Can I Dispute Items on My Credit Report Myself?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you the right to dispute anything on your credit report that you feel is inaccurate, misleading or simply not yours. If you have skills and are meticulous about follow-up on your letters and such to the bureaus then you probably can do the disputing on your own.

Just as I can crawl under my car and change the oil, or even rotate my tires. Sure I can do that because it only takes a certain level of being a mechanic for me to handle those things. But if I need to replace a head gasket or change out a muffler, I would want a mechanic to handle that type of work. I simply don’t have any skills to handle that type of work.

But if you have the skills, then don’t hold back and get working on your credit report. But if you don’t know the credit industry or you just don’t have the patience to work on your disputes, then begin to look into what a professional can do for you. Most good credit repair companies will explain the process and how it works for you. They will charge you for the work they do, generally monthly and will work until you tell them to stop working for you. If you are honest with them about what is incorrect on your reports, they will continue to dispute them until they are reporting accurately for you.

Before you hire anyone be sure that you know what the company stands for and how they will represent you. They should be able to tell you all about what they do and how they do it. They should be able to show you some results that they have achieved from their efforts regarding some of their other clients.

So before you make a decision regarding doing your own disputing take the time to determine if you can handle the undertaking. Good credit is important to everyone and having a credit report that is completely accurate is the beginning of good credit.

Mel Jensen is a retired Customer Service Manager with Ovation Credit Services. He has written many articles regarding Credit Repair.