If you’ve ever tried repairing your own credit, then you’ve probably gotten a “frivolous” letter from one of the big 3.
You know the one… “We already investigated this item and we won’t investigate again unless you provide more proof.”
Now you may have heard some “experts” tell you to send proof to the bureaus, like a cancelled check or a bank statement showing your collection was paid.
Let me give you some advice…
DON’T DO IT. THIS IS BAD ADVICE.
Why? Because the FCRA says the burden of proof is on the creditor, not you. You don’t have to prove anything.
All you’ve accomplished was proving the negative item was reporting inaccurately. After they fix it there’s nothing you can do about getting it off.
What’s worse is now they expect you to provide proof for all your errors every time you dispute. They track everything!
Here’s What You Should Do
The right way to handle this is to take the offensive.
If that were me I’d say, “Oh really? You INVESTIGATED it? How? What’s your process? Exactly what steps were taken? With whom did you speak with at the lender? What questions did you ask and what physical proof did they deliver to you? How can I reach them to confirm and can you send me over copies of their proof?”
Do you see how handling this the right way will probably lead to the creditor not being able to provide proof and the whole tradeline getting deleted as a result?
That’s how we do things ’round here.
Look… there are no quick fixes for any of the mistakes on your credit. They designed the system to frustrate you into giving up. That’s why you need a professional to handle it for you…. and its still going to be a time consuming process.
Don’t wait until you need your credit. By then its too late.
