In brief: BetterStandingHub is a free educational and referral service. We don't perform credit repair, we don't charge you, and we can't promise any result. You can dispute inaccurate information with the credit bureaus yourself at no cost.
Who we are
BetterStandingHub operates the website betterstandinghub.com from 4100 E Harmony Ridge Rd, Suite 210, Phoenix, AZ 85018. We publish general information about credit reports and credit scores and, at your request, refer you to independent companies that offer credit-related services.
What we do not do
BetterStandingHub does not itself provide credit repair services. Specifically, we do not:
- contact credit bureaus, creditors or collectors on your behalf or submit disputes for you;
- sell, provide or perform any service for the purpose of improving your credit record, history or rating;
- charge you any fee or accept any payment from you;
- offer loans, credit cards or debt settlement, or make credit decisions;
- provide legal, tax or financial advice; or
- pull your credit report or ask for your Social Security number on our website.
We are not a credit bureau, a lender, a law firm or a credit counseling agency.
About the companies we refer you to
When you submit a request, your information may be shared with independent credit repair companies, nonprofit and for-profit credit counseling organizations, and other financial services providers ("Partners"). Partners are separate businesses. They set their own services, fees, terms and eligibility, and they are responsible for complying with the laws that apply to them, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act and any state registration or bonding requirements.
Before you agree to work with any credit repair company, it must give you a written contract and the "Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law" statement reproduced below. Read both carefully.
How we are paid
Our service is free to you. We may receive compensation from Partners when you submit a request, when your request is delivered to them, when you speak with them, or when you enroll in their services. Compensation may influence which Partners receive your request. It does not change the fees a Partner charges you. Our network does not include every provider available.
No guarantees
- No one, including BetterStandingHub and any Partner, can legally remove accurate, current and verifiable information from your credit report.
- We do not promise, and no Partner should promise, any particular result, score increase, removal or timeline.
- Example scores, timelines and illustrations on our website are hypothetical and for education only.
- Your results depend on your individual credit history, the accuracy of what's reported, how creditors and bureaus respond, and your own financial behavior.
Warning signs to watch for
The Federal Trade Commission advises consumers to avoid any company that:
- insists you pay before it performs any service;
- tells you not to contact the credit bureaus directly;
- tells you to dispute information in your report that you know is accurate;
- suggests you create a "new" credit identity using a CPN, EIN or other number instead of your Social Security number; or
- doesn't explain your legal rights when telling you what it can do.
Consumer Credit File Rights
The Credit Repair Organizations Act (15 U.S.C. § 1679c) requires credit repair organizations to provide the following statement to consumers before any contract is signed. We share it here so you know your rights:
Consumer Credit File Rights Under State and Federal Law
You have a right to dispute inaccurate information in your credit report by contacting the credit bureau directly. However, neither you nor any "credit repair" company or credit repair organization has the right to have accurate, current, and verifiable information removed from your credit report. The credit bureau must remove accurate, negative information from your report only if it is over 7 years old. Bankruptcy information can be reported for 10 years.
You have a right to obtain a copy of your credit report from a credit bureau. You may be charged a reasonable fee. There is no fee, however, if you have been turned down for credit, employment, insurance, or a rental dwelling because of information in your credit report within the preceding 60 days. The credit bureau must provide someone to help you interpret the information in your credit file. You are entitled to receive a free copy of your credit report if you are unemployed and intend to apply for employment in the next 60 days, if you are a recipient of public welfare assistance, or if you have reason to believe that there is inaccurate information in your credit report due to fraud.
You have a right to sue a credit repair organization that violates the Credit Repair Organization Act. This law prohibits deceptive practices by credit repair organizations.
You have the right to cancel your contract with any credit repair organization for any reason within 3 business days from the date you signed it.
Credit bureaus are required to follow reasonable procedures to ensure that the information they report is accurate. However, mistakes may occur.
You may, on your own, notify a credit bureau in writing that you dispute the accuracy of information in your credit file. The credit bureau must then reinvestigate and modify or remove inaccurate or incomplete information. The credit bureau may not charge any fee for this service. Any pertinent information and copies of all documents you have concerning an error should be given to the credit bureau.
If the credit bureau's reinvestigation does not resolve the dispute to your satisfaction, you may send a brief statement to the credit bureau, to be kept in your file, explaining why you think the record is inaccurate. The credit bureau must include a summary of your statement about disputed information with any report it issues about you.
The Federal Trade Commission regulates credit bureaus and credit repair organizations. For more information contact:
The Public Reference Branch
Federal Trade Commission
Washington, D.C. 20580
Free credit reports
Equifax, Experian and TransUnion provide free credit reports weekly through AnnualCreditReport.com, the only website authorized by federal law for this purpose. You can also contact each bureau directly to dispute information.
Where to get help
- Federal Trade Commission: consumer.ftc.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov, including its complaint portal
- Identity theft: IdentityTheft.gov
- Your state Attorney General's consumer protection office