Current Shareware 1994 January/SHAR194.ISO/finance/credit30.zip/README

Text File | 1993-10-15 | 19KB | 386 lines

                    Readme file for the evaluation copy of

                     THE INSIDE SECRETS OF CREDIT REPAIR
                                 Version 3.0
                                 March, 1993

                                   InfoTek
                       50 Lake Road, Woodbury CT  06798
                                 203-266-4139


       INTRODUCTION

       Thank you for evaluating The Inside Secrets of Credit Repair. The
       program is designed to provide you with the knowledge  and  tools
       to perform   credit  repair  using  the  rights  granted  to  all
       consumers by Congress in the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

       If you are not  familiar  with  the  process  of  credit  repair,
       perhaps a brief introduction will help.


       CREDIT REPAIR

       Companies whom you have (or  had)  accounts  where  payments  are
       being made to  pay  for  merchandise  or  services  (installments
       loans, revolving charge accounts, etc.) can report to one or more
       credit bureaus the history or current status of your account.

       These reports may be positive (account in good standing, paid off
       as agreed, etc.) or they  may  be  negative  (payment  past  due,
       account charged off, etc.). While no  harm  is  done  to  you  by
       positive reports, negative reports are potentially  damaging.  In
       most cases  these  negative  reports  are  accurate,  i.e.,  they
       reflect actual past due  payments  or  other  problems  with  the
       account. Therefore, being accurate, you cannot have them  removed
       from your credit report simply by asking.

       However, you have the right to question the validity or  accuracy
       of ANY entry. The Fair Credit Reporting Act specified the  rights
       of an individual in making sure that the  credit  bureaus  report
       factual and verifiable credit related information about them. The
       Fair Credit Reporting Act, therefore, gave  individuals  a  great
       deal of power to insure that what is being reported about them is
       accurate.

       The ability to question entries in  your  credit  report  is  the
       foundation of credit  repair.  If,  upon  questioning  the  entry
       (called disputing the entry) the credit  bureau  finds  that  the
       information is not accurate, it must be  changed  promptly.  This
       will often lead to changing a negative entry to a positive entry.
       And, as most people have learned, negative entries often lead  to
       credit denial because the creditor to whom you are  applying  may
       assume that your poor credit history indicates that you will  not
       pay your debt with them as agreed. Whether this is fair or not is
       not really the issue. Unfortunately,  creditors  don't  have  too
       many other alternatives to determine if you will  pay  your  debt
       before they loan you the money or sell you their  merchandise  on
       credit.

       If the credit bureau can't get verification of the  entry  within
       30 days of your dispute, the entry in question  must  be  deleted
       from your credit report, accurate or not. Not being able  to  get
       verification is frequently the case. Companies go out of business
       or can't produce the records on you (or can't be bothered). Thus,
       credit repair is partly a  process  of  seeking  verification  of
       information reported about you. If  the  originator  of  negative
       information can't back up their claim upon your request to do so,
       such claim must be removed and no mention made of it again.

       Your right to dispute entries in your credit report gives you the
       ability to monitor, and possible change, what is  being  reported
       about you concerning your credit history. As long as you are  not
       frivolous (discussed in the  program)  the  results  of  properly
       using  your right  to  dispute  credit  report  entries are often
       rewarding.

       Of course, there is much more to be learned about  credit  repair
       using the Inside Secrets of Credit Repair. This has only  been  a
       short introduction. Not only will you learn about  credit  repair
       with the program, but you  will  find  many  valuable  tools  for
       credit repair.


       PROGRAM FEATURES

       An example of the credit repair tools included  in  this  program
       are  credit  report  request  letters.  By  entering  information
       specific to you, these  prewritten  letters  will  allow  you  to
       request your credit report from the three  main  credit  bureaus.
       There are many other prewritten letters included to make the task
       of credit repair easy and effective.

