Anyone use a Credit Cleaner?

[Tank]

I got a few stupid little dings on my credit that I'd like to not have on there. Anyone ever use a credit cleaner? Have a recommendation? Good or bad experience? Worth it or not?

Thanks

 

[rrrr]

Everything I've ever read says the only thing that works is contacting the party directly and pleading your case. Sometimes you can negotiate a payment that's less than the amount owed. The other alternative is time, after seven years the creditor will stop reporting the negative information.

The credit repair agencies can't do anything to make something go away, in spite of the carefully worded statements they make on TV. It has to be resolved by paying it. They can negotiate an installment payment plan, which the individual can do just as easily. In all actuality, the credit repair agencies charge money for doing the same thing the individual debtor can do.

After I retired in 2010, I discovered that Quicken was claiming an unpaid balance to the credit reporting agencies. I contacted them, and found out it was from a one time bill that had been sent to my company in 2009 for something related to payroll services, and my name was listed as the contact person. The amount was something stupid like $43. I argued with them, got routed all over the place, offered to pay it, threatened them, nothing worked.

Finally, after seven long years, they stopped reporting it in 2016. It was the only negative thing that had appeared on my credit reports since the early 80s, and that was from a credit card my ex-wife had. After Quicken went away, my credit score went from 790 to 840. All over a $43 bill. Friggin' idiots.

 

[dribble]

As stated above. If you have accounts in collection you can negotiate to have them removed from your credit record. They pay pennies on the dollar for them.

 

[Tank]

Everything I've ever read says the only thing that works is contacting the party directly and pleading your case. Sometimes you can negotiate a payment that's less than the amount owed. The other alternative is time, after seven years the creditor will stop reporting the negative information.

The credit repair agencies can't do anything to make something go away, in spite of the carefully worded statements they make on TV. It has to be resolved by paying it. They can negotiate an installment payment plan, which the individual can do just as easily. In all actuality, the credit repair agencies charge money for doing the same thing the individual debtor can do.

After I retired in 2010, I discovered that Quicken was claiming an unpaid balance to the credit reporting agencies. I contacted them, and found out it was from a one time bill that had been sent to my company in 2009 for something related to payroll services, and my name was listed as the contact person. The amount was something stupid like $43. I argued with them, got routed all over the place, offered to pay it, threatened them, nothing worked.

Finally, after seven long years, they stopped reporting it in 2016. It was the only negative thing that had appeared on my credit reports since the early 80s, and that was from a credit card my ex-wife had. After Quicken went away, my credit score went from 790 to 840. All over a $43 bill. Friggin' idiots.

I Don't need to debate anything owed. I don't have any debt except a bit on my house. I've just been flippant about paying a CC bill here and there over the years. Never a BK, never anything in default, never failed to pay anything. I know it's stupid but I'd forget to pay some little CC bill now and again. Now I'm kinda on this kick to get my credit perfect and want that stupid shit off.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I Don't need to debate anything owed. I don't have any debt except a bit on my house. I've just been flippant about paying a CC bill here and there over the years. Never a BK, never anything in default, never failed to pay anything. I know it's stupid but I'd forget to pay some little CC bill now and again. Now I'm kinda on this kick to get my credit perfect and want that stupid shit off.

If you don’t owe anything, call the companies and see if they will remove the notations.

 

[Tank]

If you don’t owe anything, call the companies and see if they will remove the notations.

Have you had success with that? That's kinda what I wanted to do but figured a credit cleaner would have more sway and success. Maybe I'll call the CC co direct. The couple credit cards the negative dings are on are all paid in full and I don't use them much at all.

 

[BoatCop]

Have you had success with that? That's kinda what I wanted to do but figured a credit cleaner would have more sway and success. Maybe I'll call the CC co direct. The couple credit cards the negative dings are on are all paid in full and I don't use them much at all.

