Credit Help Services By Credit Clean
Most Common Credit Questions

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FAQ about the most common credit repair questions
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1. Why does one credit bureau remove something and the other two won't?
2. Why did I get a letter that states I can do this work myself?
3. Why do I continue to get letters stating the credit bureau wants proof of who I am?
4. Why is it that one report doesn't come back each month like the other two?
5. Why is my credit score going down?
6. I filed bankruptcy yet some of the accounts are still showing charged off and in collection with balances still showing owed.
7. Why am I getting all these collection notices and phone calls from creditors?
8. Why doesn't my counselor send me more email than he/she does?
9. Why do I get notices from Credit Bureaus stating they have previously investigated items on my credit reports?
10. Why is the credit bureau again asking me for proof of my address even though I have now received several updated reports?
11.  Why is the credit bureau sending me a letter stating they believe my dispute was done by a third party company and since they believe this they are calling the dispute frivolous?
12. How can I improve my credit while Credit Clean is helping me with my reports?
13. Why is it that every time I get a credit card statement I make the minimum payment and the balance is not going down?
14.  I don't want any credit once I get my reports cleaned up how does this affect me?
15. Should I be doing anything while you are working on my credit reports?
16. How often should I be getting updated reports from the credit bureaus?
17. Why is it that the credit bureaus will not remove information that is inaccurate?
18. Doesn't sending proof that an account is inaccurate mean the account is going to be removed?
19. Does paying off a collection account mean it is going to disappear?
20. Is having several open accounts in good standing good for my credit scores?
21. Can I get my credit scores?
22. How Can I Get Forms For Credit Clean Full Service Program?
23. How Can I Get Forms For Credit Clean Bankruptcy Program?
24. Do I get a referral for sending a person who uses Credit Clean's Full Service Program?
25. What happens if I move during my service with Credit Clean?
26. How can I contact Credit Clean?
27. What should I NOT do while using Credit Clean's Services?
28. How can I thank my counselor?
29. Why should I check my credit report?

[1]

Why does one credit bureau remove something and the other two won't?

The reason is because the credit bureaus do not work together nor do the share information between each other.  They are each for profit businesses that make money by holding personal information about you and your creditors.  Our job is to try and get all derogatory information off all three reports, if the information comes off two reports, more than likely the other bureau is not verifying the account and we have to continue to work it.

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[2]

Why did I get a letter that states I can do this work myself?

The credit bureaus are constantly trying to stop consumers from getting professional help with the credit repair process, however, we have also found that these types of letters sent to some consumers actually cause the consumer not to even proceed with the clean up of their credit reports so the bureaus are trying to stop you from getting help and hope you will try and do it yourself as most consumers have little knowledge of their rights.  We have supplied most of you with a copy of our Credit Power Book it is a scaled down version of what we do for clients but it does give basics and can help you with certain issues you have on your credit reports. 

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[3]

Why do I continue to get letters stating the credit bureau wants proof of who I am?

When we send for credit reports we always show proof of who you are, where you live and give them a copy of social and or driver's license, this is why we ask for these things when you send your enrollment forms to us.  The reason some of you get these letters is in our opinion stall letters.  In other words, the credit bureaus do to some extent play the numbers.  The average consumer would get bored, give up or simply stop trying to clean up their reports when they are sent these types of stall letters. In other words most consumers have good intensions when they start this work but tend to loose interest somewhere along the way.  If the credit bureaus can get 50% of you to give up they just cut their work load in half.

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[4]

Why is it that one report doesn't come back each month like the other two?

We have no answer to this question, sometimes reports come in as regular as clock work.  This has to be due to the employee at the credit bureau who is working on your file.  We have noticed that some reports are not getting back to the consumer sometimes and the only recourse we have is to follow up and re send the information again.  All we can give an opinion on is that it is a type of stall method and again causes consumers to simply forget the work entirely.  What ever the case these have to be followed up on so make sure you always send what reports you do get within a four day period of time.

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[5]

Why is my credit score going down?

