So let's beat this horse one more time. After I wrote yesterday’s post about relying on disputes alone for credit repair – I thought I’d leave that topic alone for awhile.
Stupid me! I sparked a bunch of questions which well, is a good thing. One of the questions, actually a comment came from our debt settlement department who are all ex-debt collectors. Yes they read our blog religiously.
Anyway Stacey, our settlement supervisor reminded me that her old employer would almost always sue as soon as they were sent a dispute letter. That is something I should have mentioned yesterday, so I will now.
Let’s go over the phrase again.
“Send us your credit reports, tell us what to dispute, kick back and let us do the rest”.
In my humble opinion (and a decade of watching it happen) is the stupidest thing I’ve heard. It is a recipe for disaster. It's probably not going to repair your credit, and could even make it worse. So, Let’s try the analogy version today and see if it makes more sense this way.
Let’s pretend you’re being charged with a crime. Your attorney is preparing your defense, so he can keep you out of jail. You tell me which attorney you’d feel more comfortable with.
Scenario No. 1
Chop Shop Attorney: Mr. Client. Log into my super duper client gateway and tell me how you want to plead this case. Guilty or not guilty.
You: Not guilty!
Chop Shop A: Ok. Sit back let me do the rest. (and keep your fingers crossed)
You: But wait I have proof. I was at the movies with my wife, and have my ticket stubs.
Chop Shop Attorney: I don’t get into all that. Besides, my super duper client gateway doesn’t have an area for important facts. I’m just going to say not guilty.
You: Well what if they find me guilty, can you at least plea bargain, negotiate or something?
Chop Shop Attorney: Nope. We're going to just wing the not guilty thing out there and see if it sticks.
You: Honey go to the garage, find me a piece of rope and that bar of soap
——————————————————————————————————-
Scenario No. 2
Smart Attorney: Tell me where you were that night.
You: At the movies with my wife.
Smart Attorney: Can she testify to that?
You: Of course
Smart Attorney: Do you have ticket stubs?
You: Sure do.
Smart Attorney: Did you stop anywhere on the way?
You: Yes, We dropped the kids off at the babysitters, then got gas and we stopped for dinner.
Smart Attorney: Do you have any receipts?
You: Yes, here’s my bank statement which shows the dinner and the gas.
Smart Attorney: Can your babysitter testify?
You: Sure, her parents too. They were there when we dropped our kids off.
LOL aren’t scenarios fun sometimes? Too bad it's pretty close to reality.
And even though the consequences may not be as serious, a chop shop attorney could just as easily get you sued, your paychecks garnished, bank levied, liens on your house and the list goes on.
You can’t just send dispute letters Like I said yesterday, you have to consider statutes, dollar amounts, the actual collector you’re disputing with and dozens of other factors.
Just like Chop Shop Attorney, simply stating “Not guilty”, disputing without some research and planning is pretty stupid, yet consumers fall for it everyday.
I don’t know, maybe he sounds like a good one to you – that’s your call I guess.
But honestly, which one would you want defending you?
What if they were the same price, then which one would you choose?
Folks, anybody can improve their credit. ANYBODY! You just have to be smart about it.
Let me put it to you one final way. It would save us a fortune in payroll if we didn’t do our one-on-one coaching. God life would be easy. We do it because without it, we would suck just as bad as the chop shop attorney mentioned above if we didn’t.
All characters in this scenario were fictitional. No actual attorneys were hurt, or abused in the making of this blog post.
