The Credit Coaches Review

The Credit Coaches are a credit repair company that takes a unique approach to the process.

Like other credit repair companies, they work to eliminate negative credit information that is either incomplete, inaccurate, or a complete error.

The elimination of the negative information will work to improve your credit score.

But where The Credit Coaches stand out is that they also focus on the other side of the credit equation – helping you to build good credit.

That’s a part of the credit repair process that usually completely ignored by other credit repair companies.

It’s a critical strategy as well. Simply removing negative information can improve your credit.

But it doesn’t necessarily move you into what would normally be considered a good credit score range. You’ll need to add good credit to your credit report to make that happen.

By taking a two-pronged approach – removing negative information and adding positive credit entries – the credit repair process is more effective.

It has the potential to move you from a poor credit rating to a good one in a matter of months.

Table of Contents:

• About the Credit Coaches
• How The Credit Coaches Work
• Features & Benefits
• How To Sign Up
• Pros & Cons
• Are The Credit Coaches For You?

About The Credit Coaches

Founded in 2010, and headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, The Credit Coaches are a credit counseling service that works with consumers to eliminate bad debt and improve credit scores.

The company was founded by Stephen West and David B. Grier, each of whom brings 20 years experience in the credit business to the company.

They not only help clients repair their credit but also to obtain loans, like mortgages and car loans.

They’ve been so successful that their services have been recommended by banks, mortgage lenders, car dealers and mobile home dealers to customers struggling with credit problems.

Unlike many credit repair firms, that concentrated exclusively on removing negative information from your credit reports, they also train consumers on how to increase their scores using various strategies.

The Credit Coaches has a Better Business Bureau rating of “A+” (on a scale of A+ to F) and has been BBB accredited since 2011.

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How The Credit Coaches Works

When you sign up with The Credit Coaches the first course of business will be a free credit analysis.

Though they are based in Louisiana, they will provide you with a video that explains their services, then you can complete the enrollment process by phone.

Once you enroll, you’ll have a one-on-one client orientation with one of the coaches. They’ll explain how the process works, set proper expectations, and let you know what you’ll need to do.

The credit problems they can work with include the following:

Chex Systems isn’t a direct credit problem, but a banking issue. Chex Systems is like a banking industry credit bureau.

If you’ve had a bank account closed in the past, and you owe a balance on the account when it was closed, an entry will appear in the system alerting other banks that you’re a potential problem customer. If you have such an entry, it will be almost impossible to open an account with a new bank.

But that’s just one of the credit problems The Credit Coaches can help you resolve.

The company’s basic strategy can be summarized as follows:

“… We use aggressive tactics that mandate creditors who have reported inaccurate, false, and outdated information to respond immediately and correct, according to the laws that govern creditors, collection agencies and the credit bureaus.”

If you’re struggling with credit issues, The Credit Coaches can help you accomplish the following:

• Qualify for a loan
• Get credit cards
• Pass security clearances
• Pass employment screening
• Obtain a mortgage

The Credit Coaches will work with all credit levels and help you qualify for whatever goals you’re trying to achieve.

Though the service is based in Louisiana, they work with customers in all 50 states.

Adding Good Credit to Offset the Negative Stuff

As discussed earlier, The Credit Coaches work to improve your credit score, and not just remove negative credit information.

In that regard, they’ve partnered with several banks and credit card companies that will help you rebuild your credit.

These are institutions that work specifically with people with bad credit and can provide loans and credit lines to you anyway.

The basic concept is to provide you with an opportunity to add positive credit information to your credit report. The combination of removing negative information – and adding positive entries – will improve your credit score by more than just removing negative information.

They even maintain it’s possible to increase your credit scores without removing negative information from your credit reports. This, of course, will be done by adding new credit, to offset the negative information. Naturally, your cooperation in this effort will be required.

It’s absolutely critical that you make all your payments on time on any new loans or credit cards you obtain through the service.

