When you are out seeking quality credit repair services, what is the first issue you look for? Most people would probably answer, “the quickest way to get my credit score higher.” However, this is a bad answer – one which will actually lead you to choose the wrong credit repair company and many times, one that will use tactics of questionable legality to raise your score.

Are you wondering why this is? Let’s take a look at it.

When you make “fast” credit repair your priority, you are inviting scam credit repair services that are conceptualized and marketed exactly along these lines.Here are five important tips that will ensure you get the best credit repair services, while protecting yourself from scam credit repair firms.

Tip No 1 – legitimate credit repair agencies do not claim fast results to fix credit. In fact, a trustworthy credit repair company will make sure you are informed as to what credit repair services you can expect. You will be presented a contract that clearly spells what services will be performed. Be sure to insist on having a contract; and if they do not present a contract, it’s a dead giveaway that the agency is out to “take” you.

Tip No 2 – All legitimate credit repair companies will show you what your rights are and help guide you regarding the credit repair services you can do for free. Things such as getting a free annual credit reports from the three bureaus, detecting errors in your report, disputing those errors, managing your finances and so on, are the things you can take care of on your own at some point in time.

The company will explained to you what you can, with little effort, take care of yourself, and what requires the expertise of professionals. The quality of the credit repair services offered by a company can be judged based on this first interaction.

Tip No 3 – No legit credit repair agency will ever hint at using tactics that are illegal. There a lot of companies that advertise a “second or new” identity, complete and guaranteed removal of bad entries, increase of a poor credit score overnight and so on.

Never take these types of promises seriously until you have gone to the website of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and looked at credit repair. This will make you aware of the fact that the credit repair services promised by companies such as these are fraudulent and very likely illegal.

Tip No 4 – All reputable credit repair businesses offer, as a part of their services, quality counseling without additional charge. As we’ve seen, a legitimate credit repair company is more than willing to help you achieve financial self-sufficiency. They will be ready to offer you the best of credit repair services and at the same time show you what you can handle on your own. If you find that the agency discourages you from learning about credit repair, contacting a credit bureau, and/or leads you to believe you can do nothing by your own efforts, than you would be well advice to look for another company.

Tip no 5 – The best tip is being mentioned last, because it is the most important and likely the one you will remember the most easily. Check out the affiliations that your chosen credit repair agency has. For instance, many trustworthy credit repair companies align themselves to the codes of conduct laid out by the ECRA (Ethical Credit Repair Alliance), which ensures that you – the customer – get the best possible credit repair services. Make sure the agency of choice has membership in a recognized regulatory agency.