Not all credit repair “law firms” are the same. It would be nice to think that any company that calls itself a “law firm” would be 100% trustworthy, but this is unfortunately NOT the case. There are well-known credit repair law firms out there that charge consumers a lot of money only to produce very little in the way of results. Some of these firms make promises that they can’t keep. For example, they may claim that they can have all negative items removed from a consumer’s credit report. When, in actuality, no one can remove accurate negative items from your credit report.
You may be thinking that you can avoid unscrupulous practice by going to a big and well known credit repair law firm, but even these guys aren’t always aboveboard. In fact, one of the biggest credit repair law firms in the country is less than candid with its clients. This firm routinely promises to remove accurately reported negative items from credit reports. They may even be able to make the items disappear – but only temporarily. The negative items might go away for a while because the credit bureau that receives the dispute letter needs more than its allotted 30 days to investigate. The credit bureau may delete the item in question to avoid violating the deadline under the law. However, if the investigation ultimately shows that the negative item is correct, it will simply reappear on the consumer’s credit report.
Need a Credit Repair Law Firm in Michigan? Make sure to Ask the Right Questions before Signing Up
Receiving this kind of “service” seems like a huge waste of money for Michigan consumers who are clearly expecting a lot more. Luckily you can avoid experiencing this kind of disappointment by asking the right questions before signing up with a credit repair law firm.
1 – Do they charge monthly fees?
Some credit repair law firms do charge monthly fees, and these fees vary from firm to firm. Before paying any money to a firm, make sure to get a written contract and read every word of it. If anything is unclear, ask for an explanation. It’s also a good idea to shop around and make sure that you’re getting a good rate.
Credit Repair Lawyers of America: We are an absolutely FREE credit repair law firm, although to be absolutely accurate, we only pursue errors and mistakes on people’s credit report. While we do have a paid program, we don’t make false promises or raise unreasonable expectations. We don’t charge monthly fees or bill our clients for the services we provide. Instead, our fees and costs come from the Defendant when we’re able to settle a case.
2 – Does a lawyer actually look at your file?
Believe it or not, if you sign up with the biggest credit repair law firm in the country, there’s no guarantee that a lawyer will ever look at your credit file. According to at least one former employee of that firm, it’s actually rare for an attorney to ever even glance at a consumer file. Typically, at this big “law” firm, paralegals make sure that clients continue to pay their monthly fees. One of our clients who once hired that firm told us that she tried repeatedly to reach a lawyer there, but was never successful.
Credit Repair Lawyers of America: Here, TWO attorneys review every client’s file. We go the extra mile to cover every legal angle in removing errors from consumer credit reports. We do employ paralegals, but they work with the attorneys in order to provide the best service possible for each and every client.
3 – Who drafts dispute letters?
Former employees of the giant credit repair firm that you see ads for everywhere have reported that they used “fill in the blank” forms to serve as dispute letters. This is what they’re charging consumers between $90 to $120 a month for.
Credit Repair Lawyers of America: We’ve filed hundreds of lawsuits against the credit bureaus, so we know that they’ve learned a thing or two over the years. For example, when going through dispute letters, the major credit bureaus look for letters from credit repair companies. So, a “fill in the blank” form letter is a dead giveaway. Many of the credit bureaus ignore these dispute letters. We believe that our clients deserve better, so our in-house paralegals individually draft dispute letters. Our attorneys then review the letters before mailing them to the credit bureaus.
4 – Will you file a lawsuit against an uncooperative creditor or credit bureau?
It may seem strange to you (it’s very strange to us) that the big credit repair law firm that charges high monthly fees will NOT file a lawsuit on your behalf. We’ve read their retainer agreement. It specifically states that they will not file a lawsuit on a client’s behalf unless “they make other arrangements.” The truth is, they don’t want to get rid of the errors on your credit report. As long as they stay where they are, they can keep on charging you monthly fees for sending out their fill in the blank form letters.
Credit Repair Lawyers of America: We’re a real law firm, so OF COURSE we file lawsuits on behalf of our clients. Actual attorneys review client files, approve the dispute letters, and, if necessary, file a lawsuit under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to pursue our clients’ rights, at no charge to our clients.
5 – If you call the law firm, can you get through to an attorney?
If you call the big credit repair firm hoping to speak with an attorney, get ready for disappointment. They don’t care that you’re paying expensive monthly fees. Their lawyers won’t talk to you no matter how many times you call. We know this because one of our clients tried and tried to connect with an attorney at the big credit repair law firm. She made several attempts, only to be given the run around each and every time. To make matters worse, she also reported that the email address that she was given for the local attorney from this national law firm was WRONG. Her emails to the lawyer were bounced back to her.
Credit Repair Lawyers of America: We do our best to answer calls from clients, but sometimes we’re in court. However, we have a firm rule: All phone calls from clients have to be returned within 24 hours, no exception. We are in business for you and because of you. We don’t forget that. You are not a number. You’re a person who depends and relies upon us, as your attorneys, for quick answers to questions.
How Credit Repair Lawyers of America Works for Michigan Consumers
We’re not here to attack anyone, but some of us have been law firm clients, and we know how we want to be treated. We believe in giving all of our clients the same kind of service that we would expect to receive. Of course we want to be your law firm, but we know that you need to trust us first, and we get it. We would feel the same way.
Don’t let errors on your credit reports bring your credit score down, and don’t pay a lot of money to a big, national “law firm” to throw cheap form letters in the mail for you. At Michigan Consumer Credit Lawyers, we’ve been cleaning up credit reports for consumers since 2008 for free. How do we do it? All of our fees come from the defendants in cases that are settled. This is why our clients pay nothing for the work we do.
Let’s start the conversation about what we can do for your credit. Set up your free consultation today by calling Attorney Gary Nitzkin at (248) 353-2882 or contact us on our contact page.
