Troubleshooting

Under FCRA Section 611, a bureau that can't complete its investigation within the deadline (30 days, extendable to 45 if you add new information mid-dispute) must delete the disputed information. If the window passes with no response, allow for mail time, confirm the dates, and then escalate: the dispute record CreditRefresh keeps is your evidence, and a CFPB complaint is the standard next step.

Report refreshes fail for a short list of reasons: a credit freeze added after you connected, personal details that no longer match the bureau's file (usually after a move), a lapsed subscription payment, or a temporary bureau outage. Refreshes are soft pulls, so your score is never the issue. Most cases come down to thawing a freeze, updating your details, or fixing billing.

Start with the password reset link on the sign-in page and check your spam folder for the reset email. Make sure you're using the email address your account was created with, not a personal alias or an old address. If a payment recently failed, access can be interrupted until billing is current. If none of that gets you in, email support@creditrefresh.ai and we'll sort it out.

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.

A credit freeze stops anyone — including CreditRefresh — from pulling your report. If your scan fails or your bureau connection won't complete, a freeze or lock is the most common cause. You'll need to temporarily thaw (lift) the freeze at the affected bureau, run your scan, then re-freeze. Each bureau is frozen separately, so you may need to lift all three.

Credit scores are recalculated every time your report changes. Common reasons for a drop include a new hard inquiry, a higher balance or utilization, a late or missed payment, a closed account, or a new collection or charge-off. Some drops reflect real activity; others come from reporting errors you can dispute. Check what changed on your report before assuming the worst.

If CreditRefresh cannot connect to a bureau, the usual cause is an identity check that did not pass: a mismatched name or address, security questions answered differently than the bureau has on file, or a credit freeze blocking the pull. Thaw any freeze, confirm your details exactly match your reports, and retry. If it still fails, email support@creditrefresh.ai.

A charge-off is an accounting designation that a creditor uses when it considers a debt unlikely to be collected — typically after 180 days of non-payment. The debt doesn't disappear when charged off; the creditor either continues collecting, sells the debt to a collector, or writes it off. Charge-offs are major negative items and stay on your report for 7 years from the date of first delinquency.

Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information to open accounts or make purchases in your name. Signs on your report include unfamiliar accounts, hard inquiries you don't recognize, addresses you've never lived at, and collections for debts that aren't yours. Active theft requires filing an FTC report at IdentityTheft.gov, freezing your credit, and disputing fraudulent items.

A credit freeze blocks most new credit applications by preventing lenders from pulling your credit reports. It's free, federally protected, and the strongest single tool against identity-theft-driven new accounts. A freeze affects bureau pulls — including services like CreditRefresh — so frozen reports need to be temporarily thawed for scans and disputes.