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DISPUTES

How To Dispute A Credit Report Error Yourself, For Free

Imperial Ethics Credit Repair · Glendale, Arizona · 6 min read
You do not need to hire anyone to dispute an error, and we will say so plainly. Disputing is free, and the bureaus must answer you exactly as they would answer a company acting on your behalf.

1. Get all three reports

Equifax, Experian and TransUnion hold separate files. Dispute with whichever bureau is reporting the error. If it appears on all three, you send three letters. Checking your own report is a soft inquiry and does not affect your score.

2. Write the letter

Keep it short and specific. Vague letters get form responses. Include:
  • Your full name, current address, and date of birth
  • The account name and the account number as it appears on the report
  • Exactly what is wrong: “this account is not mine,” “the balance should be zero,” “the date the account first went unpaid is reported as 2021 and should be 2018”
  • What you want done: corrected or deleted
  • Copies of any proof, never originals
One account per letter is cleaner than a list of eight. It is harder to dismiss and easier to track.

3. Send it so you can prove you sent it

Certified mail with return receipt. Online portals are faster but leave you with a weaker record, and the record is what matters if this ever escalates. Keep a copy of every letter and note the date it was received.

4. The 30-day clock

The bureau generally has 30 days from receipt to investigate and respond. It will do one of three things: correct the entry, delete it, or tell you the company reporting it confirmed the account is accurate. If it cannot verify the information, it must come off.

5. When it comes back "verified"

This is where most people stop, and it is where the work actually begins. You have options:
  • 1. Ask the bureau to describe its method of verification, meaning what it actually checked and who it spoke to.
  • 2. Go straight to the source. Write to the creditor or collection agency and ask them to produce the records behind what they reported.
  • 3. Add a statement of dispute to your file so anyone pulling the report sees the account is contested.
  • 4. File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It is free and it generates a response.

What disputing will not do

It will not remove accurate, verifiable information. If the debt is yours, the dates are right and the balance is right, no letter changes that. It ages off on its own schedule, and disputing it will not shorten that.

Want the templates?

Our DIY credit repair kit is free: step-by-step instructions, yours to keep, no strings and no obligation to become a client. Email Rashad.winston@imperialethics.com and we will send it.

Tried it and got nowhere?

That is when most of our clients call. If your first round came back verified with no explanation, we will look at what you sent and tell you what we would do differently.
Contact Imperial Ethics
Imperial Ethics Credit Repair