If you do choose to go with a credit repair organization, be sure to familiarize yourself with facts that will protect you. If a company is seems to be hiding information from you, that's probably because they are. With debt in families rising rapidly, it's easily understandable that many families throughout the country are looking for places to turn to get help. This opens a door for credit repair businesses to flourish which they are, but many of them fall short of their promises and still get your money in the end.
Before you sign a contract with and credit repair service, be sure that they give you a copy of the Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law. They are obligated to do so and if they balk at this, turn around and walk away. No reputable company is going to refuse you information that explains your rights as a consumer. In addition to this copy, be sure that their contract tells you very plainly and specifically what your rights and obligations are throughout this process. Read all documents carefully before you sign.
The specific things that you should be looking for on your contract are as follows:
-A total cost for their services as well as broken down individual costs.
-The company's name and address.
-The time period expected to achieve expected results.
-Guarantees that may be offered
-A description of exactly what their services will entail and how they will go about them.
If your contract is short of any of this information, do not sign and ask about whatever may be missing. If the company tries to excuse the lack of information rather than comply with you in adding it, do not work with that company. There's a good chance that this company is not going to work in your favor and may simply disappear with your money.
Contracts have been invented to protect you as the consumer. It should be an extremely important step that you'll take on the road to choosing a credit repair company. It's something that you never really think you're going to need until you do, but when it's necessary to fall to that contract, you'll be happy that you stuck with it.
Getting Help in the Process
Having poor credit does not excuse you from the 'good' people in society. It's hard to have poor credit. Often it's looming over you, especially when every other commercial on television is about credit relief or credit scores. Yet, even when you have poor credit, there are still places you can turn.
If you are able to secure a loan with poor credit, be prepared to pay high interest. It's not great news, but that's the way it is. The better your credit, the better interest rate will be offered to you. Yet, being able to secure a loan when you have poor credit can be a feat in itself. Be sure to use this borrowed money wisely in the direction of reversing your debt problems.
If you're at the point where even making the minimum payments is getting difficult if not impossible, give your creditors a call. They would much rather hear from you and work something out that will be affordable for you than sit month after month with no payments and have to turn your account over to collections which can later become much worse. Your creditors will be willing to work with you and make things affordable for you.
If you are not the proactive type, contacting a credit counseling service may work better for you. They will deal with your creditors in order to get your monthly minimums down to something that you can afford. They will talk with your creditors for you in order and save you the headache of calling them to tell them that you will not be able to make your payment. They will come up with a reasonable number which you will pay each month and they will disburse to your creditors.
Bankruptcy is always an option, but should be used as a last measure when all other methods have failed. A bankruptcy will stay on your credit report for many years which will affect your ability to receive a mortgage, car loan, student loan, etc. It is an option that's available to you, but with the new laws, they've made them increasingly difficult to get through.
There are several options when it comes to finding help for debt relief. Whichever you choose, be sure it will be workable for you, then determine to get through it and resolve to live a debt free life. This is what will make the stress truly go away.
