Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681 et seq.) and various state laws, you have the right to challenge any inaccuracy on your credit report by contacting the credit bureau directly, in writing, at no cost. Neither you nor any third party can require a credit bureau to remove information that is accurate, current, and verifiable. A credit bureau is generally required to remove accurate negative information from your file only after the applicable reporting period (commonly 7 years for most accounts; 10 years for most bankruptcies) has elapsed.
You are entitled to obtain a copy of your credit report from each nationwide credit bureau, and you may receive an additional free copy if you have been denied credit, insurance, employment, or rental housing in the preceding 60 days based on information in your report; if you are unemployed and intend to seek employment within 60 days; if you receive public welfare assistance; or if you reasonably believe your file contains inaccuracies due to fraud.
You may notify any credit bureau in writing of any item you believe is inaccurate. The bureau is required to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation, typically within 30 days, and to correct or delete information that cannot be verified, at no cost to you. If the reinvestigation does not resolve your dispute, you have the right to file a brief statement to be included in your file regarding the disputed information.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regulate credit bureaus and credit repair organizations. For more information, contact the FTC, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, or visit consumerfinance.gov and ftc.gov.
1. About DisputeGoat
DisputeGoat(“DisputeGoat,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a self-service software workspace based in California that helps consumers review their own credit report data (as accessed through SmartCredit®, a separate service offered by ConsumerDirect®) and prepare their own written consumer letters in connection with their rights under the FCRA and applicable state law.
DisputeGoat is not a credit repair organization, a credit-counseling service, a law firm, a debt-settlement service, or a financial advisor. We do not provide legal, financial, credit, tax, or investment advice. We do not negotiate with creditors or credit bureaus on your behalf. We do not file, mail, fax, or otherwise transmit letters to anyone for you. Every action regarding your credit file remains entirely your decision and your responsibility.
2. Acceptance of these Terms
These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) form a binding agreement between you and DisputeGoat governing your access to and use of the DisputeGoat website, software, and related services (together, the “Service”). By creating an account, completing SmartCredit® enrollment through DisputeGoat, or otherwise using the Service, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
You must be at least 18 years old, a United States resident, and able to form a legally binding contract under applicable law to use the Service.
3. Definitions
- “Account” — the user record created in the Service when you complete SmartCredit® enrollment through DisputeGoat.
- “Member Content” — any text, sender information, letter content, item selections, notes, status updates, or other data you enter into the Service.
- “SmartCredit® Membership” — the separate, recurring credit monitoring membership offered by ConsumerDirect® that you must enroll in to access the DisputeGoat workspace.
- “Letter” — a written communication you generate inside the Service that is intended to be sent by you, on your own behalf, to a credit bureau, furnisher, or other recipient.
4. The Service
The Service provides:
- A workspace where you can review credit report data accessed through SmartCredit®.
- Editable consumer letter templates that incorporate FCRA citations and your sender information, which you can download as PDF and mail yourself.
- A personal log where you record what you have downloaded, mailed, and received responses on.
- An educational credit score simulator for illustrative scenarios only.
The Service does not include the act of sending, mailing, faxing, transmitting, negotiating, advocating, or representing you to any credit bureau, furnisher, creditor, collector, government agency, court, or any other third party. You are the sole sender and signer of every Letter.
5. SmartCredit® Membership and Billing
Access to the Service requires an active SmartCredit® Membership. SmartCredit® is offered by ConsumerDirect® and is a separate recurring monthly subscription that is billed by ConsumerDirect®, not by DisputeGoat. Final pricing, plan details, the SmartCredit® Service Agreement, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, Consumer Rights notice, and any required consents are presented to you during SmartCredit® enrollment, before you agree to be billed.
DisputeGoat does not directly process your payment information. Sensitive identity and payment fields are handled by ConsumerDirect®'s hosted enrollment widget. You may cancel your SmartCredit® Membership at any time through your SmartCredit® account, subject to ConsumerDirect®'s terms. Cancellation of your SmartCredit® Membership ends your access to the DisputeGoat Service.
6. Your Account & Responsibilities
You agree to:
- Provide accurate, current, and complete information during enrollment and inside the Service.
- Keep your enrollment credentials confidential and not share your access with others.
- Use the Service only for your own personal credit file review and letter preparation.
