Fixing a credit report can be a long and tedious task for anybody to do. Of course you never find out about things on there until you are ready to get approved on financing for something. It always happens when you least expect it. Worst of all is that it could be a little bit embarrassing too. Most companies will pull a merged credit report from the three major companies and each account in question will say where its being reported. Now you need to get to work to see what one of these companies can help you fix your credit.
The first phone call should be to the credit bureau itself. Equifax is one of the three largest companies that handles these types of inquiries. There is a strong chance that if anything is showing it is with them. To be able to work with them you will have to purchase a credit report from them. From there you will start going over the accounts in question. Your discrepancy might only be showing up with Equifax and it might be the only place you go.
The company that started the whole credit scoring system was My Fico. They work with all three credit bureaus. There will be a fee involved to work with them as they are going to handle all of your accounts for you. My Fico will get all the info needed for you to call your creditors and start closing out accounts. After the bills are paid, My Fico contacts the credit bureaus on your behalf with your closed account documents.
If you want to not only get your credit report cleaned up but have your accounts in question reduced to a lower balance or zeroed out completely then you should call Lexington Law. They are a law firm that knows the ins and outs of credit repair. The fees involved with working with them are higher than your other options but you might pay less in the long run with your debts. After the balances are cleared they will inform the credit bureaus of the closed accounts and your credit report will reflect the changes.
If you plan on cleaning up your credit report then take the time to start with the three companies above. They are all very good at what they do. The further down the list you go the more expensive it might be. With the end goal to clean up your credit it might sound costly now but paying higher rates on other things you want to buy might be costlier with bad credit.