One thing that people with bad credit can tell you is that it is the worst thing in the world because it greatly affects what you can and can't do. So if you have bad credit you have been probably thinking about what you can do to get better credit. And you have probably heard all about these credit repair services that promise to help fix your credit and get all of the negative items removed from your credit report. But the problem is that with all of these companies how do you know who to trust. Not to mention that most of these companies sound too good to be true, which in most cases that means they are. The good news is that while most of these companies are untrustworthy there are some legitimate ones out there. And all you have to do is find out which ones you can trust and which ones you can't.

If you do decide to respond to an advertisement that offers some kind of credit repair you want to beware of companies that offer the following things:

• Want you to pay for credit repair services before they provide any services. In fact under the Credit Repair Organizations Act, companies cannot require you to pay until they have completed the promised services

• Don't tell you your rights and what you can do "yourself" for free
• Recommend that you not contact a credit bureau directly
• Suggest that you try to invent a "new" credit report by applying for an Employer Identification Number instead of using your Social Security Number
• Advise you to dispute all information in your credit report or take any action that sounds questionable, such as creating a new credit identity. Keep in mind that if you follow illegal advice and commit fraud, you may be subject to prosecution
• Offer a second mortgage or home equity line of credit. While these loans may allow you to consolidate your debt, they also require you to put your home up as collateral.

And if you do decide to go with a credit repair service rather than doing it yourself you should know that you have certain rights and that the credit repair companies must follow specific guidelines from the Credit Repair Organizations Act. And you should actually receive a written contract from the company detailing these rights. Here is what should be included in the written contract:

• The payment and terms for services, including their total cost
• A detailed description of the services to be performed
• How long it will take to achieve the results
• Any guarantees they offer
• The company's name and business address

But something else that you want to keep in mind is that you do have a grace period when you sign up with a credit repair agency. In fact the credit agency repair agency cannot perform any services on your behalf until you have signed a written contract and have completed a three day waiting period. And the best part is that during this waiting period you can cancel the contract at any time without having to pay any fees, meaning you will get a full refund of any fees that you have given them.

And when you decide to use a credit repair service you also want to make sure that you choose the best one out there because it is a well known fact that not every credit repair service can be trusted, in fact more often than not they can't be trusted. So when you are choosing a credit repair service the first thing that you are going to want to do is to check with the Better Business Bureau to ensure that they are a legit business and that they have no major complaints from other consumers. But even then that is not enough you are also going to want to make sure that the danger signs are not being met.

Here is a list of the top ten credit repair services.

1. Lexington Law - allows you to choose the items that you want to dispute on your credit report and then disputes them for you. They also offer three service levels, what level you choose will depend on your needs. Basic program includes disputing your credit reports with the credit bureaus. The next level includes that plus disputing bad credit directly with the creditors. And the top level includes all of those plus credit monitoring.
2. Sky Blue credit Repair Services - has been in business since 1989. They offer services for a single low monthly fee rather than requiring you to upgrade or pay for costly program options. Some of the things that they include are credit disputes and credit counseling, and debt validation.
3. Apex Credit Services, LLC - they do charge a high fee but they actually deliver what they promise. Customers can plan on spending around $1800 for their services. They also tell their clients up front to about where they can raise their credit score and that they won't be able to remove everything. But they also teach clients that good credit helps to raise the credit score and get them started with some good items to add.
4. Veracity Credit Repair - many people enjoy their credit repair service, but a few people think that they need improvement in their customer service because it is weak. The biggest complaint is that people call repeatedly to find out what the next steps are and they feel like they got brushed off. The service is an average price service, which means not the most expensive but not the cheapest either.
5. My Credit Group - people feel that this company is the most dedicated to educating their clients. Meaning that when you use this company they take the time to explain to you what they are going to be doing in terms that you can understand and then follow through with what they said they would do. They also educate you about what you can do to repair your credit and then keep it good after you have cleaned it up.

6. Ovation Law - this group is similar to Lexington Law but they actually have some really great credit repair features and the best part is that it provides a la carte repair services. What this means is that unlike other credit repair services that make you choose between two or three credit repair programs this company allows you to mix and match the various services that they offer to best meet your needs. They are also very upfront in the beginning and let you know what it is you can expect from them and then they deliver it.
7. Academy Law - this is another credit repair agency that is the same thing that Lexington Law is, meaning they offer the same services in the same manner as Lexington Law. But unlike other credit repair services that are similar to Lexington Law this service does not offer anything unique, but they still offer good services.

8. dissolutions - they are a very inexpensive service, which makes them easier for most people who have credit problems to use. The reason for this is that most people who need help fixing their credit are having financial troubles because of how far in debt they are so they cannot afford the high priced credit repair services. And this company charges a low fee but offers the same services as the other companies.
9. American Financial Credit Repair - one thing that this company can do is to help you get your credit fixed by helping you get out of debt. They have been able to lower people's interest rates which help to get them out of debt faster. And while other companies might not follow through with you to ensure that you are doing your part this company calls to make sure that you are doing your part of the program while they are doing what they said they would do. Basically they make sure that you are following through and not procrastinating.
10. Snyder's Commercial Consulting this company makes sure that they follow all of the laws that are in place to protect consumers when it comes to credit repair. And they are also very honest and upfront about what they can and cannot do to help you repir your credit from the very beginning. They also provide you with copies of everything that they are doing, including letters they are sending out and what they have received in regards to your case. You are also assigned your own case worker with who you are in contact with the entire time you are a customer. They also teach you how to build credit while they are repairing yours and offer a guarantee that if an item comes back that they got removed they will once again remove it at no charge to you.