How do I record a bureau's response in CreditRefresh?
When a bureau mails you the results of its investigation, open the round it belongs to, click Mark response received, and use the Bureau response section to upload the bureau's response letter. That upload records the outcome for each disputed item and updates your counters, Resolved, In Review, and Awaiting, accordingly. If an item comes back verified, you still have options: start another round, send a method of verification request, or, in persistent cases, file a complaint with the CFPB.
Where to record a response
Open the campaign, then the specific round the bureau responded to. At the top of the round page, click Mark response received to flag that you have heard back. Then scroll down to the Bureau response section, which reads "Upload the bureau's response letter to record outcomes per item." Click Upload response PDF and attach the letter the bureau mailed you.
What the upload actually does
Uploading the response is what lets CreditRefresh record an outcome for each item in that round instead of leaving it open ended. Once outcomes are logged, the campaign's Resolved, In Review, and Awaiting counters update to reflect what the bureau actually decided, item by item, and the round's Result logged value moves on from Awaiting bureau.
Responses can arrive one at a time
A single round can include letters to more than one bureau, plus a creditor, and their replies do not have to arrive together. If Equifax responds before Experian and TransUnion do, you do not need to wait for the rest. Click Mark response received and upload that bureau's letter as soon as it arrives, then repeat the same steps for each additional response as it comes in.
If an item comes back verified
A bureau marking an item verified means it is telling you the information checked out on its side, not that your dispute has failed for good. From here you have a few paths, and none of them require starting over:
- Add another round on the same campaign with new information or a sharper argument.
- Send a method of verification request, asking the bureau or the furnisher exactly how they verified the item.
- If a furnisher or bureau is not handling your dispute properly, you have the option to file a complaint with the CFPB.
See "What does dispute status verified mean?" and "My dispute did not work, what are my next steps?" for more detail on each path.
Keep the physical letter
Hold on to the paper response the bureau mailed you even after you upload it. It is your own record of what the bureau said and when, which matters if you decide to escalate the dispute later, for example with a method of verification request or a CFPB complaint.
Related articles
A "verified" outcome means the bureau contacted the data furnisher, the furnisher confirmed their records match what was reported, and the item stays on your report. Verification often deserves a second look — investigations can be shallow. The next move is usually a Method of Verification request or a second-round dispute with new evidence.
If a dispute comes back "verified," the item stays on your report — but that's rarely the end. Your next moves: request the bureau's Method of Verification to see how they checked, dispute directly with the furnisher, re-dispute with new or more specific evidence, or file a complaint with the CFPB. A "verified" result often means a thin automated check, not a confirmed-accurate item.
That is called reinsertion, and the FCRA regulates it tightly. Under Section 611, a bureau may only put a deleted item back if the furnisher certifies it is complete and accurate, and the bureau must notify you in writing within 5 business days, including the furnisher's contact information. A reinsertion without that notice is itself an FCRA violation, separate from the item's accuracy.
A dispute campaign groups every item you are disputing around one event, and each campaign contains one or more rounds, one round per wave of letters you send. The My disputes tab lists your campaigns with counters for Resolved, In Review, and Awaiting items, plus a "Next:" line telling you the recommended next step. From a campaign you can rename it, mark it resolved, close it, delete it, or add another round. Add a new round after a bureau responds to your last one, or after the response window has passed with no reply.