Proper Credit, Part III: The Fix Isn't In

Checking your credit report can open a Pandora's box, and trying to fix the problems can make things even worse.

The point of inspecting your credit record -- detailed in an earlier column -- is to look for any inaccuracies that could prevent you from getting a loan or force you to pay a higher interest rate. If you do wind up finding mistakes on your record, you could be in for a grueling battle to get those errors corrected.

"Anything a creditor reports is considered true. If that creditor routinely makes errors, goes out of business or is uncooperative, you're out of luck," writes reader Brian Greene. "You are considered a deadbeat no matter how much good credit you have, simply because of one piece of bad information," Greene adds. "The problem is: Businesses that rely on credit reports don't give a damn whether information was correct or not in the first place." ...