▶ Watch the 60-second version: Errors cost you
One in five credit reports has an error on it — and that error could be costing you money every month. That’s the opening of our new one-minute video, and the figure comes from the FTC. A wrong late payment or a stranger’s account on your file raises the interest rate on everything you borrow, and it sits there quietly until you go looking. Here’s the video’s cleanup sequence, expanded.
Pull All Three Reports
Pull all three reports free at AnnualCreditReport.com. The same error often shows on all three bureaus, so check every one — fixing Equifax does nothing for the wrong entry still sitting on your TransUnion file. Read them the slow way: accounts you don’t recognize, balances that don’t match, late payments you never made, accounts listed twice. Circle everything that isn’t yours or isn’t accurate.
Dispute It in Writing
Dispute in writing: name the exact item, say exactly what’s wrong, attach your proof, and say what you want fixed. Vague letters get vague results. A dispute that identifies the account, states the specific error, and encloses the document proving it gives the investigator nothing to hide behind. Keep copies of everything you send, and note the date — the clock in the next step runs from their receipt.
Thirty Days — and “Verified” Isn’t Final
The bureau must investigate — thirty days under federal law. If the answer comes back as a form letter saying the item was “verified,” that is not the end of the road. Dispute again, this time leading with your documents. And if a bureau still won’t move, escalate: a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau routinely un-sticks a stalled dispute, because companies answer the CFPB differently than they answer consumers.
Get the free kit. The free California Credit Repair Kit includes a dispute letter template and an escalation checklist, so each round of the fight is documented. It’s one of the 14 free California self-help kits gathered here: Free Legal Help for Californians: All 14 Self-Help Kits in One Place. Watch the 60-second video, then pull your three reports today — the error you find this week is the interest you stop paying next month.
Compliance Alliance Network. Educational use only. Not legal advice.
