Upgrade sits in an odd spot on a credit report: it is a real lender millions of people use, but its entry reads “UPGRADE INC,” and someone who got their loan through a comparison site or a point-of-sale offer may not connect that name to anything they signed. The first question is usually “what is Upgrade Inc?” — and sometimes the second is “why did my score just drop because of it?”
What Upgrade is
Upgrade, Inc. is a San Francisco financial technology company, operating since 2014, whose products — per its Better Business Bureau record — include personal loans, credit cards, auto refinancing, and debt consolidation loans. Its accounts report to the credit bureaus like any lender’s: balance, payment history, status, monthly. Which means its errors reach your report the same way.
The errors to look for
A loan or card you never opened — Upgrade’s products are sold heavily online, which makes the name a recurring one in identity theft. A balance that does not match your statements. A paid-off loan still reporting a balance. A single loan showing twice. Late payments you did not make, or that reported during a hardship arrangement. And sharp score drops tied to how a consolidation loan was reported rather than anything you did.
How to dispute an Upgrade entry
With Upgrade. Its own help page on credit report inaccuracies tells customers that when Upgrade caused the error, they should contact support@upgrade.com or call (844) 319-3909. Put the specifics in writing: which tradeline, which month, what is wrong, what the correct figure is.
With the credit bureaus. Dispute in writing with each bureau showing the error — Upgrade’s own guidance points customers to the bureaus’ dispute processes as well. Attach statements, keep copies and proof of mailing, and pull all three reports rather than one.
When the dispute fails
If the entry comes back “verified” and is still wrong — or an account that is not yours stays on the file — the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you a claim against the furnisher, the bureaus, or both. Damages can include your concrete losses, the harm to your credit, and statutory and punitive damages for willful violations. The fee provision is written into the Act: in a successful action the costs and reasonable attorney’s fees are recoverable from the defendant, as determined by the court. That is why this work is handled on a contingency basis rather than billed by the hour.
You pay nothing unless we win.
Where your situation fits
If the account is not yours, identity theft disputes have their own track — start with our credit report errors lawyer page. Our directory of furnishers and debt collectors lists the companies that report, and if a dispute has already failed, see our FCRA lawsuit page.
Have your report reviewed
The Kim Law Firm represents consumers in Fair Credit Reporting Act cases against lenders, furnishers, and the credit bureaus. Send us the report page showing the entry and your statements and we will tell you whether we see a claim. Our FCRA attorney page covers how these cases work.
Contact us to have your credit report reviewed.
Admitted in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; available to appear pro hac vice in other federal courts.
This page is about credit reporting accuracy. The Kim Law Firm is not affiliated with Upgrade, Inc., and this page is not a complaint about that company. It describes how lender reporting errors can appear on credit reports and the rights consumers have when they do.