FAQ's

What is credit?
Why is having good credit important?
What is credit scoring?
How is a credit scoring system developed?
What is the difference between a FICO score and a credit score?
Can an Item come back on my credit report once it has been deleted?
Is credit repair legal?
Can I repair my own credit?
How do I know which credit repair companies are legitimate?
How long does the process take?
Do you guarantee your services?
Do I need to see my credit report before starting services?
Why does happy credit need all documentation received from the bureaus forwarded to them?
How do I send in my results from the bureaus?
How do I find out the status of my repair process?

The FTC, the nation’s consumer protection agency, describes credit as “so much more than a plastic card. It’s your financial trustworthiness. Having good credit means it will be easier for you to get loans and low interest rates. Low interest rates usually translate into smaller monthly payments. That’s important when you borrow money for a car or a place to live. Sometimes, people even check your credit when you apply for a job. So good credit is a big deal, and having bad credit can be a real problem.” (FTC. N.D.)

The FTC asserts that “A good credit rating is very important. Businesses inspect your credit history when they evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, and even leases. They can use it when they choose to give or deny you credit or insurance, provided you receive fair and equal treatment. Sometimes, things happen that can cause credit problems: a temporary loss of income, an illness, even a computer error. Solving credit problems may take time and patience, but it doesn’t have to be an ordeal” (FTC. 2005).The FTC also states that “Your credit report can influence your purchasing power, as well as your opportunity to get a job, rent or buy an apartment or a house, and buy insurance” (FTC. 2005)

The FTC defines credit scoring as “a system creditors use to help determine whether to give you credit. It also may be used to help decide the terms you are offered or the rate you will pay for the loan” (FTC. 2007)

The FTC explains that “to develop a credit scoring system or model, a creditor or insurance company selects a random sample of its customers, or a sample of similar customers, and analyzes it statistically to identify characteristics that relate to risk. Each of the characteristics then is assigned a weight based on how strong a predictor it is of who would be a good risk. Each company may use its own scoring model, different scoring models for different types of credit or insurance, or a generic model developed by a scoring company” (FTC. 2007)

A FICO score is what is used in the lending industry, while a credit score is determined by each credit bureau. Different credit scoring systems are used to determine these; there is no correlation between the two. The FICO score is simply named after the company who developed the credit scoring system that is used to determine that particular number: the Fair Isaac Company. For instance, if you purchase your Trans Union credit score, it could give you a credit score of 890. Then if that same day you went to a lender and they pulled your FICO score, it could be 560 for Trans Union. This is because of the credit scoring systems that are used to determine each number.

The FTC states that “If an item is changed or deleted, the credit reporting company cannot put the disputed information back in your file unless the information provider verifies that the information is, indeed, accurate and complete. The credit reporting company also must send you written notice that includes the name, address, and phone number of the information provider” (FTC. 2008)

Yes. There are several consumer acts that give you the right to dispute any information you think may be inaccurate, untimely, misleading, incomplete, or unverifiable. We use the laws within these acts to ensure all items reporting on your credit report are verifiable, accurate, and were reported in a timely manner. If the items are not, then they are removed from your report permanently.

Absolutely! The FTC states that “There is nothing that a credit repair company can charge you for that you cannot do for yourself for little or no cost” (FTC. 2008). They state the trick to success is to “be persistent. Resolving credit problems can take time and patience” (FTC. 2008).

We couldn’t agree with the FTC more. You absolutely CAN do the work to repair your own credit. The advantage to hiring us to do it for you is that we already know the current, up to date laws and what the current process and trends are with the bureaus so it saves you the time of having to figure out how to do it yourself.

It’s similar to hiring a Realtor to help you purchase a home. You COULD approach a seller on your own and educate yourself on how to close the purchase. While you will save a little money, you will not have an expert on your side looking out for your best interest so you probably will not get as good of results as you could if you did hire an expert.

The FTC suggests not doing business with any credit repair company that does any of the following:

• Wants you to pay for credit repair services before any services are provided
• Does not tell you your legal rights and what you can do yourself — for free
• Recommends that you not contact a credit reporting company directly
• Suggests that you try to invent a "new" credit report by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use instead of your Social Security number
• Advises you to dispute all information in your credit report or take any action that seems illegal, such as creating a new credit identity. If you follow illegal advice and commit fraud, you may be subject to prosecution. (FTC. 2008)

We suggest that if you have encountered any companies that have done any of the above offenses, to report the company to your state Attorney General, the Better Business Bureau, and NACSO. We suggest NACSO, the National Association of Credit Services Organizations, because it is the relevant review organization which advocates industry standards and ethical business practices for the credit repair industry.

Find our approval by our state attorney general
Find our Standing with the BBB
Find our approval and standing with NACSO

We want to see results just as quickly as you do. Although everyone's credit history is different, most people will see progress within the first 45 days of their membership. The majority of time is spent waiting for the credit bureaus to respond to our requests. As a reference, the average person with inaccurate, misleading, or obsolete items on each credit report should be prepared for a 6 month commitment.

Yes. We will refund 100 percent of your money if we do not remove at least 25 percent of the negatives we work on from all three major credit bureaus within 6 months from when you sign up. That means even if we were able to get 100% off of 2 of the bureaus, if we did not get at least 25% removed from the third bureaus you would get a full refund.
See our Money Back Guarantee

Yes. We offer a free personalized credit consultation. We firmly believe we cannot give you a truly personalized credit consultation or legitimate advice on whether or not our services would benefit you if we do not see your credit reports.
It would be easy for us to tell you how our services could benefit you and that you should hire us and call it a free consultation; but that does not give you any personal value, that’s just a sales pitch. Our goal is to review each reporting item with you and discuss an individual action plan for each item. Not everyone qualifies to be our client; if we do not believe our services would be worth our cost in your personalized situation, we will give you advice on what you can do and advise you not to retain our services.

When we dispute items on your behalf, the credit bureaus have a "reasonable amount of time,", approximately 30 days, to investigate our dispute. Within this timeframe, the credit bureaus must provide proof of the discrepancies on your report or be forced to delete those negative items. They will send you an updated credit report and you will then send it to us so we can move forward on your case.

Since a recent law forces the credit bureaus to only correspond directly with you, not your credit repair firm, it is necessary for you to forward all responses you receive to us. These updated reports are crucial for us to see which items were removed successfully and allow us to know how we should proceed. Without having the responses we do not know the appropriate way to respond to the bureaus which can lead to unnecessary delays.

We accept documentation via our secured fax, our secured email, or by snail mail.

Clients can find out the status of their repair several ways. Client can check their status online, call in or email us.
We give our clients 24/7 online access to their account information. This includes information about billing and a detailed breakdown for each item and account on that is being disputed from their report. Anytime a change or update is made to your file we will email you letting you know what it was. We want our clients to know exactly what is going on and not be kept in the dark.
You can also call us Monday thru Friday from 8am to 4pm PST and talk to one of our client relation specialists or email us with specific questions or requesting an update.