Say you've applied for a new line of credit, a new airline miles credit card, or maybe even a house loan, only to find yourself rejected for reasons you can't understand.  You take a good look at your credit report and you find there are entries you don't even recognize, and therefore certainly don't agree with.  You find there are several mistakes on your credit report that may have contributed to your loan or credit card rejection.  How can you correct something that's been listed on your permanent credit report by one (or all) of these huge credit bureaus?  Does this mean your credit is forever doomed?

You're looking to take out a new home or auto loan, but afraid that a history of bad credit and a bad credit score will hold you hostage to high interest rates.  Your credit score is crucially important, as it more or less dictates the interest you'll pay for any money you borrow.