Once you begin the process, The Credit Coaches advise most people’s credit is repaired in between four and six months, depending on the extent of the bad credit. However, the possibility is that it can take longer.

The Credit Coaches Features and Benefits

• The Credit Coaches availability: Though the company is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and offers certain special services to local customers, it is nonetheless available in all 50 states.
• The Credit Coaches Guarantee. The company website indicates it does offer a guarantee, but it does not disclose the details. It likely involves a refund of fees paid under certain very specific circumstances.
• Customer service. Customer contact is available by both phone and email, though they don’t indicate their days and hours of operation. You can also access The Credit Coaches through their Facebook page.
• Pricing and fees. The Credit Coaches don’t reveal their fee structure on their website, but reviews on the Better Business Bureau site indicate an upfront fee of $180, followed by a monthly fee of $160. At four months, the cost of the service – both the upfront fee and the monthly fees – will total $820. For six months, it will be $1,140.

How to Sign Up

If you’d like to sign up for The Credit Coaches service, you can do so either by phone or by the brief online application.

You’ll be asked to provide:

• your name
• email address
• phone number
• comments describing your situation

You’ll then be contacted by one of The Credit Coaches representatives, for a free consultation and to briefly discuss your situation.

To participate in the program, you will be required to put a credit or debit card on file with The Credit Coaches.

If you live in the Baton Rouge area, they can even work out payment plans if you don’t have a credit or debit card available.

The Credit Coaches Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The unique strategy of both removing negative information and adding new credit references has the real potential to substantially increase your credit score.
• The process starts with a free consultation to evaluate your credit situation.
• They work with a wider variety of derogatory credit information than most other credit repair companies. Examples include the Chex Systems, bankruptcies, judgments, tax liens, and child support.
• The Credit Coaches have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
• Complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau have been addressed by The Credit Coaches. That’s not the case with many credit repair companies.

Cons:

• The Credit Coaches require an upfront fee, plus a monthly fee. Many credit repair companies don’t charge an upfront fee.
• The fee structure for The Credit Coaches is substantially higher than it is for the competition. However, it also has to be considered that they’re providing a more substantial service by helping you to obtain good credit, while also removing negative credit.
• The Credit Coaches strategy will require your participation. At a minimum, they cannot apply for new credit in your name. You will need to do that directly with the recommended lenders. And once you do, you’ll be fully responsible for making the monthly payments on time.
• A guarantee is indicated, but no details are provided. Though it does seem that for complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau, the company did follow through and resolve the complaints.
• No attorneys on staff. Certain more complicated credit situations may require legal representation, which The Credit Coaches will not be able to provide, at least not within the indicated fee structure.

Who The Credit Coaches will Work Best For

A lot of credit repair companies can help to improve your credit. But The Credit Coaches will work best for those who are not only looking to repair bad credit but to move from a bad credit rating to a good one.

Their twin strategies of removing negative information and adding positive credit information to your credit report are unique in the industry. Just removing negative information can improve your credit score, but it may only move you from a poor score to a less poor score.

Adding good credit to your credit report can cause your score to rise dramatically.

The Credit Coaches are best suited to those who are serious about improving their credit score on a long-term basis. It should be considered if in the future you’re looking to apply for a mortgage or for a job where good credit will be a requirement.

One area where we’re more than a bit skeptical is on the timeframe. The Credit Coaches advise that the process will take between four and six months for the typical client. That’s certainly possible as far as removing negative credit information. But adding good credit will definitely take longer.

Though you may be able to obtain new loans and credit lines fairly quickly, it will take many months of making on-time payments – and having those payments reported to the credit bureaus – before your credit score will improve in a meaningful way.

Apart from overpromising on the timeframe, the strategy is absolutely solid. Adding good credit, while removing negative credit, will be much more effective than simply removing bad credit. The Credit Coaches are on the right path with that combination.

If you’d like more information, or you’d like to sign up for the service, check out The Credit Coaches website.

The Credit Coaches

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