Did you receive a form letter from one of the credit bureaus that says this?:
If so, here’s why...
They believe that the dispute letter was not sent by you, personally; therefore, they are rejecting your request.
Here’s what to do next…
First, make sure you are not sending disputes on someone else’s behalf. Don’t “help” a friend or family member by sending letters for them. DIY credit repair must be done by the individual. (They may choose to hire a professional service, but that is another topic.)
It is illegal to order a credit report on someone else without a permissible purpose, such as a lender, landlord, insurance agent, or employer checking for credit-worthiness — and even then they must have your written permission to do so.
Therefore, if you can’t order your friend’s credit report, it follows that you can’t dispute your friends’ credit report. That is what’s behind that rejection letter.
But what if you got that letter and it was really YOU disputing for yourself? That can be annoying and maddening. Here’s what you can do next:
- Send a letter with your handwritten signature that matches the signature on your ID. Include a copy of your ID. If you can send several different IDs, that is even better and more persuasive.
- At the top of your letter, handwrite “Sent by me personally!”
- Change the header “Dear” to something unconventional and non-business-y, such as “Hello” or “To the esteemed representatives at Experian”. LOL
- Change the sign-off from “Sincerely” to something non-business-y, such as “Have a tremendous day,” “Peace,” “Namaste,” or even “Thank you in advance for your prompt personal attention.”
That should assuage the credit bureau’s suspicions about the sincerity of the letter. Good luck, and do what the pros do: they continue on, never giving up.
The credit bureau counts on people giving up. They really don’t want to fix anything. The foundation of their business model resides on mistakes and keeping them relevant to keep scores low.