Just before I left Iraq, I wanted to check my credit score for free on-line. And that’s when I made a mistake. I was dumb enough to use freecreditreport.com to check my credit score. The site is owned by Experian, one of the big three credit reporting agencies, so I figured it was safe to give them a credit card number to “verify” my identity. Boy, was I wrong.
Three months after my mistake, I noticed a charge on my credit card that looked like this -
| 22 DEC | CIC*Triple Advantage 877-4816825 CA | 12.95 |
I didn’t remember signing up for a monthly subscription to anything, so I called the number and was surprised to learn that by trying to get my one free yearly credit report as authorized by federal legislation, I had inadvertently “signed up” for a $13 a month service that would keep me apprised of my credit score moment by moment. That is a service I simply don’t need.
I immediately told the representative, who sounded like she was at the bottom of the ocean somewhere off the coast of the Philippines that I wanted to cancel the account and that I wasn’t even aware I had signed up for a monthly fee based service. All she wanted to do was argue about how valuable the service is to me. I find it highly insulting that a large company like Experian, a company that keeps track of millions of people’s financial data without their consent, is also in the business of trying to rip those people off. Experian trains their customer service representatives to treat callers like cowardly idiots who aren’t intelligent enough to make their own decisions about how much money they want to spend on a “free” monthly-fee based service.
Experian has earned my ire for life. Any opportunity I have to steer people away from doing business with Experian or any of its subsidiaries will be my pleasure. I am warning anyone who reads this blog entry to stay away from any services provided by Experian. They are unscrupulous rip-off artists who practice misleading advertising techniques and purposefully make it painful to cancel their completely useless service once they have tricked you into “signing up.” I’m sure that eventually, Experian will face a class-action lawsuit because of their unsavory business practices, but for now, make sure you steer clear of freecreditreport.com. Instead, use annualcreditreport.com. And boycott Experian whenever possible.
44 comments ↓
The problem with that is that *you* cannot boycott Experian. If the dealership you want to get the new car from uses a lending decisioning system that uses Experian as the primary credit file, they use Experian, period. You still have the burden of needing to check your Experian file to look for mistakes, too. Welcome to the consumer credit party! (I used the same credit site a couple of years ago, but disenrolled from the credit monitoring as soon as I downloaded my report.)
What I would suggest, however, is that since you’re deploying, you put a fraud alert on your file. It’s easy to do this via Equifax (I used to work for them), and it then propogates to the other bureaus within 10 days or so. Lasts for 90 days. I did this when hit by the VA SNAFU, and it’s pretty painless. You also get a nice paper letter you can file away in your document storage.
If you don’t use a bank like USAA, I’d advise people to swap over pre-deployment. I’m not sure if they have a “deployed” flag they can set on your account to kick off double sooper secret risk management techniques, but it will be a damn sight more likely to work with them than with yahoos like Chase, etc. They don’t seem to do stupid things like randomly mail deposit slips or “free cash advance” checks to your abode.
Thanks for that feedback.
I already deployed.
The way to avoid any dependency on Experian is to pay cash for everything. Not easy, but very profitable in the long run if you can figure out how live a lifestyle free of credit.
Thanks for the heads up Trevor! I have actually thought of using that service, I have now reconsidered….permanently.
To get and live debt free, Dave Ramsey is the man. It makes so much sense you’ll slap your forehead. You can download 30m podcasts free daily to listen to him and his caller. There’s no magic to it, no funny late night real estate tapes, just direction and determination, heavy on the cashflow. He’s got a coupla books, some of which are probably floating around in the sandbox. My AH-64D pilot buddy did the wrong thing when he came back from deployment the first time: King Ranch truck, motorcycle, thousands in computer stuff, etc. The second time he learned, and he can skate through two years of grad school on GI Bill and savings.
I even pay cash at the gun stores now
Silence is generally not treated as an acceptance of a contract and because of that it would appear there was probably no legal contract between you and Experian. The problem is that it says on their website “If you don’t cancel your membership within the 30-day trial period, you will be billed $12.95 for each month that you continue your membership.” They will likely claim that because of this you accepted the contract.
Legally, this could probably go either way. I would send them a letter explaining that you did not owe them any money and refuse to pay. You may also have an objection on unordered goods or service.
i almost made this same mistake a couple months back but reconsidered it.
good blog btw. i stumbled to your site from http://www.bluedamage.com and have enojyed my last hour of reading over here. rate up!
I almost did the same thing last year but refused to give credit card info.
The approach used by freecreditreport.com is unethical. Not illegal but unethical.
