Complaint Review: Storesonline Imergent

Don't let Storesonline/Imergent ruin your credit!

Disputing credit reports:

The dispute letter is the single most powerful weapon in your arsenal. The new FCRA requires the credit bureaus to handle your dispute with precision and reliability. However, the credit bureaus still have some loopholes to escape their responsibilities if you don't compose your dispute properly, including the determination that your dispute is technically "frivolous or irrelevant."

If your creditor doesn't challenge the dispute within 30 days, then the item(s) in question are removed. As of January 1, 2005, every American citizen is entitled to receive a free credit report once per year.

After you've analyzed your reports and marked every negative listing, you may begin to draft your dispute letter. Do not use "form-type" dispute letters as they will be quickly spotted and rejected by the credit bureaus as "frivolous or irrelevant." Instead, follow these general strategies:

Always indicate whether the disputed listing is being challenged as "not mine" or "not late." While you must never say that an account isn't yours or that you weren't late unless you believe that it is true, the credit bureau must know if you are disputing the existence of the listing or just the information within the listing. If you are unclear about the nature of your dispute, the credit bureau will promptly return your letter. Remember, the credit bureaus see all disputes as either "not mine" or "not late."

Tell the credit bureau the desired outcome of the investigation. You must always state what you would like done with the listing. There are two options: delete the entire listing or erase the late pay notations within the listing.

Provide a reason for your dispute. If you don't give some kind of explanation as to why you think the credit report is wrong, then the credit bureau may ignore your dispute.

Never sound like an expert. The credit bureaus receive over 10,000 disputes per day. Your dispute should look like an average dispute. If you quote legal statute or if you remind the credit bureaus of your rights under law, they will probably determine that you read a book about credit repair or you are using a credit repair company. If the credit bureau believes that you are attempting to systematically restore your credit, your dispute will be tossed into the "frivolous or irrelevant" bin.

Patience and follow-through are the keys to this process. Sending one dispute right after another is wasteful and counterproductive. You should send no more than one dispute every ninety days. If you dispute more often, the credit bureau will simply return the dispute as "frivolous or irrelevant."

Disputing reports with creditors:
Under the new FCRA, the creditor is now responsible to adhere to proper procedure in verifying consumer disputes. You should take your challenge to the creditor by writing letters directly to that creditor. If you still owe money on the credit item in question, you may use a powerful negotiation tactic known as "debt settlement" to reduce your payoff AND to accomplish the removal of the negative listing. Debt Settlement requires negotiation and is usually best performed by an attorney.

Etwana
Fresno, California
U.S.A.