How to Contact Credit Reporting Agencies

Credit reporting agencies are feared almost as much as the IRS-and there are three credit reporting beasts compared to just one IRS monster. The problem, of course, is that the credit agencies can make or break your chances at approval for a loan for a car, home, education or even employment. Almost everyone at some point will need to contact the credit companies. Here are some steps to make the communication more efficient and get you the results you need.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Contact Credit Reporting Agencies to Obtain a Credit Report

1. Order a free annual consumer credit report online by visiting Annual Credit Report (see link below).

2. Point your browser to the PDF file in the Resources section to download the mail order form for a report from all 3 agencies. Complete the form and send to:

   Annual Credit Report Request Service
   P.O. Box 105281
   Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

3. Call Experian at 1-888-397-3742 to request a personal credit report.

4. Call Experian's Business hotline at 1-800-520-1221 for business credit services.

5. Call Transunion's service at 1-877-322-8228 for personal assistance.

6. Call 1-800-813-5604 for Transunion's corporate help.

7. Call 1-800-685-1111 to talk to an agent at Equifax and order a credit report from them.

8. Call 1-888-202-4025 for the business liaisons at Equifax.

Contact Credit Reporting Agencies to Dispute Information

1. Obtain your credit report. You'll need one to dispute any charge.

2. Visit the Experian site (see link below) to dispute a charge on your Experian account or call 1-888-397-3742.

3. You can write to Experian at:

   Experian
   P.O Box 9532
   Allen, TX 75013

4. Contact the Transunion dispute center at 1-800-916-8800 or visit them at the ir Web site (see link below).

5. Write to Transunion at:

   Transunion
   P.O Box 6790
   Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

6. Point your browser to the dispute page at the Equifax Web site )see link below) or call 1-800-525-6285 to reach Equifax.

7. Send snail mail to Equifax at:

   Equifax
   P.O Box 740241
   Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the following handy as you fill out your credit report request online or by phone:

• Address history for the past 5 years

• Employment history for the past 5 years

• Social security number

• Driver's license number

• Loan account information, including account numbers, balance, origination date, expiration date and limit. These are used for verification of identification.

• Include your social security number, phone number and full name including aliases with each written transaction.

• Before beginning the dispute process, make sure you can document the misinformation and that you've tried to contact the creditor to fix the problem.

• You must have a copy of your credit report before entering the dispute process.

• Do not expect a fast turnaround time on requests. It can often take up to 6 months for closed or updated accounts to appear on your credit report.

• Do not threaten the agencies. While you do have consumer rights and recourse, you won't be able to take any of the agencies to small claims court.