There are many reason why a consumers credit scores go down even with the work we are doing:

• Always pay auto and home loans no matter what they are the most damaging when paid late. 
• A way to keep from getting a late payment added to either a home loan or car loan is to call and ask if you can pay the principle and have the interest added to the end of the loan.  Some companies will do this from 1 to 4 times in a 12 month period of time and by doing this you are making a small payment compared to the full amount yet you are still going to keep from having a late payment added to the account and then reported to the credit bureaus.  For example ... a car loan that you would normally pay $400 a month for would probably only cost you $75 to $100 if you pay only the principle so you save $325 to $300 that you can put towards another bill.  If you can do this on a home and car loan it can be a substantial savings that can get you out of a bind when you have a bad month.
• You can also try this with any lender, however, some creditors will not do this and you should always ask if by paying the principle is it going to cause you to have a late payment added to your account.  Only about 50% of credit card companies will even entertain this type of payment but it is worth a try as it can give you money to actually pay another month of bills.
• Credit Scores will fluctuate during the credit repair process so don't get stressed out over these changes.  The important thing and most common results will be that your credit scores are a lot better.  If negative information is removed then the only logical result is that your credit scores will go up NOT DOWN.

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[6]

I filed bankruptcy yet some of the accounts are still showing charged off and in collection with balances still showing owed.

When we are cleaning up bankruptcy information we are not sending the credit bureaus everything to prove this. The reason we hold off doing this for a couple of disputes is that we would like as much UNVERIFIABLE data totally removed from your reports as opposed to being muted out.  The reason is because at some point you are going to want to clean up the bankruptcy entirely and the less you have reporting about bankruptcy the better it will be for you to clean up the mess when that times comes around.  When there is no other recourse then we send information such as your SCHEDULE F to the credit bureaus thereby proving the account was discharged in your bankruptcy.  WE are always going to do the best for you not just as a quick fix but only as a way to help you even after you have finished with the service.  Most consumers who have filed a bankruptcy are scoring up in the high 600 to low 700 range which is definitely "A" credit status.  This is good for mortgages and auto loans, however, some creditors such as credit card companies are going to balk at giving you unsecured loans because of the fact that you filed bankruptcy, however, this will go away with good payments being made on the accounts you have after bankruptcy so make sure you don't pay anything late ever. One late payment on a credit file that shows a filing for bankruptcy is going to cause you a whole lot of pain since it is worse than what would happen to a person who did not file bankruptcy.  You are being rated on what happens after the bankruptcy so keep everything clean we cannot stress this enough. It is sort of like the life and death of your credit.

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[7]

Why am I getting all these collection notices and phone calls from creditors?

Whenever reports are ordered from a credit bureau and creditor who is looking for you or checks the credit bureaus for new address information will find you as there is no way to get around proving your address, if we don't prove it you don't get a report so you may have creditors who will start to contact you simply because you have received credit reports.  It is just as well that you get all these bugs out of the wood work now while you have a company helping you as the issues would be worse if they pop on your reports after the work has been completed.  This is why several clients are now using our MONITORING PROGRAM to make sure that the reports stay clean of all negative information even after they have finished the service.  Make sure to send any and all collection notices to your counselor along with your reports.

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[8]

Why doesn't my counselor send me more email than he/she does?

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[9]

Why do I get notices from Credit Bureaus stating they have previously investigated items on my credit reports?

This is a stall letter.  There is nothing in the Fair Credit Reporting Act that states " credit bureaus only have to verify and account one time ".  Again most consumers, upon seeing this type of notification, think this is all they can do or all that can be done.  This is NOT TRUE and in fact should be the reason you would follow up on this even more demandingly.  It is a waste of time to get these types of letters, however, it is what has to be gone through, IN SOME CASES, to get the job done.  It is the red tape that you hear so much about so persistence wins in this work.  We follow up on these types of letters immediately so fax them as soon as you get these  727-939-8810, if we don't know you have it we cannot follow up on it so time is important.  ANY LETTER you get from a credit bureau should be sent to us immediately.  Do not try and rectify the problem yourself as this could cause other delays and we just don't know what it is your are doing causing other problems when two sets of information are sent to a bureau.  One will cancel out the other in simple terms.

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[10]

Why is the credit bureau again asking me for proof of my address even though I have now received several updated reports?

This again is a stall letter.  Obviously they know who you are by now and where you live the only way they can stall is to continue to send out a letter asking for something silly.  Don't send them proof we will do that as we also have to send out the same letter of dispute that was sent or all the bureau will do is send you a report with nothing changed.  Make sure you fax this letter to us when ever you receive it  727-939-8810

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[11]

Why is the credit bureau sending me a letter stating they believe my dispute was done by a third party company and since they believe this they are calling the dispute frivolous?

