The average American has $90,460 in debt. That number includes all debt types, including credit card debt, student loans, and mortgages. While there may be such a thing as good debt, all debt becomes bad if you do not pay it off. When people struggle with their debt, their credit scores are lower. People with lower credit scores often turn to repair services to help repair their credit and report inaccuracies. However, not all of these firms are reputable, so you must ask questions about their services. Most importantly, if you are looking to fix mistakes on your credit report, none of them will be as effective as McCarthy Law.
What Should I Ask a Credit Repair Service?
Since all credit repair companies work differently, you must do thorough research before hiring one. Some might offer a free consultation, and you should speak with multiple companies so you know what your options are. Reading reviews online can only get you so far in formulating your opinion.
Ask the following questions.
What do you charge?
Some companies will likely push a monthly program to maximize their profits instead of providing you with an effective service as quickly as possible. Some may offer a fixed price for their services. A reputable law firm, such as McCarthy Law, can charge you absolutely nothing out of pocket. How is it possible to charge nothing?
You may be thinking: isn’t that counterintuitive? Wouldn’t a lawyer be expensive? How do you work for free? The answer is because of how the law is set up. When a credit reporting agency or a creditor makes a mistake in how they report your credit information, the law requires them to pay for your attorney’s fees for having to fix it. So we can take your case on a contingent basis – meaning, that we only get our fees paid if we’re successful on your behalf, and then the creditor or the credit reporting agency pay us. That makes sense – they’re the ones who messed up your credit. Win or lose, we don’t charge you a dime. Non-attorney credit repair services can’t do this, because the law is only set up to compensate attorneys for their time.
Can you guarantee an improvement?
Ask this question to see if you are dealing with a legitimate company. Credit repair services cannot tell a client that they will get a specific score improvement. Instead, they can only tell you the general score improvements from past clients. For example, a salesperson may say their clients receive a 70-100 point improvement. If a salesperson says they can increase your score up to 750, do not hire them. No one can guarantee any specific results.
What do you actually do to help fix my credit?
This is an important one. Many credit repair companies will just send letters to the credit bureaus to dispute information on your behalf. That’s a good first step, but what if it doesn’t work? Many companies will not do anything else. Maybe they’ll send another letter and try again, but what if the credit bureau ignores it or refuses to fix the error? Then you’ve left out the money you paid to the credit repair service without anything to show for it. At McCarthy Law, we can take the next step on your behalf and hold the credit bureaus accountable by filing a lawsuit against them.
How long does it take before I see improvement?
This will differ in every case. Just like no one can guarantee a specific result, no one can guarantee a specific amount of time it will take. It all will depend on how the credit bureau or the creditor responds. Sometimes they may be quick to fix a problem, and you may see improvement in as little as one month. Other times, they will drag their feet and we may need to use the legal process in court to its full extent, which can sometimes take a year or more. What we can guarantee is that we will do everything we can to get you the best result possible. But like anything, sometimes it takes time to do it right.
Contact the Debt Attorneys at McCarthy Law
We can help fix mistakes on your credit report, whether you have other debt or not. But fixing these mistakes can only take you so far if there are other unpaid debts that are reporting accurately. Meaning, your credit score will likely continue to lower if you do not pay off your debts. If you find yourself struggling to do this, contact the attorneys at McCarthy Law. Whether you have a business, credit card, or mortgage debt, we have the experience to help. As we help you settle your debts, we can make sure that your creditors are reporting your payments accurately. And if they make any mistakes, we can hold them accountable and get your credit fixed. To learn more about our services, schedule a free consultation by calling (855) 976-5777 or completing our online contact form.