Credit Repair Companies in New Jersey?

H

Hannah phillips

Member
Looking for some help improving my credit and was wondering if anyone here has experience with credit repair companies in New Jersey. My score isn’t terrible, but I’ve got a few negative marks (late payments, a collection or two) that I’d like to clean up before applying for a car loan later this year.

I’ve seen a bunch of companies online, but it’s hard to tell which ones are actually legit and which ones are just taking advantage of people. I’d feel more comfortable working with a local company if possible, someone I can actually talk to or meet with if needed.

If you’ve worked with a credit repair service in NJ and had a good (or bad) experience, I’d really appreciate your thoughts. Also open to any tips if you went the DIY route instead
 
I worked with a company called Credit Saint based out of Saddle Brook. They were upfront about what they could and couldn’t do and i appreciated that. Took about 3 months to see any real changes but they did manage to remove a collection account. Not cheap but i guess you're paying for peace of mind.
 
I went the DIY route with a little help from Reddit and YouTube. Disputed a couple of collections, set up auto-payments to avoid more lates and saw my score go up 40 points in 6 months. Honestly if you’re organized and persistent, u can do a lot of what these companies offer on your own.
 
Be careful some of these companies are just taking your money and mailing dispute letters you could do yourself. I almost signed up with one in Newark but a quick Better Business Bureau search showed a ton of complaints. Do your homework first.
 
I feel you. I had a few late payments from when i was unemployed and it really messed things up. I worked with a local nonprofit credit counseling agency in Jersey City...they helped me create a budget and even negotiated lower interest on one card. Might be worth checking out before going the repair route.
 
I tried calling one of those local credit repair experts and it was basically just a dude working out of his mom’s basement offering to talk to the bureaus for me. Like, thanks bro but i think I’ll pass
 
credit repair companies are only useful if you’re truly overwhelmed or don’t have time to manage your finances. Otherwise most of the process is free and the tools are out there. I’d rather use that money to pay down actual debt.
 
I was this close to paying $99 per month for some fancy looking service i saw on Instagram. Then I remembered what my man Dave Ramsey says: Debt is dumb. So I pulled my own credit reports, watched like 10 hours of NerdWallet videos and now i’m slowly crawling my way to 700
 
Hey you’re already ahead of most just by being proactive. Whether you go with a company or DIY it staying on top of your credit is a huge win. Just stay consistent and don’t get discouraged if it takes a while.
 
New Jersey has strict consumer protection laws, so any credit repair company operating here has to be registered and follow certain rules. Look up the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs database before committing.
 
Look into Garden State Consumer Credit Counseling. They're based in Freehold and helped my cousin get back on track after a bankruptcy. I think they operate as a nonprofit too so fees are minimal.
 
Tbh i think people focus too much on removing negative items instead of building positive credit. I added a secured card, paid my bills on time and my score jumped over 100 points in a year...no repair company needed.
 
It’s worth doing both ....add positive tradelines AND work on clearing up errors. I used Lexington Law they do work in NJ but i also got a secured card through Capital One. The combo worked well for me.
 
My score went from 580 to 720 in a year. Used Self (formerly Self Lender) a secured credit card and filed a couple disputes myself. No shady companies, no insane fees. Just time and a spreadsheet.
 
Has anyone heard of Sky Blue Credit? They say they work with people in NJ but i haven’t found much beyond their website. I don’t want to get scammed but i’m tired of getting denied loans
 
FYI if you’re thinking about credit repair, learn about the Credit Repair Organizations Act (CROA). It limits what companies can promise and requires contracts. Most people skip this but it’s useful stuff.
 
Empower app has decent tools for tracking credit and planning repairs. also New Jersey Financial Empowerment Center in Newark has free services.....look it up
 
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