How We Rank Credit Repair Companies
CreditRepairCompanies.com takes every measure to provide our readers with the highest level of analysis when it comes to evaluating credit repair companies.
We rank and review each company using six specific criteria. Then, we offer our final verdict, providing useful information to help you figure out which credit repair company is best for you.
Each review is thoroughly completed, ensuring a completely fair and accurate representation. Check out what factors we consider when ranking credit repair companies.
Experience
Consumers have access to countless credit repair companies, but unfortunately, this is a case of where more isn’t always better.
Many scam artists open up for business just long enough to take your money without actually providing results. We value credit repair companies who have substantial experience and offer long-term stability to their clients. Specifically, we look at:
- How long brick and mortar stores have been open.
- How long websites have been open.
- How long the company has been under the same ownership or name.
Expertise
There are many laws regulating consumer credit, which is a huge reason many people turn to credit repair companies for help.
Not only are there federal laws to keep up with, there are also state laws that vary depending on where you live. Without the proper expertise, a credit repair company could easily neglect the subtle nuances that come with legal interpretation.
In addition to the length of experience, we also look at the type of experience each company has. Expertise is critical in ensuring that a credit repair company understands the law completely. Here’s what we look at:
- Types of legal experts on staff, including lawyers and paralegals.
- Type of financial background, including finance industry affiliations.
- Types of degreed specialists, including college graduates with consumer specializations.
Services Offered
Most credit repair companies only offer “basic” services, meaning they just file disputes or verify items on your behalf.
However, many companies also offer more specialized services to help a wide variety of credit issues their clients may be dealing with. This can be especially helpful if you are trying to increase your credit score but have multiple issues.
That’s why we also rank companies based on what types of services they offer. When you read a review, you’ll see we provide both broad level highlights and details as to why that company stands out from the rest — or where they fall short.
Here are some additional services that help credit repair companies score higher on our list:
- Creditor negotiation – having a credit repair company negotiate your deletions saves clients a lot of time, not to mention potential headaches.
- Credit score monitoring – receiving regular updates from keeps consumers up to date on how the credit repair process is impacting their credit scores.
- Credit building – learning from a credit repair company how to fix bad credit, as well as improve credit reports with positive items.
We also don’t penalize companies for offering add-on services at an additional charge, unless the cost seems extraordinarily disproportionate to the value of the extra service.
User Sentiment
We don’t base our ratings on the Better Business Bureau’s grades or measure of customer satisfaction like most sites do. After all, it’s well known that the BBB runs a “pay for play” scheme in which A+ ratings are awarded to those who pay membership fees while D & F ratings are used to punish those who don’t.
Yes, you can see what types of complaints are made and how the company responds to them, but there are more legitimate review and complaint sites online that help us gauge how the user experience is for everyday clients. That’s where we come in.
To better understand user sentiment for each credit repair company, we scour online websites, customer forums, review pages, and more to determine how people are feeling overall about their experience. Then, we turn this information into a percentage that is weighted in the ranking process.
Pricing & Value
Not only should a credit repair service offer quality results, it should also be affordable. After all, if you’ve had trouble with debt in the past, you don’t want to go back down that road simply to repair your credit. That’s why we compare price point and value. We look for a healthy balance between the two.
While the cheapest company may offer bare-bones services that don’t provide large measures of success, the most expensive options may be out of reach for many users. We evaluate all the fees and pricing models, plus available deals and discounts.
Our Final Verdict
Finally, we offer a Final Verdict outlining all of our recommendations for the best credit repair company.
We’ll give you an in-depth look into all the ranking information so you can get a feel for the quality of service offered by each one. Then, we provide insight into which company is best suited for different types of financial situations.
Because no credit situation is one-size-fits-all, we do our best to give you all the facts you need to make the best decision. After all, not everything can be summed up by a numerical score.
When you’re ready to get started on your credit repair journey, take a look at our rankings and carefully read each review. You’ll find tons of helpful information that will leave you feeling informed and empowered. Then get ready to pick up the phone and get started improving your credit today.