There are companies that help people with bad credit by using a variety of strategies such as removing negative items through negotiation, identifying mistakes and correcting them, etc. Since the industry is riddled with scams, it is important that people be careful when choosing a company. Not all affordable credit repair services are legitimate.

It is possible to identify reputable companies by knowing what type of red flags to look for and avoiding any company that has such red flags. Some of these red flags include:

• Try to collect money in advance. This is actually prohibited by the Credit Repair Organization Act.

• Promises of a “quick and easy fix.” This simply isn’t possible, especially if they haven’t taken the time to review the customer’s credit reports first.

• Making any type of guarantees or specific claims, such as “Increase your score by 200 points!”

• Having many negative reviews and complaints against you.

• Not being open about what types of strategies they are going to use.

• Suggest that the client actually creates another identity. This is obviously against the law.

The ideal credit repair organization will always be upfront about what it can and cannot do. They should have a team of lawyers working for them and use only legal means to remove the negative elements.

Find affordable credit repair services

What about affordability? Only AFTER providing a free consultation, a credit repair company should submit payment. Some affordable credit repair services offer different levels of service at different prices. The lowest priced option will offer, at a minimum, Bureau Challenge and Credit Interventions services. Although they cannot offer any specific guarantees regarding credit scores, they can provide a personalized score improvement analysis each month, which includes specific information that could help increase your score.

Communication is another important factor, in addition to price and payment plans. It is very helpful if each client has a legal expert, such as a paralegal assigned to their case, who they can contact at any time, via email, phone, or chat. There should be training and guidance, as well as tools to help clients track their case and monitor results 24/7.

There are many credit report repair companies, and only a few are legitimate and affordable. One firm to consider is Lexington Law, where free consultations are available. There are a few different payment plans to choose from, all of which include affordable credit repair services.