This is also another type of stall letter.  In actuality you are the one that is disputing the information, however, you have hired us to do the work for you as an assistant of sorts.  This is why you have signed a limited power of attorney so that we can act in your behalf when working on credit reports.  The bureaus have no right to deny these disputes, however, they do and again the only recourse we have is to re send the information again.  You have recourse if you can wait the 2 to 4 years it could take to resolve the situation in court and that would be to hire an attorney in your state and file charges against the credit bureau in question.  Please be advised that we are talking about some serious out lay of cash when you go head to head with a credit bureau that is a multi billion dollar company. The best thing to do is to try and get a class action suit and this can be done with enough backing.  You can go to the Federal Trade Commission site and also file a dispute of your own against the credit bureaus at any time and as often as you like.  You can also search for class action suites that are currently filed against credit bureaus and see if you fit any of those suits.  WE also file complaints for our clients especially when it is a direct violation of the consumer's rights. You may even get letters stating you should turn companies like ours in if you feel you are being ripped off.  WE are licensed and bonded, we clearly give all consumers an opportunity to speak out about the service they have received from us at:  http://www.epubliceye.com  we do the best possible work for anyone who wants our help and most of you know this.  We also follow all state laws and federal laws for a Credit Repair Organization so you are assured you have hired the best with our company.   As a matter of interest we have had clients come to us for help after first trying to do the work themselves, they too have received every type of letter that our clients receive and this gives us the best reason to believe that all letters are sent to stall the work that needs to be done as a credit bureau has no idea that you are even getting help there is nothing that is done to point this out when we do the work for you.

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[12]

How can I improve my credit while Credit Clean is helping me with my reports?

The best way to improve your credit while we are working on your reports is to make sure all your accounts are paid on time.  One late payment can cost you as many points as a collection account when the late payment is under two years old and even more when the late payment was made within the last six months.  You can also pay down some of your credit cards that may have high amounts owed.  Creditors do not like to see a credit card with more than 30% of the credit limit used.  This is important to do especially before purchasing a large item such as a home or auto loan.  Even a credit card with a $300 limit is rated the same as a credit card with a $3000 limit if you have charged $250 on that account.  This is still over 75% of the credit line and so it counts against you.  You can improve your scores even more by paying the credit cards off so they show a zero balance, once you get your loan then you can use your cards again as normal.  You should make plans to pay off credit card balances at least two months in advance of purchasing your item as the reports may not be updated for thirty to sixty days and can sometimes be as long as ninety days.  Check the Credit Power Book that was sent to you for other ways of adding good credit to your credit reports if you don't have a lot of credit.  Creditors want to see at least four tradelines being paid on time and in good standing.  They do not count closed accounts that are in good standing as accounts in this category.  Closed accounts in good standing do help your credit but in a different way.  You should also leave accounts open that have been open for a long time as the creditors also want to see a long credit history with your accounts.  Even if you don't use it for credit use it for things you need and pay it off when you use it, you should use it to keep it active at least once every three months otherwise the account could be put inactive and this is the same as closed.

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[13]

Why is it that every time I get a credit card statements I make the minimum payment and the balance is not going down?

If you make the minimum payment on many of the credit cards today you will find that all you are doing is paying the interest they are charging you and even some credit cards will actually increase the balance even if you are not charging anything on the cards.  The reason for this is that a minimum payment is not paying on your principal it is only making the payments on the charges from the bank.  It is best to pay over the minimum balance as much as possible.

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[14]

 I don't want any credit once I get my reports cleaned up how does this affect me?

Well, in order to get credit you need to have credit.  If there is no active credit on your credit reports then there is no way a creditor can assess your credibility as a good payer of debts.  In other words it takes credit to get credit.  This may sound silly and really it makes no sense but there has to be active credit in order for you to have a good credit score.  If you have no credit it is about as bad as having bad credit.  Most people are also too old to not have had credit in the past, this is what the creditors call "A Ghost" file simple because there is nothing there they may think you have changed your social or something even worse.  Unless you are a millionaire and can pay for all the things you need with cash you must have credit.  We all need to be able to purchase homes and automobiles and the interest rate is going to have a lot to do with your credit scores.

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[15]

Should I be doing anything while you are working on my credit reports?

You can do any of the things listed above to improve your scores, BUT, You should not apply for credit, pay any collection accounts, charged off accounts, judgments etc unless you notify your counselor in advance.  You may cause an account that is suppose to be deleted become undeletable.  We are not urging you to not pay the debts you owe but if there is a legal way to get accounts removed then it is best to let us do our work first.  If we find that there is no other way other than to pay an account then we will let you know.

