What happens after you hire us, in order

Stage one: the free report review

Before there is a fee or an engagement agreement, we look at your reports. You can provide copies you already have, or we can walk you through obtaining them directly from the bureaus at no cost. We read all three because they are not interchangeable. A collection agency may report to two bureaus and not the third. A furnisher may have corrected an account at Experian and never transmitted the correction to Equifax. Those inconsistencies are frequently the clearest available evidence that a reinvestigation was not reasonable.

At the end of this stage you receive a written summary identifying each questionable item, the reason it is questionable, the legal theory that applies, and a candid assessment of the likely outcome. If the review shows that the negative information on your file is accurate and current, we will tell you that your money is better spent elsewhere. That happens, and we would rather say it at the beginning than at the end.

Stage two: engagement and legal strategy

If you choose to proceed, you sign an engagement agreement that identifies the scope of representation, the fee structure, and your right to cancel. An attorney is assigned to the file and builds the strategy. That strategy decides three things for every disputed item: whether the dispute goes to the bureau, to the furnisher, or to both; what documentation must accompany it; and what the escalation path looks like if the response is inadequate. Sequencing matters here. Some items should be challenged immediately, while others are stronger once a related item has been resolved and the inconsistency in the file becomes obvious.

Stage three: documented disputes

Disputes go out with a delivery record and a calendared deadline. A consumer reporting agency generally must complete its reinvestigation within thirty days, extended to forty five days when you supply additional information during the initial period. The agency must forward all relevant information to the furnisher, and the furnisher must conduct its own investigation and report back. When the reinvestigation is complete, the agency must provide written results and, on request, a description of the procedure used.

We do not send scattershot disputes. Challenging every line on a report, including accurate ones, is the fastest way to have a file marked frivolous and to lose credibility for the items that matter. Each dispute we send is specific, documented, and defensible.

Stage four: escalation

Roughly speaking, three things can come back. The item is deleted or corrected, in which case we verify that the change propagated to all three reports and move to the next item. The item is modified but still inaccurate, which usually means the furnisher supplied a partial correction and needs a direct demand. Or the item is verified as reported, which is where most self represented consumers stop and where our work generally begins.

In that third scenario we request the method of verification, send a direct demand to the furnisher with the evidence attached, and put the furnisher on written notice that it is now reporting information it knows to be inaccurate. We document the response, or the absence of one. If the item is deleted and later reappears, the reinsertion itself carries notice obligations, and a reinsertion without proper certification is an independent violation.

Stage five: enforcement

When a bureau or furnisher has been given notice, evidence, and an opportunity to correct the record and still refuses, the remaining remedy is a lawsuit. The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows recovery of actual damages, statutory damages between one hundred and one thousand dollars per willful violation, punitive damages where the conduct warrants it, and attorney fees and costs. Because fees are recoverable from the defendant, litigation is realistically available to consumers who could not otherwise pay for it.

Most files never reach this stage, and that is the intended outcome. But the earlier stages carry more weight precisely because everyone involved understands the correspondence is coming from a firm that files these cases.

Stage six: rebuilding and monitoring

Once the file is accurate, we turn to the score itself. Utilization is the fastest moving variable and often the most misunderstood, since it is calculated per account as well as overall and is measured from the balance reported on the statement date rather than the balance after payment. Account age, payment consistency, mix, and application timing all follow. We tell you which of these are worth acting on given your file and which will not move the number enough to matter.

How long does this take

A straightforward file with a small number of clear inaccuracies often resolves within two to four months, driven mostly by the thirty day reinvestigation cycles. A file involving identity theft, a mixed file, or a furnisher that resists correction generally runs longer. Litigation adds time measured in months rather than weeks. Anyone who quotes a guaranteed number of days or a guaranteed point increase is describing something they cannot control.