Prepare One Repeatable Case
Use a fictional client and synthetic documents for the initial demonstration. Choose the report formats, client volume and staff roles your team expects to use. Ask each vendor to work through the same inputs while your intended operator takes notes.
Write down your essential requirements before the session. A sales demonstration should leave you with observable tasks and follow-up questions, not only a list of feature names. The companion buyer guide contains the full evaluation rubric and a worked three-bureau example.
Test Report Extraction and Dates
Compare the extracted creditor, account, balance and dates against the original synthetic report. Include an unreadable field and an older report uploaded after a newer one. Ask the demonstrator to explain which observation represents current standing and how the historical record is preserved.
A different balance is a question to review. Confirm the account match, report date and account-update date before deciding whether records conflict. Missing information should remain visibly missing; a parser should not invent a replacement value.
Record: accepted format, extraction corrections, source references and unresolved fields. An accepted PDF or JSON file does not establish accurate extraction from every report-provider layout.
Inspect the Proposed Letter
Trace each substantive statement in a draft to the evidence used for it. Leave one concern unsupported and check that it does not become an allegation of identity theft, non-ownership or a blanket deletion request. Ask how the reviewer edits the request, supplies supporting evidence and approves final use.
The CFPB recommends explaining the specific report error and supplying supporting document copies. Use that evidence standard to assess the workflow. Draft creation, approval, delivery and a bureau response should remain separate events in your notes. This checklist does not determine the right legal action for a customer.
Test Permissions and Data Exit
Use separate fictional clients to test staff and administrator access. Ask who can view documents, change a record, approve a draft and revoke access. Record which checks you observed and which were only described.
Request a sample export before buying. Identify whether it includes documents, correspondence, dates, outcomes and audit history in a usable format. Ask what access remains after cancellation and request the written retention, deletion, backup and support policies. Do not assume that an export button includes every record your agency needs.
Record Cost and Availability
Get a dated quote for the plan, client count, seats and storage you need. Identify report-provider charges, add-ons, processing, communications, onboarding and migration costs where applicable. Measure the time needed to correct and review the demonstration case; use your own labor cost rather than a vendor savings estimate.
Ask which advertised features are generally available, restricted to a pilot or still planned. Confirm trial expiry, renewal and cancellation behavior. Software subscription billing and your agency's service-billing obligations require separate evaluation.
FixMy.Money uses Stripe for separately confirmed paid software subscriptions. External AI review is restricted to designated pilot participants. Check the current pricing page before planning professional trial access or rollout.
Make a Decision from the Evidence
Mark each requirement demonstrated, documented only or unverified. Retain the date, plan, sample outputs and follow-up questions. Resolve essential access, evidence-review and data-exit gaps before using real customer information.
Before closing an unresolved question, repeat the relevant task with the corrected setup. For example, if an export omitted correspondence, request a second export containing the fictional letter and its review date. Record whether the correction required a different plan, administrator assistance or a manual workaround. Keep the original and corrected sample outputs together so a later reviewer can understand what changed and whether the same process fits normal staff work.
This article is published by FixMy.Money, a software vendor. It provides a demonstration method rather than a vendor ranking or an independent product test. The FTC warns against promises to remove accurate, current negative information; a convincing software demo should not be treated as a credit-outcome guarantee.