- Read every Letter you generate before downloading or mailing it. You alone are responsible for the content, accuracy, and consequences of any Letter you send.
7. Acceptable Use
You will not, and will not permit anyone else to:
- Use the Service to file a Letter that you know contains false or misleading statements.
- Use the Service to challenge information you know to be accurate, current, and verifiable.
- Use the Service on behalf of another person, or to provide a paid service to others.
- Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code from the Service, except as expressly permitted by applicable law.
- Interfere with the operation of the Service, attempt to gain unauthorized access, or use it to violate any law.
- Resell, sublicense, white-label, or otherwise commercialize the Service or its outputs without our prior written consent.
We may suspend or terminate access to the Service if we reasonably believe you have violated this Section 7 or otherwise misused the Service.
8. Member Content & License
You retain ownership of all Member Content. By entering Member Content into the Service, you grant DisputeGoat a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, process, and display the Member Content solely as necessary to provide the Service to you.
DisputeGoat may collect aggregated, de-identified usage statistics about how the Service is used (e.g., how many letters were generated, which features are most used). These aggregated statistics never identify you and may be used to improve the Service and its user experience.
9. Intellectual Property
The Service, including the DisputeGoat name, brand, logo, software, designs, text, copy, templates, simulator logic, and educational content (collectively, the “DisputeGoat IP”), is owned by DisputeGoat and protected by intellectual property laws. You receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the DisputeGoat IP only for the personal, internal purposes described in these Terms.
SmartCredit®, ConsumerDirect®, and related marks are trademarks of ConsumerDirect® and are used by DisputeGoat under its partner agreement.
10. No Guarantees; No Advice
DisputeGoat is a tools-and-education product. No outcome is promised or guaranteed— including, but not limited to, any change in your credit score, removal or modification of any item on your credit report, approval of any application for credit, or any specific response from any credit bureau, furnisher, or other recipient of your Letters. Outcomes depend on the underlying facts on your credit file and on the independent decisions of the credit bureaus, furnishers, and other third parties.
Nothing in the Service, including any educational content, suggested approach, simulator output, recommended template, or copy, constitutes legal advice, financial advice, credit advice, tax advice, or any other professional advice. If you need that kind of advice, consult a qualified professional.
11. Credit Score Simulator
The credit score simulator inside the Service is provided for educational illustration only. The projected scores, point figures, mortgage APR ranges, and savings amounts shown by the simulator are illustrative estimates based on typical FICO® scoring patterns and industry mortgage averages. They are not predictive of your actual credit score, your actual loan terms, or any specific outcome you might achieve.
12. Warranty Disclaimer
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, DISPUTEGOAT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ALL WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR THAT IT WILL ACHIEVE ANY PARTICULAR RESULT.
13. Limitation of Liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL DISPUTEGOAT OR ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES; LOST PROFITS, LOST REVENUE, LOST GOODWILL, OR LOSS OF DATA; OR DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY ACTION OR INACTION OF A CREDIT BUREAU, FURNISHER, CREDITOR, COLLECTOR, OR OTHER THIRD PARTY, EVEN IF DISPUTEGOAT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. DISPUTEGOAT’S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID DIRECTLY TO DISPUTEGOAT (NOT TO SMARTCREDIT®) IN THE THREE (3) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100). SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO PARTS OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
14. Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless DisputeGoat and their affiliates, officers, directors, employees, contractors, and agents from any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to: (a) any Letter you generate or send; (b) any statement, claim, or representation you make in connection with the Service; (c) your violation of these Terms; or (d) your violation of any law or third-party right.
15. Term & Termination
These Terms remain in effect for as long as you have an active SmartCredit® Membership through DisputeGoat. You may terminate by canceling your SmartCredit® Membership through your SmartCredit® account. We may terminate or suspend your access at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms or applicable law. Sections 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 17 survive termination.
16. Governing Law & Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Any legal action arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service must be filed in the state or federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
17. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the “Effective” date at the top of this page and may provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.
18. Contact
Questions about these Terms? Email support@disputegoat.com or write to:
DisputeGoat — LegalCalifornia, USA
DisputeGoat is not affiliated with any government agency. The FCRA and other consumer credit laws give you specific rights regardless of whether you use DisputeGoat or any similar service.