That might be an issue. They'd be more likely to cross off the debt, is you'd been using them and paying every month. If the cards are idle, they're not making any money. It's a good practice to buy some low amount item, say $20-$25, let it go the billing cycle, and paying it off as soon as the bill drops. If you pay it off before the statement drops, the balance and/or payment isn't seen by the credit reporting firms.

Or pay some regular bills with them. This is particularly beneficial with a cash back card. Just make sure you pay them all off to avoid the finance charges. I pay everything with CCs, and pay the cards off every month. I've got back something like $550 total since the first of the year from 3 different cards. I just have them apply it to the account(s).

 

[Tank]

That might be an issue. They'd be more likely to cross off the debt, is you'd been using them and paying every month. If the cards are idle, they're not making any money. It's a good practice to buy some low amount item, say $20-$25, let it go the billing cycle, and paying it off as soon as the bill drops. If you pay it off before the statement drops, the balance and/or payment isn't seen by the credit reporting firms.

Or pay some regular bills with them. This is particularly beneficial with a cash back card. Just make sure you pay them all off to avoid the finance charges. I pay everything with CCs, and pay the cards off every month. I've got back something like $550 total since the first of the year from 3 different cards. I just have them apply it to the account(s).

Yea, I've been working on actually using them more for little stuff and paying them at the bill cycle. I just want to get these little dings off. I have Capt 1 cards and don't get jack back. I should probably close them and get a card that offers something back. I just resent CC's in general and don't want to deal with them. Probably the reason I was late here and there in the first place lol

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

I got a few stupid little dings on my credit that I'd like to not have on there. Anyone ever use a credit cleaner? Have a recommendation? Good or bad experience? Worth it or not?

Thanks

PM sent

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[rrrr]

As stated above. If you have accounts in collection you can negotiate to have them removed from your credit record. They pay pennies on the dollar for them.

If you settle with a creditor or someone who has bought the debt for less than the amount owed, it is very unlikely the event will be removed from your credit record.

There will still be a seven year period that will say "account closed, amount less than outstanding debt accepted."

 

[Tank]

If you settle with a creditor or someone who has bought the debt for less than the amount owed, it is very unlikely the event will be removed from your credit record.

There will still be a seven year period that will say "account closed, amount less than outstanding debt accepted."

Just for the record...Never settled or defaulted. Just forgot to make a few payments on time and would like those dings taken off since I've actually ALWAYS paid.

 

[rrrr]

You have a decent chance in getting the CC company to relent and remove the late payment tags on your credit record.

Make up a believable story about job loss or illness, make a few notes to follow, and call 'em up.

 

[was thatguy]

If you settle with a creditor or someone who has bought the debt for less than the amount owed, it is very unlikely the event will be removed from your credit record.

There will still be a seven year period that will say "account closed, amount less than outstanding debt accepted."

Yep.
Charge offs only remove the debt, not the ding.
Unfortunately, missing a few payments or late payments are exactly what credit reports are intended to report.
After my first divorce many years ago it took me about a year to get stabil.
Then I went to work on my credit report. I had about 6-7 bad things.
Delinquent cards and some bounced checks. It took about 3 months to settle all the debt. No huge amounts, maybe a grand altogether.
After that the blemishes were still there, BUT I did get approved for a truck loan from my credit union because the loan manager was impressed that I actually went through all the effort and settled up with everyone...even the stupid $30 bounced checks.

 

[yz450mm]

Sign up for myfico.com and check your credit report. Dispute any items you would hope to have gone, then see what happens.

Things have changed pretty drastically in the past year or two regarding credit reporting, so if the Credit Agencies can't immediately verify the bad info, it will be removed.

I destroyed my credit about 10 years ago, and it took a while to rebuild it. Out of all the sites, myfico.com seems to be the real deal. I pay 30 or 40 bucks a month, and get a full credit report from all 3 bureaus every month. In the meantime I still get full access to the simulators and everything else, so it's well worth it. FYI.