       In addition to many prewritten letters, you will find other tools
       such as complete definitions of the codes  used  in  your  credit
       report, sample dispute statements  you  can  use,  the  full  and
       unmodified Fair Credit Report Act and  a  Case  Study  of  credit
       repair. In addition to these  tools,  the  program  has  powerful
       features such as on-line help, word searching and book marking to
       help make credit repair an easy and rewarding task.


       WHAT'S NEW

       Version 3.0 includes many new and enhanced  features. Addtitional
       information has been included which will give you indepth insight
       on the process of  credit repair. The number of new features  and
       information is  too  extensive  to  list  here.  However, you can
       review a description of each from within the program by selecting
       the ABOUT menu and selecting UPDATE INFORMATION from the menu.


                  DISCLAIMERS, NOTICES AND RIGHTS OF PARTIES

       Before we get  you started with the program, you are requested to
       read  the  following  information.  It  is  imperative  that  you
       understand what this program  intends to do for you and what your
       rights and obligations are pertaining to the use of this program.


       COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

       All  versions  of  The  Inside  Secrets  of  Credit  Repair   are
       copyrighted and are the property of InfoTek,  Woodbury,  CT.  Any
       modification(s) and redistribution of such modification(s)  is  a
       violation of copyright and present a hazard to subsequent users.


       THE FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT TEXT FILE

       The Fair Credit Reporting Act has been provided  as ASCII text to
       allow printing of the entire document only. Please remember  that
       this is a legal document and therefore is not to be modified.

                 DO NOT ALTER OR MODIFY THE ACT FOR ANY REASON.

       Doing  so, may  create unnecessary  confusion  for  yourself  and
       others who obtain the altered document.


       RESOLVING PROBLEMS

       If you bought  this program  from a  shareware  Distributor,  you
       should first contact them to resolve any conflicts  pertaining to
       the  sale  of the  evaluation  copy  of this  program. If you can
       not get the  problem resolved, we  would like to known  about the
       problem. While we won't reimburse you the price you paid for your
       copy, we will look into the matter.


       ORDERING FROM INFOTEK

       You  may order a  copy of the  evaluation  disk  from InfoTek  by
       writing to us at 50  Lake  Road, Woodbury, CT 06798.  Specify the
       disk size (3 1/2" or 5 1/4")  you need and enclose $5.00. We will
       ship you  the latest  available version  shortly upon  receipt of
       your order.


       COPYING THE PROGRAM

       The evaluation copy may be freely copied and distributed to allow
       others to evaluate the program, but you must keep the program and
       all  associated  files intact and unmodified.  You may  charge an
       amount consistent with the cost of the disk  used to  convey  the
       program which must not exceed $10.00. Vendors are advised to read
       the VENDOR.DOC.


       RIGHT OF USAGE PRIOR TO REGISTRATION

       You may use the program to prepare letters to request your credit
       reports from the various credit bureaus without any obligation to
       register with InfoTek as a user. If, upon  review of your report,
       you decide to  pursue credit  repair using this program, you  are
       required to register with InfoTek to continue  using this program
       for credit repair.

       Registration brings you many benefits. Not only does registration
       give you the right to use the  program for active credit  repair,
       you will receive  the lastest version  available, be  notified of
       upgrades,  receive  a printed  Quick Referance Guide and Log Book
       and receive phone support if you run  into difficulties.  Another
       important reason for registering if you intend to use the program
       for active credit repair, is the fact that you are supporting the
       concept  of  shareware.  Shareware allows  you  to try a  program
       before committing to its purchase. This virtually  eliminates the
       chance  of buying  software you can't use.  By safeguarding  this
       advantage, you help strengthen the benefits of shareware.

       Full details about registration and what it includes is  provided
       from within  the program.  Just  select HOW TO REGISTER  from the
       ABOUT menu at the top your screen.


