Fixing credit report mistakes can be a nightmare for some people (see the article My Credit Dispute Nightmare) while others can resolve issues very quickly.  In most cases, errors can be fixed in a matter of weeks.  For others, stubborn problems can persist for years.  Here are some tips on handling credit report errors and the dispute process.

1.)  Get a copy of all three of your credit reports from www.annualcreditreport.com

2.)  Review your 3 bureau credit report carefully.  Each of the three reports may contain different information.  Some companies report to all three credit bureaus (Experian, Transunion, and Equifax) while others only report to one or two.  That means you may have a clean report with one company and an issue with another.

3.)  Initiate your dispute with the credit report company as well as the creditor.  Getting a response from a credit report company can take up to a month, and you won't always get the response you desire.  By dealing with the creditor as well, you can attempt to have them remove the disputed item for you.

4.)  Be persistant!  Your dispute may be rejected one time, but succeed another time.  Be sure to describe your problem as accurately as possible over the phone.  If that does not work, attempt an online dispute.  If that does not work, repeat the process until you get results.

5.)  Be nice!  A little sugar goes a long way.  The people who work for the credit agencies get calls from angry consumers all day long.  A friendly tone and calm demeanor may help  get the representative you speak nicely to write up your complaint better than a representative you argue with.

6.)  If you can't get obvious mistakes fixed through the credit report company or the creditor and the mistakes may cost you thousands of dollars a year in higher mortgage rates or prevent you from buying a house, consider contacting a lawyer.  Even though this may be an expensive route, the money it could save you on a 30 year mortgage would be substantial.