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[BoatCop]

Yea, I've been working on actually using them more for little stuff and paying them at the bill cycle. I just want to get these little dings off. I have Capt 1 cards and don't get jack back. I should probably close them and get a card that offers something back. I just resent CC's in general and don't want to deal with them. Probably the reason I was late here and there in the first place lol

Call Capitol One and ask to switch your cards to the Quicksilver. You get 1.5% back on everything, and no minimum amounts to wait to add up. Applying for another card with another company will cause a hard inquiry and lower the score several points. Plus they have free Transunion credit scores and simulators.

 

[milkmoney]

Cash is king [emoji202]

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[DrunkenSailor]

Yea, I've been working on actually using them more for little stuff and paying them at the bill cycle. I just want to get these little dings off. I have Capt 1 cards and don't get jack back. I should probably close them and get a card that offers something back. I just resent CC's in general and don't want to deal with them. Probably the reason I was late here and there in the first place lol

Don’t close long standing cards. Just open new ones and keep the old ones in a safe. Available credit and length of time a card has been open both help your score.

 

[Waffles]

Don’t close long standing cards. Just open new ones and keep the old ones in a safe. Available credit and length of time a card has been open both help your score.

I wouldn't suggest opening new ones if he already resents them. Him keeping them in a safe unused is not good either. Cc companies will close inactive accounts lowering your available credit which inturn increases your utilization ratio. I had a discover card that was closed after 6 months of inactivity.
Always keep them rotated. And if you have high debt, take advantage of the low or 0% apr promotional balance transfers most companies offer.

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[rivrbrat]

I got a few stupid little dings on my credit that I'd like to not have on there. Anyone ever use a credit cleaner? Have a recommendation? Good or bad experience? Worth it or not?

Thanks

I see few here knows how the system works.....The first thing is to contact the credit reporting bureau and dispute the item in question they will send notice to reporting party they have set amount of time to respond they usually don't when they don't, Bad mark is removed and can not be put back on.

This is the dirty little secret the credit cleaners use.

 

[BONER]

I'm actually mid flight in this process. Somebody got ahold of my Identity in GA. Can't 100% vouch yet as they've only done one round of cleaning but my FICO has jumped 45 points. It isn't cheap, I paid $2k.

If you want to keep in touch with me via PM's or whatever I can keep you posted and relay the contact information after they've completed the job...

 

[Universal Elements]

I see few here knows how the system works.....The first thing is to contact the credit reporting bureau and dispute the item in question they will send notice to reporting party they have set amount of time to respond they usually don't when they don't, Bad mark is removed and can not be put back on.

This is the dirty little secret the credit cleaners use.

This, but wait till December 3rd of this year. The reporting party has 30 days to respond to the dispute. With the holidays in December, a lot of times they miss that deadline. I have seen them dismiss a lot of complaints. It’s like a speeding ticket in a sense, keep postponing the court date.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Have you had success with that? That's kinda what I wanted to do but figured a credit cleaner would have more sway and success. Maybe I'll call the CC co direct. The couple credit cards the negative dings are on are all paid in full and I don't use them much at all.

Yes it works and that is all the “cleaners” do.

 

[BONER]

Also, the reason I hired a Firm to do this is because I have zero motivation to do this myself. Way too time consuming for me to tackle.

 

[ChumpChange]

I see few here knows how the system works.....The first thing is to contact the credit reporting bureau and dispute the item in question they will send notice to reporting party they have set amount of time to respond they usually don't when they don't, Bad mark is removed and can not be put back on.

This is the dirty little secret the credit cleaners use.

This, but wait till December 3rd of this year. The reporting party has 30 days to respond to the dispute. With the holidays in December, a lot of times they miss that deadline. I have seen them dismiss a lot of complaints. It’s like a speeding ticket in a sense, keep postponing the court date.

Your answers are above. They have thirty days to respond and if they don't, its removed. Year end is the best time to do this as more people are taking vacations and these companies could be short staffed. That basically sums it up.

 

[rivrbrat]

One last thing most people don't know is Not only can you have a bad mark removed but you can have a creditor blocked from placing any marks on your file going forward.