       NOTICE TO ALL USERS

       Nothing in this program ever suggests  stepping outside  of  your
       legal rights as granted to you by the Federal  Trade  Commission.
       You will not be advised to use unethical or questionable tactics.
       If you engage in activities that extend beyond your legal  rights
       as granted you by the Fair  Credit Reporting Act, you  may render
       your credit repair  efforts ineffective and may subject  yourself
       to problems.


       WARRANTY

       NO WARRANTY IS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED THAT, BY USE OF THESE  CREDIT
       REPAIR TECHNIQUES, YOU WILL REMOVE  NEGATIVE  CREDIT  ENTRIES  IN
       YOUR CREDIT PROFILE. THE ACTUAL REMOVAL PROCESS  IS  BETWEEN  YOU
       AND THE CREDIT BUREAU IN CONJUNCTION  WITH  YOUR  CREDITORS  WHEN
       APPLICABLE, AND IS SUBJECT TO A WIDE RANGE OF VARIABLES OF  WHICH
       INFOTEK  HAS  NO  CONTROL.  YOUR   ACTUAL  REMOVAL  SUCCESS  WILL
       DEPEND LARGELY UPON YOUR DILIGENCE IN PURSUING YOUR CREDIT REPAIR
       OBJECTIVES.

       INSIDE SECRETS OF CREDIT  REPAIR  IS  PROVIDED  'AS  IS'  WITHOUT
       WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING  BUT
       NOT LIMITED TO THE  IMPLIED  WARRANTIES  OF  MERCHANTABILITY  AND
       FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT  IS  ANY  LIABILITY
       ACCEPTED FOR ANY DAMAGES INCURRED, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY,
       AS A RESULT OF USING INSIDE SECRETS OF CREDIT REPAIR.

       RATHER, THIS  PROGRAM PRESENTS GUIDELINES,  TIPS AND POINTERS FOR
       YOUR CONSIDERATION THAT, WHEN APPLIED  PROPERLY, HAVE BEEN SHOWN
       TO WORK AS THEY PERTAIN TO OPTIMIZATION OF CREDIT PROFILES.


       ENDORSEMENTS

       This program is not endorsed by any Federal agency  or  body,  by
       any credit bureau or affiliate  or  by  any  professional  credit
       repair person or organization.  Such  endorsement  has  not  been
       pursued by the author since these techniques  are  based  on  the
       rights of the consumer as stated in  the  Fair  Credit  Reporting
       Act, and therefore need no further endorsement.


       MAILING LISTS

       InfoTek does not sell, rent or loan  its registered  user mailing
       list. Such  mailing list is kept within the  company for  its own
       use to mail upgrade notices. Therefore, you can be confident that
       your name will not be given to any other person or  organization.
       As a registered user, you  will be kept informed  via no-pressure
       upgrade notices as new versions become available.


       ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS (ASP) STATEMENT

       This program is produced by  InfoTek, a member of the Association
       of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
       shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
       shareware-related  problem  with an ASP member  by contacting the
       member directly, ASP may  be able to help.  The ASP Ombudsman can
       help you resolve  a dispute or problem  with an ASP  member,  but
       does not provide technical support for  members' products. Please
       write  to  the  ASP  Ombudsman  at 545 Grover  Road, Muskegon, MI
       49442 or  send a CompuServe  message via CompuServe  Mail to  ASP
       Ombudsman 70007,3536.


       INTENDED USE

       These credit repair  techniques  are  applicable  to  the  United
       States only. If you have acquired this program and reside outside
       of the U.S.A., you are advised  to NOT use the program unless you
       had residence in the  U.S.A. and need to repair your  credit with
       credit bureaus within the U.S.A.

       These techniques are intended for personal use only. They are not
       to be used to repair the credit profile of a  business  (many  of
       the legal rights of an individual consumer are not extended to  a
       business).


