“They Fixed My Credit” False Testimonials
The Internet is flooded with companies claiming to miraculously erase your poor credit records overnight. Credit can be fixed, but it takes time, hard work and dedication. These companies will run off with your money without usually doing anything to improve your score. Such companies will often use false testimonials—quotes from people allegedly satisfied with their services—to boost your confidence and lure you into believing that you are dealing with a genuine provider. Below are some ways to tell that a site indulges in such practices by looking at their Testimonials page.
Unrealistic turnaround times
Remarks like “Company X fixed my credit within days; they are definitely worth the money!” are strong warning signs. No one, be it individual or company, can erase a poor credit record in a week. Repairing credit is a lengthy process that can take years. A genuine testimonial should be in the line of “I have been with company X for a couple of months and I’ve already noticed results. I truly believe they will manage to fix my credit and they are definitely worth the money!”
Little to none actual data
While it’s alright for some of the comments to be vague, there has to be something like “Company X helped me raise my credit score 32 points this month”. Keep an eye out for Testimonials pages crammed with “Wow, you guys are the best” type of comments and nothing insightful. Moreover, if all comments are written in the same register it could be that they were all written by the same person—the copywriter who wrote the content for the site.
Testimonials advertising illegal practices
No genuine service will ask their customers to apply for a new taxpayer ID—namely the Employee Identification Number—and use it instead of their SSN. A testimonial in the line of “Now, my credit file is a clean, brand new one” will never be seen on a legitimate site.
Advertising 1-900 numbers
Again, no genuine company will use a 900-number for phone based support. This is a scam usually used in conjunction with others—the operators will keep you on the line for as much as they can while giving you no useful information. A testimonial like “I got all the help I could need from the handy 1-900 number” is definitely the sign for a fraud.
Without claiming to show a full list, these are the basic signs of false testimonials. Keep an eye out for such practices and you will stay on the safe side.