How To Dispute Charges on Credit Report

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

How Dispute Charges on Your Credit Report

16% of people in the United States have a poor credit rating. This is often because they have many charges on their credit report. This can be very frustrating, especially if you don't know how to get them removed. If you need to , DoNotPay can help.

Created by a Stanford graduate, Joshua Browder, DoNotPay is a virtual online lawyer that helps people dispute their credit reports. DoNotPay, a London-based startup, expanded to the United States, and it's been used to help people get $4 million back in criminal record expungements and parking tickets. The bot works on a simple premise to improve your credit score by asking a few questions and giving a step by step process guidance.

Many people in the United States have a few skeletons in their financial closet. Maybe you missed a payment or two on a credit card bill a few years back. Or maybe you cosigned a loan for your friend and they never paid it back. Whatever the reason, the negative information on your credit report can haunt you for years. It can keep you from getting approved for a car loan or mortgage, and even cost you thousands of dollars in interest over the life of a loan.

Fortunately, DoNotPay can help you dispute your credit report fast to help improve your credit score quickly by helping you draft a debt validation letter.

  • Eliminate incorrect information on your credit report.
  • Use our service to remove any recently filed credit inquiries, which can harm your credit score if left on there long-term.
  • You can also remove late payments from your credit report hassle-free

What Should I Look For in a Credit Report?

You need to be keen on several things when checking your credit report. A credit report will tell you what you've spent where and how much you have (or should have) paid off. It can help you calculate your credit score in case you need a loan or something.

Here is what you'll find on a typical credit report:

Your first and last nameThis could also include any variations or misspellings of your name if you've entered them on any credit card applications.
Your addressThis may also include past addresses where you've received credit reports before.
Your employerIf you've provided employment information to any creditors, it will be included in the report.
Revolving accountsThese are credit card accounts or lines of credit you can regularly borrow from.
Installment loansIf you have a set loan for a car, your college tuition expenses, or a mortgage, this monthly payment information will appear on your credit report.
Open and closed accountsIf you have a bad account that was closed seven years ago, this will be deleted from your report. Accounts closed in good standing will remain on your report for at least ten years.
Your payment historyThis is a history of payments for all accounts except those mentioned above that are deleted from your report.

Every credit record has four categories:

  1. Identifying information- Your name, Social Security Number, date of birth, address, and phone number.
  2. Existing credit information, including date of last activity on credit report
  3. Public records
  4. Credit inquiries both hard and soft

What to Look For On a Credit Dispute

There are a few things that you'll want to look for when your dispute charges on your credit report. If you dispute a charge on your report, then there are many things that you'll want to know; you will want to find out:

  • The type of charge
  • When it was made
  • What the debt was for
  • How much was owed
  • Who the original creditor was

If you want to remove any kinds of collections from your credit report, DoNOtPay has you covered!

What Is A Debt Validation Letter?

A debt validation letter is a document you send to a creditor when you are disputing an error on your credit report. Creditors are required to respond to a valid debt validation letter with a detailed explanation of the mistaken information and an offer for resolution within 30 days of receiving it. If the creditor does not offer an acceptable solution, you can submit that information to the credit bureaus and request that it be removed from your account. A debt validation letter must include:

  • The name, address, and phone number of the creditor that made the error.
  • The specific items you dispute and why you believe they are incorrect. If a creditor reports the same item multiple times on your credit report, only dispute one of those reports at a time to make sure the item is removed from your report.
  • A request for validation of the disputed item(s).
  • A statement that you are requesting validation within 30 days in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
  • Your full name, date, and signature.

If you need a debt validation letter written hassle-free, DoNotPay can assist.

Strategies For Successfully Disputing Your Credit Report

There are a few different strategies you can use to help improve your credit score. Here are some tips on how to get the best results when dealing with your credit report:

  1. You must have a good payment history.
  2. It's not enough to have good credit, you must have a more favorable balance in comparison to your credit limit.
  3. Try not to apply for many new credit cards or loans at once. Too much activity can cause your credit score to drop.
  4. Don't close any of your credit cards or accounts without doing it strategically because they help improve your score by establishing a good history of managing different types of credit responsibly.
  5. Don't open too many new accounts at once.
  6. You should take advantage of the scoring system to get a high score. Use your available credit to pay off old debts to create a healthy balance. The higher your credit, the more likely you are to get a loan or be hired with a great salary.

To make the process of easier, let DoNotPay assist you through a simple, efficient, and fast process.

Dispute Charges on Credit Report With DoNotPay

DoNotPay is designed to help people solve a variety of legal issues, including reports effortlessly. All you have to do is answer a few simple questions and the bot will draft a letter to dispute the charges on your credit report. The bot will remind you of your dispute deadlines, and it will help you win your case by crafting an effective debt validation letter and send to the creditor on your behalf.

How to clean up your credit report using DoNotPay:

If you want to clean up your credit report but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 3 easy steps:

  1. Search Clean Credit Report on DoNotPay.

  2. Prepare a recent copy of your credit report that you can use as reference.

  3. Let us guide you through the 4 potential options:
  1. If you've already paid off your debt, we'll help you file a Goodwill Removal Request to get it removed.

  2. If you notice any errors in your report (we have a list of common errors you can use!), we'll help you file a credit dispute to the creditor or major credit bureaus.

  3. If there are no errors, we'll check if you're still eligible to file a debt validation request. If they can't validate your debt, they're required to remove it from your report and they can't collect it!

  4. Lastly, if none of the above options work, we'll help you file a pay-to-delete negotiation letter. You can customize the amount you are willing to pay in exchange for getting the item removed.

What Else can DoNotPay do?

Beyond helping you remove inquiries from credit reports, DoNotPay can also help you contest a host of other legal issues, including:

Need to improve your credit score? Well, now you can easily do so by filing a credit dispute with DoNotPay. File your efficiently and hassle-free by letting the DoNotPay bot handle it for you. DoNotPay is an AI-powered lawyer service that will help you contest several legal issues without having to spend hefty attorney fees. All you need to do is sign up with DoNotPay to get started.

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