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When I talk about ScoreNavigator, many of my clients develop their own assumptions. It's not something that is easily explained, as the public already has an idea of what it could be. "So, it's a credit report monitoring site?" to "Okay, so basically credit repair?" Let's clear the air: we are NOT credit repair. And yes, we are a credit report monitoring site, plus so much more. I like to say it's a hybrid of both services. Let me explain.
If you've ever pulled your credit report through any credit monitoring site online, you know that it typically includes your credit reports and scores as well as some education. ScoreNavigator offers all o' that. A few things that other credit monitoring sites don't offer, (that ScoreNavigator does), are as follows:
Point Deduction Technology: I know, it sounds super technical. But this is one of the most important pieces of information a customer would need. Your point deductions are essentially the amount of points you are losing per account. Isn't this what everyone tends to ask credit companies? "How many points will I get if I pay down this credit card?" As well as, "If I pay this collection account, will it help my score?" THIS in conjunction with our 3 powerful simulators is the answer to all those questions.
3 Powerful Simulators: Target Score, Money, and Manual Simulator. The Target Score Simulator is pretty much the A.I. credit advisor you never knew you needed. Simply plug in your desired credit score goal, and wha-la! The system will list all of the recommendations for you to follow to get to that goal. AND it will also generate the best day (upon completing those action steps) to pull your credit report so that it reflects your true data (payments made, new balances, etc.). If you have a certain amount of dough and you want to take care of credit business but don't know where to start, plug in that amount inside the Money Simulator and it will generate the best accounts to use that money for the benefit of your credit scores. Last, the Manual Simulator will tell you what will happen to your scores if you pay off or settle a collection, update the status on an account, and more.
Financial Section: This includes a budgeting page because if you don't know how to budget, chances are, you won't know how to manage your credit. They go hand-in-hand. We all know this can be a tedious process, that's why we've made it super easy for you. All you'll need to do is enter the amounts and payment dates. If you need to add a creditor or bill, you can do that too. At the bottom of the page, it will generate your debt to income ratio, allowing you to determine where you need to make your changes for the best. There are also mortgage, auto, credit card calculators, and SO MUCH MORE.
Now that we've addressed the comparison with credit monitoring sites, let's compare ScoreNavigator with credit repair companies. But first, I'll need to give you a little background.
I started working at a law firm that specialized in credit repair way back when, around 2016. As I learned about the business, the process was to write dispute letters, challenge information on customers' credit reports, then send it to the credit bureaus. Simultaneously, we would advise our customers on how to build credit. Then the mortgage meltdown occurred, which allowed our business to grow exponentially, as we were now offering our software as a "business in a box" for other companies or entrepreneurs who wanted to offer credit services to their clients.
Throughout this journey, I had the opportunity to train many companies throughout the U.S. Years later, my boss sold the business to our competitor in Florida, which opened up a whole new pipeline of clients to train, as well as a new software to learn. I attended countless credit conferences (working behind the scenes) and did some learning of my own as I sat in on all of these sessions.
Based on circulating information, there were companies operating ethically and fraudulently. Practices such as adding their customers to a complete stranger's credit tradeline to get a quick boost on their scores as well as disputing all of the customer's accounts as "Identity Theft" were happening across the board. It was too sketchy, and the fines were hefty.
When it comes to credit repair, there are so many laws that govern this industry because of the people/businesses that take advantage of unknowledgeable consumers. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely good people in this business that stay compliant. But majority operate in the gray area. That's not who we are. We have to comply with the rules and we stick to what is right: for the consumer, for the business, and for the industry.
ScoreNavigator wants the consumer to understand why their scores are the way they are, how they got there, how to get lost points back, how to change their habits, and how to move forward with their newfound knowledge. Yes, it's a lifestyle change. We know most of you dread making big changes, but hey, would you rather start now or continue this vicious cycle of credit confusion? We don't expect it to be an overnight success, although some of you out there truly are over-achievers! That's why our program holds your hand throughout the process. The email and text notifications to remind you of your credit card bill that is coming up or the alerts you receive through your portal are just a few ways to get your mind used to those new habits.
Going back to the comparison with credit repair companies. At a credit repair company, you have a credit specialist that you're assigned to. Some may provide amazing advice, some may not. Some may even be illegal, and they might not even know it. It's a hit or miss. With ScoreNavigator, although you don't have a credit repair specialist, you do have our simulators that will tell you exactly what you need to do to maximize your reports and scores. And it's available to you 24/7 (not just 9-5, M-F). The action plan is also consistent as it is based on a scientific approach.
Credit repair companies cannot tell you how many points you're losing on your accounts. Sure, some may guess. But ScoreNavigator utilizes its innovative Point Deduction Technology, which gives you probably the most important piece of information when it comes to working on your credit. Because if you didn't know you were losing points on an account, how would you know if it's even hurting (or helping) you? If your goal was to delete a collection account simply because it was a collection, you're missing the mark. Did you know that some collections don't even hurt your scores? In fact, they may actually be of value.
It's a lot to unpack and unlearn when all we've known is what we've been taught through the years. Like keeping your balances below 30% of the credit limit. Then I've heard 20%. After working with ScoreNavigator, I learned it was actually 8%. Anything over that, you'll see point deductions on that credit account.
I created a Venn diagram to give you a visual of how we are the hybrid product of these two types of products/services within the credit space. The next step is to experience the difference for yourself! ;-)
