Posts Tagged ‘Federal Trade Commission’

Things You Shouldn’t Do On A Credit Repair Dispute Letter

There’s a right way and a wrong way to do just about anything, including writing a credit repair dispute letter. Granted, making a mistake on a credit repair dispute letter is not the end of the world. You may even get the desired results, but it can take longer and with a lot less hurt feelings if you follow a few simple rules. Remember, if you’re still unsure of how to write the letter, check out the credit repair letter template at the Federal Trade Commission’s website. Your bank also should be able to help you.

Explain Everything About Everything

A credit repair dispute letter should be as short as possible. You don’t do yourself any favors by having including your elementary report cards, letters from your Mom and a photo of your dog. All you need to do is inform that you noticed something wrong in your latest credit report, what this is and who you are. You also need to send a copy of the credit report and mark where the problem is.

Wrong Formatting

This really shouldn’t take more than one page, including your address. Be sure to sign the credit repair dispute letter in ink or it will not be taken seriously. You can write the letter or type it. Typing is best, because the recipient can’t claim that they couldn’t read your handwriting. You also don’t want to type in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS LIKE THIS because that is considered rude. It’s the written equivalent of shouting in your face.

Not Following Directions

Your credit report (even the three free ones you are entitled to per year by law) will include instructions on how to properly file a dispute. They tell you if some errors can be solved over the phone. They tell you what address to send credit repair dispute letter to. They even add other details for some of the most common errors found on credit reports.

Fro example, with Equifax, if you discover that your credit report has been filed under the wrong Social Security Number, you need to also include a copy of your Social Security card or a photocopy of your most recent W-2 form. Please don’t send originals. If you don’t send the right paperwork, you’ll merely get a letter asking to send the right paperwork. You can save a lot of problems just by following the directions the credit bureau’s credit repair dispute letter directions.

Finding A Sample Credit Repair Letter On The Web

You got your credit report and notice there’s a big error. You need to write a credit repair dispute letter to that agency to get any hope of the situation being resolved. Or, perhaps you’re being hounded by debt collectors or even just one person who insists you owe them money. You need to write letters in order to get them off of your back and to back up your case, should it ever go to court. How do you write these important letters? You could go online and check out a sample credit repair letter.

Federal Trade Commission

The FTC offers a lot of free services on their various websites, including free sample credit repair letters. When you look at the sample credit repair letter to a credit bureau, you might wonder if such a short letter is all there is to writing a credit repair letter, but it is. You do need to send it snail mail and not email. You also need to include a copy of the place in the credit report that you are disputing.

It’s best to go with the FTC’s sample credit repair letters because some other sample letters on the web are not written very well and are not good examples to imitate. You never want to threaten legal action to a credit bureau or a bank. That makes you look really guilty in their eyes. As the old saying goes, you can catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Other Tips

Other kinds of sample credit repair letters you can find are letters that you write directly to who you owe money to or to the debt collection agency working on their behalf. Did you know that under American law, a debt collector has to stop contacting you once you send a cease and desist letter? An excellent sample cease and desist letter is at About.com.

No matter what kind of sample credit repair letter you are looking for, ignore the example if it threatens legal action. The most you can threaten anyone with is “If you do not stop, I shall be forced to file a complaint with the FTC and my state’s Attorney General’s Office.” Don’t write in all capital letters, too. This is considered rude.

Don’t plead your case that you are innocent of fraud or identity theft, either, even if you are entirely innocent. This makes you look as if you have something to hide. Make a copy of your letter and a copy of any threatening letters from the creditor or collection agency. Keep them all together, just in case your case goes to court.

The Best Credit Repair Letter Samples Are Free

When people are scared and desperate, they will willingly pay for stuff that they should be able to get for free. One of these things is a credit repair letter sample. There are many credit repair do-it-yourself kits for sale that include several credit repair letter samples. If all you need is to know how to write a simple credit report dispute letter or even a cease and desist letter to pesky bill collectors, then you can get those things for free on the Internet.

Short And Sort Of Sweet

The best credit repair letter samples do not make the most scintillating of reading material. They seem like they are completely devoid of emotion, as if they were written by a robot. This is precisely what you need. You don’t need to go into any great detail wit these kinds of important business letters. You need to make your case as quickly as possible and sign off.

A credit report dispute letter is one of the most common kinds of free credit repair letter samples on the Internet. One of the best free credit repair letter sample is given by the American government on the website of the Federal Trade commission (FTC). Although the American government is not usually known for their accuracy and efficiency, this is one exception. There is also a toll-free phone number to call for more information.

Copies Only

Here’s another tip you need to follow when sending off these kinds of letters — make copies. Make copies of the dispute letter, the credit report or bill or any other kind of paperwork that is necessary for your particular circumstance. Never send the originals. You need to keep the originals just in case there is court case. Also, some documents required to clear up an error could be a birth certificate or a Social Security card. You need those in real life. Don’t risk sending them through the mail.

About.com

Other kinds of accurate and free credit repair letter samples are up on About.com, which is considered one of the best places to go to on the web for accurate and brief information. This writer especially recommends the sample cease and desist letter up on the site. When you go to About.com, click on the Business and Finance section, and then click on Credit/Debt Management. Or, you could cheat and just enter “About.com cease and desist letter sample” into your favorite search engine.