       NOT FOR PROFESSIONAL USE

       THIS PROGRAM  IS NOT TO  BE USED  AS THE  BASIS  FOR PROFESSIONAL
       CREDIT REPAIR SERVICES.  The implications of  credit repair  by a
       professional is beyond the scope of this  program edition. If you
       wish to review an evaluation  copy of Credit-Pro, send  $20.00 to
       InfoTek  50 Lake Road, Woodbury, CT 06798. You will  be mailed an
       evaluation copy along with descriptive materials. The $20.00 will
       be  applied toward  the $249.00  purchase  price  of  Credit-Pro.
       Please specify the disk size you need (3 1/2" or 5 1/4").


       COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS

       To use this software you will need, at a minimum, the following:
            1. An IBM XT or compatible (AT or 386 preferable)
            2. At least 512 kilobytes of free RAM
            3. One 360 kb 5 1/4" or 720 kb 3 1/2" floppy disk drive.
            4. EGA, VGA or SuperVGA color monitor.
               (Note: Important color coding is lost with monochrome
                monitors).
            5. 1 megabytes of free hard drive space
            6. DOS 3.3 or above.


       OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

       1. A mouse is recommended (Microsoft  is preferable).  However  a
          mouse is not required to use the program.
       2. A printer is necessary if you want to print letters, forms and
          other information directly from the program.
       3. Microsoft windows PIF and icon files are provided to assist
          running this program under windows as a DOS application.


       PROGRAM FILES

       This distribution disk should contain the following files:

        INSTALL.BAT    DOS batch file to launch the install utility.
        INSTPRG.HCM    The installation utility program file.
        CREDIT3.LZH    The compressed set of program files.
          LHARC.EXE    The unarcing utility.
             HL.EXE    The program needed to read the hypertext file.
         README        This readme file.
         VENDOR.DOC    Vendor instructions for distribution.

       After installation, your hard drive should contain these files:

         README        This readme file.
             GO.BAT    The batch file used to start the program.
        CREDIT3.HCM    The hyper text file containing the information.
        CREDIT3.HIX    The hyper text file's index.
        CREDIT3.HIX    An index file for CREDIT3.HCM
       HYPSHELL.CFG    Start up configuration file.
             HL.EXE    The program needed to read the CREDIT3.HCM file.
            END.HYP    The closing message.
           FCRA.TXT    The Fair Credit Reporting Act in ASCII text format.
          ISOCR.ICO    Icon for Microsoft Windows
          ISOCR.PIF    Program Information File for Microsoft Windows
        LETTER?.TPL    Each of the Letter Templates in ASCII format
              *.DTA    Files used to store information you provide from
                       within the program.

                       !!!DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MODIFY ANY FILE!!!

       NOTE:

       If you  were  given  an  incomplete disk, you  should  notify the
       Distributor or person  who  sold (or gave)  you  the disk. If you
       cannot obtain a new and complete disk, send your name and address
       with  $5.00 to InfoTek,  50 Lake Road, Woodbury CT 06798. Request
       an  evaluation  copy of The  Inside Secrets  of Credit Repair and
       specify the disk size. If you  purchased  the incomplete  program
       from a Shareware Distributor,  please advise  us of the  name and
       address  of the Distributor, we will  insure that the Distributor
       receives a complete disk.


       INSTALLATION TO A HARD DRIVE:


         YOU MUST USE THE INSTALL UTILITY FOR SUCCESSFUL INSTALLATION.


       You must install the program on your hard drive. To do so, simply
       enter the command INSTALL at the DOS prompt while logged onto the
       floppy drive that contains this disk. Follow the prompts.

       Once you have installed the program to your hard drive,  log into
       the directory where you  installed the program and  type the word
       GO.


       CONCLUSION

       Once again, thank you for trying The  Inside  Secrets  of  Credit
       Repair. We are confident that you will  find  the  principles  of
       credit repair interesting and, when  used  properly,  will  prove
       rewarding.

       Remember, the right to  monitor your credit report and to dispute
       inaccurate entries on your credit report is your legal right. Use
       those rights properly and they  will prove  to be as  valuable to
       you as a good credit status.

       The Staff of InfoTek