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[16]

How often should I be getting updated reports from the credit bureaus?

You should be getting reports back about every 45 days although sometimes the bureaus use stall tactics which makes it longer.  The credit bureaus are allowed by law to have thirty days in which to do what ever it is they do.  There is nothing fast about cleaning up credit so patience is the key to getting the results you want.

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[17]

Doesn't sending proof that an account is inaccurate mean the account is going to be removed?

Credit Bureaus have been known to ignore proof of an account being inaccurate even with signed documents stating the error.  Again this is not something we have control over and we have to deal with it.  Persistence and knowledge wins the war on credit reports inaccuracies.  It takes time but you don't have to submit to them just have the patience to get through the red tape.

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[18]

Does paying off a collection account mean it is going to disappear?

Absolutely not, in fact sometimes paying a collection off can make your reports even more negative.  This is not to say that paying off an account is not acceptable but you should clear this with your counselor before you pay any accounts off that are negative.  You may pay off any and all accounts that are being paid on and are in good standing. Paying them off will actually help your scores but don't do anything with any of your negative accounts that have gone to collections or have been charged off.

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[19]

Is having several open accounts in good standing good for my credit scores?

Having several accounts is not necessarily going to make your scores better there is a fine line between having too many accounts that are revolving (credit cards, gas cards etc) and not having enough.  The rule of thumb is have at least four revolving accounts and two installment accounts (car, home and furniture loans etc)  Having accounts that are open with zero balances is better than having accounts open with balances of more than 30% of the credit limit.  So if you have ten open accounts and only two have balances this would allow you more open accounts than a person with four open accounts and all showing balances of over 30%.  No one knows exactly how credit scores are calculated ... however, we do know that a person who is 80 years old with zero balance credit cards, a car payment in good standing and a home loan paid off or in good standing scores in the 800's.  Not many people under the age of 50 can score in the 800's because they have not had credit for 50 years and age has a lot to do with the credit scoring.  So anyone under 50 scoring in the 700's is going to have an EXCELLENT credit rating.  Most mortgage companies score you on the following scores:

• 620 plus is "A" Credit
• 650 plus is "AA" Credit
• 680 plus is "AAA" Credit
• 700 plus is the best you can do and can even get mortgage loans without proving financials.

Getting to "A" credit status is what you should be shooting for, getting to the other credit scores get a lot easier and each month you pay your creditors on time you do gain points.  Not many but even three or four points a month is good.

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[20]

Can I get my credit scores?

Yes, you can get your credit scores online or you can have us get them for you.  If you do obtain your credit scores make sure to get all three scores.  There are a few places to obtain your scores, you can choose a place if you go to: (Order Credit Scores On Your Own)  Again make sure you are getting all three scores, one score will not tell you much.  If you want to have us get the scores you can but it is much higher for you to have us get them since it takes time to do this online and time is very precious with the work we do.  To have us obtain your scores go to: (Order Credit Scores From Credit Clean) Look for the order box for Credit Scores and place you order.  Once we get the order we will get your scores, give you an evaluation of all three scores and send it to you usually in the same day.

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[21]

Why is it that the credit bureaus will not remove information that is inaccurate?

Only the people at the credit bureaus know the answer to this question, there are many inaccurate accounts on credit files and these inaccurate accounts should be corrected or removed.  This is how it is suppose to work but that does not happen all the time.  Just remember that with all the stall letters and red tape YOU CAN get your credit cleaned up with persistence and determination.

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[22]

How Can I Get Forms For Credit Clean Full Service Program?

You can get the forms at: FORMS  They can either be printed PDF format and filled out or you can fill out the forms on line and then print them out. These have to be mailed to Credit Clean you may not fax or send them as a file via the internet.  Credit Clean is licensed & bonded all forms must be mailed in original format.

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[23]

How Can I Get Forms For Credit Clean Bankruptcy Program?

