The Credit Guru Review

The Credit Guru (a division of JMR Ventures, Inc.) is a privately-held credit repair company that was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Edmonds, Washington. With almost three decades of business operations, The Credit Guru is one of the most well-established credit repair companies we reviewed. That said, it stacks up very well to the competition related to its length of time in business.

One of the drawbacks to The Credit Guru is its website. Unfortunately, many of the pages on the company’s website are not secure. While the company has an online application and the pages we checked appear to be secure, we recommend thinking twice before entering any personal information on this website. 

Available Services: Customized Service Is Available

The Credit Guru is a credit repair provider that offers two different levels of service. Its Regular Service comes with a one-time setup fee of $149.95 and a monthly fee of $89. In contrast, its Premium Service carries a one-time setup fee of $199.95 and a monthly fee of $129. The Credit Guru will dispute an unlimited number of accounts with both credit repair plans after it orders your credit reports from all three credit bureaus. Plus, you won’t have to sign a long-term contract, and you’ll get to work with a dedicated team of credit professionals. 

One of the key differentiators between the two plans offered by The Credit Guru is that you’ll get coaching with the company’s Premium Plan. Plus, The Credit Guru will develop a customized plan of action to repair your credit with its Premium Plan. In addition, you get to work with a dedicated team of credit repair professionals, which provides an added value. Overall, the level of service offered by The Credit Guru stacks up nicely against the competition. 

Regular Service

The Regular Service plan offered by The Credit Guru is best if you do not need credit coaching or a customized credit improvement plan to meet your individual needs. If you choose this plan, you’ll pay a one-time setup fee of $149.95 and a monthly fee thereafter of $89 (billed at the end of the month in which you received service). The key credit repair items included in The Credit Guru’s Regular Service plan are:

• Credit reports from all three credit bureaus
• Monthly credit disputes
• Unlimited number of disputes
• Monthly account reviews upon request

Premium Service

The Premium Service plan offered by The Credit Guru is best if you want credit coaching and a customized credit improvement plan to meet your individual needs. If you choose this plan, you’ll pay a one-time setup fee of $199.95 and a monthly fee thereafter of $129 (billed at the end of the month in which you received service). The key credit repair items included in The Credit Guru’s Premium Service plan are:

• Credit reports from all three credit bureaus
• Bi-weekly credit disputes
• Unlimited number of disputes
• Monthly account reviews occur automatically
• Credit coaching and a customized plan of action for how to improve your credit score

Optional Add-Ons: Everything Is Included in the Two Plans

The Credit Guru doesn’t offer any optional add-ons, like a credit monitoring service or financial management tools (e.g., a budgeting tool or financial management software). Many of the other credit repair providers we reviewed functioned in much the same way. So, this isn’t unusual. 

If you want routine credit monitoring, there are lots of services available, including some free options. This means it’s often better to use a stand-alone credit monitoring service instead of one offered by a credit repair provider.

Customer Service: Hours of Operation Aren’t Published

Although The Credit Guru doesn’t publish its hours of operation on its website, you can reach the company by calling 1-888-528-6041. In addition, you can contact The Credit Guru by email at service@thecreditguru.com or request a free consultation by submitting an online request form. As previously noted, we have some concerns over the company’s web security, so use caution when submitting your personal information online, particularly on a website that might not be fully secure.

Reputation: Relatively Low BBB Rating but No Complaints

Although The Credit Guru's parent company has a relatively low C+ rating with the BBB, there haven’t been any recent complaints filed with the BBB. In addition, a review of the CFPB’s consumer complaint database didn’t reveal any complaints about the company during the past three years. This lack of complaints with both the BBB and the CFPB is a positive sign.

Customer Satisfaction: Great Reviews Online

There are no customer reviews for The Credit Guru or its parent company available from the BBB, and we weren’t able to find any reviews about The Credit Guru on Trustpilot. We were able to find seven reviews on Yelp, which gave The Credit Guru a 5-star rating. These reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising the level of service provided by The Credit Guru.

Cost: Higher Than Average Cost

The Credit Guru offers two credit repair plans, with its one-time setup fees ranging from $149.95 to $199.95 and its monthly fees ranging from $89 to $129. These costs are higher than many of the other credit repair companies we reviewed. However, you get to work with a dedicated team, and the company offers some value-added services with its Premium Service. This includes coaching and a customized plan of action on the steps you should take to improve your credit score. Plus, the company offers discounted fees for couples, which is a good feature.

The following table summarizes the costs The Credit Guru charges for each plan:

The Competition: The Credit Guru vs. Ovation Credit Services

One of the well-known competitors to The Credit Guru is Ovation Credit Services, a credit repair service that’s an affiliate of the publicly traded company, LendingTree. The biggest differentiator between The Credit Guru and Ovation Credit Services has to do with their reputations. Ovation is a very well-known company with an excellent A+ rating with the BBB, whereas The Credit Guru is a lesser-known company with a relatively low C+ rating with the BBB. Given the reputational difference between the two companies, we would choose Ovation Credit Services for our credit repair needs versus The Credit Guru.

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