How long will it take to clear my credit file?

We have been repairing credit files for over 10 years. Over that time our average time frame to repair a credit file is 6-8 weeks, although each individual case is different and some cases are resolved more quickly, and some cases take longer.

How will you be in touch after I move to Stage 2?

As we move into Stage 2, your case is handled by our specialist advocacy team. Your contact point will no longer be the person who signed you up for the service. The specialist advocacy team will be in touch with you by email if they need you to provide more information or if they have good news for you. We also provide other updates on your case every 3-4 weeks. Make sure you keep an eye on your Inbox and Junk folder and ensure you respond to our specialist advocacy team by email within 7 days if they request more information from you.

Can I call you and discuss my case?

Unfortunately, we cannot discuss your case over the phone as we have several team members working on your behalf at the same time and we need everyone to have access to the same information. If you have any information that you think will be useful to resolve your case will, therefore, need to be emailed to our advocacy team.

What if I want more contact with the advocacy team than that?

We understand that you may feel the need for more contact from our specialist advocacy team than that described above. If that is the case, we can organise this for you. However, as this will take our advocacy team away from the work they do to clear your file, there is an additional cost for this extra contact. To cover the cost, we have an Extra Contact Pack you can purchase for $100 for each issue we are working on for you. To sign up for the Extra Contact Pack please contact the person in our sales team who signed you up to our service.

What are you doing at Stage 2 of the process?

Stage 2 is usually the longest part of the process where we refine our strategy and then start negotiations. During this stage, we make various complaints on your behalf and gather relevant information that will help us remove your listing. We also embark on a negotiation with the credit provider to get this done as quickly as possible.

There are time restraints to this process. By law, a credit provider has some time to respond to a complaint, and sometimes they seek an extension. However, in our experience, we usually get documentation from them quite quickly.

What if my case takes longer to resolve than 6-8 weeks?

Our team are working hard to get a result for you. When a case takes longer than 8 weeks it is usually because the credit provider has not provided information to us, and we have had to fight to get what is lawfully yours. Or the credit provider may have decided to fight about whether to remove the listing. Despite this, we keep the pressure up on them to resolve the case in your favour, and we use all means possible, including the Ombudsman, to hold the credit provider to account.

What if I have a deadline and I need a result more quickly?

We have a Fast Track service that you can sign up for which ensures your case is prioritised. If this is of interest, please contact the sales team member who signed you up to our service. However, there are still some things that are out of our hands; in particular, the Ombudsman’s timeframes and individual credit providers timeframes. While we push for a result, we cannot force the Ombudsman or the company to respond to us any earlier than the law and their internal policies require them to. That is why we do not guarantee how quickly we can remove a listing from your file and only let you know our historic average timeframe to get a removal.

Why are you taking my case to the Ombudsman?

We take your case to an Ombudsman so they can adjudicate on your case and decide whether to remove your listing. We do this when the company who listed you will not communicate with us, as they are required to, or will not provide the correct documentation that is lawfully yours, so we can assess it. We also do this if the credit provider does not agree to remove a listing, but we think we have a good case for the removal of the listing. In these circumstances, the best way forward is to ask the Ombudsman to look at all the documentation and make a final determination.

By taking your case to the Ombudsman, does that mean you cannot remove my listing?

The short answer is no. We only take a case to the Ombudsman when we believe there is a good case that needs to be decided, and the company that listed you is refusing to provide information or to remove the listing.

What role do you have once the case is at the Ombudsman?

We are involved with the Ombudsman process every step of the way. We assess documentation they send to us, and we look for avenues for removal of the listing in the documentation, based on the legislation. We also argue with the Ombudsman when we do not think their view of your case is correct. We also sit between you and the Ombudsman and will let you know immediately if the Ombudsman needs anything further from you.

Should I call the Ombudsman to hurry them up?

To get the best result for you we ensure our relationship with the Ombudsman remains strong. We do this by respecting their timeframes and ensuring we provide everything they need in order to decide your case.

We do not recommend that you call the Ombudsman to hurry up the process as we believe this would be counterproductive in resolving your case. The Ombudsman has strict timeframes that they work to, and no amount of contact will make those timeframes shorter.

How will I know when my file is cleared?

When we have a commitment from the credit provider to erase a listing, we let you know by email that your Stage 3 fees are due. Please keep an eye on your Inbox and Junk folder. Once we receive your Stage 3 fees, we finalise the case with the credit provider, and we finalise the case with the credit reporting bureaus that listed you. We then send you out clean copies of your credit files to show you that the listing has been erased.

How important is it to pay my Stage 3 fees when they are due?

It’s important to pay your Stage 3 fees as soon as they are due so that we can finalise your case with the credit provider while the agreement is fresh and get your clear credit files to you.

When do I qualify for a refund of my Stage 2 fees?

A refund will be paid to you if we have exhausted all avenues in removing the negative data from your credit file, and you have provided us with accurate and verifiable information in your application form, and in any further documentation, you send to us.

Deciding you do not want us to work on your case anymore is not grounds for a refund of your Stage 2 fees. Likewise, being unable to pay a debt where a default or judgment would be removed if you pay the debt is also not grounds for a refund of your Stage 2 fees.

How do we remove listings?

We understand the law that governs credit reporting and use this, along with your story, to negotiate for you. If necessary, we request your account documents from the company and work through these carefully, looking for errors in the listing process. If an error is found the listing must be erased from your credit file.