ripping some people off just to pay for all of the advertising they do. I see their ads everywhere. They are almost always listed at the top of all of the search engine PPC programs.

Tue, 08/12/2008 - 23:52 Permalink

yes, you are probably right, if they get one sucker to fall for their ads they probably feel as if it was worth it. I think what is misleading is when their ads appear at the top of creditable pages and then people think that because they are there that they are some how associated with the page when they are not really. I think it is misleading.

Wed, 08/13/2008 - 01:25 Permalink

I agree with both of you guys. I was thinking the same thing but didn't say anything. I see them up their and thought to myself I wonder how many people think they are affiliated with this foru. Quite misleading.

Wed, 08/13/2008 - 12:30 Permalink

I think they purposely seek out these opportunities to do this, this forum should put a disclaimer out there or make them state that they are not affiliated with this site or any other that they advertise on.

Thu, 08/14/2008 - 03:23 Permalink
Anonymous (not verified)

Yes, I agree with you fireyone. The ads on top of each forum pages are basically google ads from which I think this site generates revenue. Repair companies may appear randomly in these ads and this does not necessarily mean that this site has link with credit repair companies like Lexington law. If they had any link with such credit repair companies, I don't think they would have permitted us to write against these companies in the forum pages.

Thu, 08/14/2008 - 12:36 Permalink

Very true guest. Gn is right it is a way to make a few bucks. I guess it works out for the site and the people displaying their ads.

Wed, 08/20/2008 - 18:29 Permalink

Wish there was some magical way for me to pull in some bucks. If I could promise some dishonest claim and then sit back and take peoples money while doing almost nothing for them they couldn't have done theirselves.

Mon, 08/25/2008 - 11:44 Permalink

You could start up a collection agency, buy up old debt and then harass people to pay ungodly amounts, LOL, just kidding! :o :shock: 8)

Mon, 08/25/2008 - 11:46 Permalink

I bet they lose alot of cash too. Seems like risky investment and high stress job. All for what?

Mon, 08/25/2008 - 12:25 Permalink

Some people have the knack for collecting, it does not have to be ruthless and mean, I think the ones that are descent to people and follow the laws are very successful. I guess the collector has to put themselves in the debtors shoes and then proceed from there.

Mon, 08/25/2008 - 22:59 Permalink

That is true but rarely happens Gn. Too many of these places just want to scare people to death and force them to commit to payments most can not even make.

Tue, 08/26/2008 - 01:39 Permalink

I have had them about 50/50, I have found that it depends on how old the debt is, the older the debt the nicer they are, because they know that you have not paid it by now, there is a good chance that you are not going to, so they treat you a little differently.

Tue, 08/26/2008 - 01:47 Permalink

I honestly don't see much in payong the old debt. I am sorry if I sound rude but there are no really good benefits from doing so and if one time you jit a rough spot and can not pay an installment you just screwed yourself. Not only that if it was $300 to begin with wny would I want to pay half of the $2000 it is now?

Tue, 08/26/2008 - 01:52 Permalink