Dear Experian,

Why do I have to pay to file a dispute?

- DEH

Dear DEH,

You don’t. Disputing information you believe is inaccurate is a free service. The first step to disputing information always is to get your personal credit report directly from the credit reporting company. I suspect that may be why you are having difficulty.

If your application is declined or other adverse action is taken, your lender will provide instructions to request a free credit report from the credit reporting company it used. If you have not been declined or had other adverse action taken, you can also get a free credit report from each of the national credit reporting companies once every 12 months under federal law at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/.

The report you receive will include instructions for disputing information both online and by telephone. An Internet address and toll-free telephone number are included in the report. Simply follow those instructions to enter your dispute.

Thanks for asking.