There are a number of larger company's out there that engage in illegal credit reporting practices, and the credit bureaus know it but can't do anything unless you dispute there activities.

 

[Ziggy]

Cash is king [emoji202]

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Not so much really. Cash deals create more bureaucracy and reporting paperwork on a sizable purchase. Pain in the ass.

 

[JBS]

I made the mistake of co-signing a credit card. The person defaulted on the card which I did not know until it hit my credit report. I paid the balance but they would not remove from my credit. Not a big deal as it is my only negative but it bothers me. I contested it and Bank of America confirmed it. My advice never cosign for anyone. I would of been better off just giving this person one of my cards.

Tank like you i hate to pay little bills. I have all my bills on autopay. For the CC I have it set to make the minimum payment so if I forget it is done. Otherwise I can just go online and pay what I want.

 

[Ziggy]

Call Capitol One and ask to switch your cards to the Quicksilver. You get 1.5% back on everything, and no minimum amounts to wait to add up. Applying for another card with another company will cause a hard inquiry and lower the score several points. Plus they have free Transunion credit scores and simulators.

Wife just got a card that pays 3x points on food/hotel purchases plus gets us into airport VIP lounges for free.
75% of our card usage is restaurant.
Use the costco card for all my fuel purchases.

 

[Tank]

Thanks for all the advice and answers. I’ll get to work on it.

 

[rrrr]

Yes it works and that is all the “cleaners” do.

There's no point in paying someone to do what is pretty easy to accomplish. As I said above, call the creditor, and explain that a job loss or illness caused you to miss payments, and when you were able you paid the amount due. Ask them to consider the extenuating circumstances, and then ask if they will remove the late payment from your credit report.

Be familiar with the dates and amounts involved. Get a free credit report to get this information. Rehearse what you are going to say, and make your argument plausible. Speak in a clear, concise manner, and be polite.

 

[milkmoney]

Not so much really. Cash deals create more bureaucracy and reporting paperwork on a sizable purchase. Pain in the ass.

Wouldn't expect anything less from you [emoji202]

Doesn't seem to be a pain in my ass when paying cash.

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[240Hallett]

Not so much really. Cash deals create more bureaucracy and reporting paperwork on a sizable purchase. Pain in the ass.

So it’s a pain in the ass to make a large purchase (like a new vehicle) with cash money?

 

[Ziggy]

10k and above required documentation and reporting to the "authorities".

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

10k and above required documentation and reporting to the "authorities".

I tried to put my last car purchase on a credit card and they cried.

 

[Englewood]

Dedicated Credit Repair in Temecula.

 

[Classic Daycruiser]

Here is what Dave Ramsey says about improving a credit score. I'd follow his advice.

https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/the-number-one-way-credit-score

"
How Is a Credit Score Calculated?
According to FICO, your credit score is calculated like this:

• 35% is based on your payment history
• 30% is based on your debt level
• 15% is the length of time you’re in debt
• 10% is new debt
• 10% is the type of debt

You don’t see anything there about your bank account. There’s no mention of your monthly budget or any cash you have saved for emergencies and retirement. Your credit score is solely built on how much debt you have, what kind of debt you have, how long you’ve had it, and how you’ve paid on it. Anyone can borrow money and end up with a good credit score!

 

[Classic Daycruiser]

Not so much really. Cash deals create more bureaucracy and reporting paperwork on a sizable purchase. Pain in the ass.

I use wire transfers to get around it.

 

[Ziggy]

I use wire transfers to get around it.

Automaticly reported by bank.

 

[WhatExit?]

Basic credit 101: Late payments are something to avoid.

 

[ChumpChange]

So it’s a pain in the ass to make a large purchase (like a new vehicle) with cash money?

Yes it is and you don't always get a better deal. The good part is that the dealership knows you're qualified and can purchase the vehicle, the bad part is they can lose rebates on the back end for finding you financing.