You can obtain the forms for Bankruptcy here Bankruptcy Forms Please make sure you go to an attorney and get all of your questions answered. Credit Clean cannot advise you or give you legal advice.  It is against the law for us to do so. We are paralegals and can prepare the bankruptcy forms for you as good or better than an attorney we are just not allowed to give legal advice.  Most of your questions about bankruptcy can be answered by a qualified attorney over the phone or with a free consultation.  Any questions you ask the attorney must be answered as he/she will be bound to give you legal council.  Once you feel comfortable that bankruptcy is the way for you to go and choose to allow our bankruptcy preparers to do the work our fee is only $175 for a single bankruptcy or $200 for a husband and wife bankruptcy.  This is a lot of savings to do a little research and have us prepare the bankruptcy for you.  The forms above will cover everything we need to know so if you use the forms as a guideline of what questions you want to ask an attorney they will come in useful.  An attorney will have you fill out almost the same type of form if you were to use them so which ever way you go it is going to have to be done.  We do the work for the fees we charge as the best way for us to help you after bankruptcy is to make sure everything affecting your credit is in the bankruptcy.  We do a very thorough job. Our bankruptcy software is TOP OF THE LINE and is updated in real time daily so that you get the best possible exemptions out there for your state.

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[24]

Do I get a referral for sending a person who uses Credit Clean's Full Service Program?

You do get paid for any person you send and who uses the Credit Clean Full Service Program.  We give $25 per referral thirty days after the referral began to use the service.  The only people allowed to use our referral program are people who are or have been a client.  Only those who have used the service and know what we do should tell others about us.  You have the knowledge whereas those who have never used the service do not.  This program was designed for our clients and we welcome anyone you refer to us.

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[25]

What happens if I move during my service with Credit Clean?

If you move during the time you are using any of Credit Clean's Services you MUST:
1. Notify your counselor and give your new address, phone, email or what ever the information is that is changing.  The best place to go once you move is:  Change of Address Form  If you are restarting the service you will also need to fill out a form:  Restart Credit Clean Services Form.  Fill out the form and send it to us by fax or email.  Instructions will be on the page you fill out.
2. You must send two types of new address proof such as:  credit statements, bills, utility bills, lease agreement, pay stub, voided check, driver's license.  Two different things showing your address will be required by the credit bureaus.  If you have not done so already or it has been a long time since you have used the service you will need to fax proof of your social security number which is also on your tax returns and pay stubs if a social card is not available.  You should also send a copy of your driver's license.

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[26]

How can I contact Credit Clean?

[27]

What should I NOT do while using Credit Clean's Services?

THE DON'T LIST:

1.  Please don't pay any of your accounts late from here on out.  If paying us means you can't pay something else call us and we will work with you.  Pay the debt first it is most important. Having a new late payment could set us back with our work and hurt your chances of getting loans and other needed items which defeats the purpose of what you are doing.  If you want to avert a late payment with a creditor before it becomes late go to:  CLIENT INFO and read the information concerning this question.

2.  Please don't apply for any type of credit during this process until you have cleared this with your counselor.  Applying for credit adds an inquiry, inquiries drop your credit scores and false readings can be had when a creditor is checking your credit while a dispute has been lodged with the credit bureaus.  This is not affecting our work this is affecting your credit so please contact us prior to doing any type of applications.

3.  Don't fax credit reports, we end up with missing pages, important information is cut off due to the formatting of some reports, unreadable print and numbers (account numbers are the most important part of our work).  Faxing credit reports wastes time so please send them in the envelopes we provide for you in the start up packet or use your own envelopes but do always mail reports to us as soon as you can.

4. Don't pay Credit Clean payments late, if you have to pay late please let your counselor know or your account could be put on hold.  We are not trying to be cruel but no payment means we have no money to work with in your account and this may also be perceived by processing as you have finished working with us.  Our payments are on an honor system as you have the coupon book.  We don't send out bills to save on overhead keeping our cost to you at a minimum.

5. Don't pull credit scores or credit reports until you confirm with your counselor.  Credit Scores pulled during a dispute process will not be accurate and you will have wasted your money.

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[28]

How Can I thank my counselor?

The best way we can think of to thank your counselor is to give your opinion of the service.  You can do this by going to: Rate Credit Clean Services or Rate Your Counselor
Your counselor will get notice of this immediately and know that you have given an opinion.

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[29]

Why should I check my credit report

Anyone who has credit and wants to keep that credit good needs to check the credit reports with all three credit bureaus.  There are three credit bureaus right now that report information about you and any of those three credit bureaus could be used by a creditor you are trying to get credit from.  If you don't know what is in your reports you can't know if you are going to have a chance of getting the credit you are applying for.  If you do not view your reports and correct and clean up any inaccurate information then you can loose a lot of money on a loan that is based on your credit reports and scores by loosing a good interest rate.  Credit reports should be checked at least once every quarter.  Finding out a about a credit problem when you need credit is a terrible situation to be in.

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Page Last Updated
Friday June 29, 2007