J. Marsh’s recommendation of Dave Ramsey’s radio program, website and other materials is a good one. He is practical, down-to-earth, and very understandable. (Has a Judeo-Christian worldview.)
Trevor, check out my Personal Management Services website. I’ve had a Newsletter on “Free Credit Report” posted since GovCo passed laws two years ago making truly free credit reports free for at least the three major credit reporting agencies.
I suggest ordering one every four to six months from annualcreditreport.com, requesting information from the agencies in sequence.
If there are other things you would like to see at pms01.com, let me know. I’m buried with tax preparation right now, but can post requested information after April.
Blessings.
When checking your credit, get your Transunion report in Jan, your Experian in May, and your Equifax in October. Bingo, you get year round coverage!
FREECREDITREPORT.COM = LIARS
My mother fell for this awhile back. We received a letter that said the account would not be activated until she retrieved her report for the first time. BIG LIE. We never got her report and they still activated the account and charged her credit card.
In response to a previous comment: Try paying cash for everything for a year or two. Then try getting a mortgage or a job or a bank account. Without any current accounts, your score is gonna suck. Your credit report isn’t just for credit anymore. The whole industry is a racket. Why are we surprised to see the big three engaged in lying, unethical practices?
As far as the mortgage goes, you just have to locate a place that is willing to do full underwriting on request. This means you go kind of old school on the mortgage; pay statements, etc. It’s not that huge of a deal. You can get a bank account with -0- credit history, since they don’t check it until you start applying for loans, credit cards, or overdraft protection.
It may be somewhat of a racket, but consumers created it by going after those Rooms-to-go 0 down offers, etc. No need to get bent out of shape, just fix the problem (reliance upon debt.)
Hi… FreeCreditReport.com is one of many Experion entities that is now involved in a class action lawsuit against them by Chuck Browning (an appearingly regular Joe Schmoe) who gotten taken just like me and countless others numbering in the 100,000’s now. I got burned by them for $12.95 per month about 6 times and had about 3 or 4 $30 overdraft fees from my bank…All in all I think they got me for about $200+ dollars. Be very careful about the class action settlement titled or referred to as http://www.browningsettlement.com. This seems to be a firm (Garden City Group, Inc) who was hired by the Defendants (Experian Entities) to handle the settlement arrangments for the case. Guess what the benfit to including yourself in the class action suit is? It’s either A) A one-time free credit report or B) 60 days of credit monitoring which of course you must provide your current credit card for and will be billed if not cancelled prior to the period ending. This is simply a tactic to get the majority to include themselves so that they cannot sue themselves or be involved in a “Monetary” class action suit. By The way, the value of option B is $9.95 X 2 for the 2 months and comes to $19.90. I got burned for $200+ dollars, there is no way in hell I am including myself in this class action suit, and anyone who does after reading this I would consider an idiot. Here’s another funny thing about it…Guess what happens if you don’t do anything (for example you never got the email, or heard about the class action suit in anyway shape or form)? That’s right, you are automatically included in the class action suit and can never file your own civil suit against the Defendants. The class action settlement that is now pending is nothing more than a way to get maximum inclusion to minimize further damages down the road. Be warned by this and check into it carefully before including yourself. I am curently deciding whether to exclude myself or to object meaning that I would go before the judge in the case and say my side, that this is absolutely unacceptable. Unfortunately it appears that if you object, you are automatically included as well…seem odd to you? Me too… Please, Please, Please contact me at jasonharvey@comcast.net if this or something close happend to you regarding any of Experian’s Entities.
I was as well scamed by Experian, reason I say this is I saw Tripple Advantage on my statement so I called them they said they would let me out of the subscription but to this day 5 months later they have not. I am gonna try and cancel them through my bank. I personaly know someone at the bank that can do that for me. Now do you think they will sue ME for the 12.95 Ha Ha Ha
Thanks for that feedback Jason. I have very mixed feelings about class action lawsuits. Most of them are garbage.
Experian probably deserves a few of them though. From the amount of traffic this blog entry is receiving, there are a LOT of people Googling CIC*Triple Advantage 877-4816825 CA.
Just happened to me too! I had just done my yearly free “annualcreditreport” but had some problems getting my score from Experian. I filled out a special request form to get the free report.
About 10 days ago I received an email from them. I admit I didn’t read it closely. I thought my issue had been resolved.
Well today I got a credit card bill with a charge from “CIC*Triple Advantage 877-4816825 CA” for the amount of $12.95.
That was pretty devious email I received, down right low and deceiving.
Yep. It’s all done on purpose to suck your money out of you. It’s embarrassing for Experian, or it should be.
I used free credit monoriting and was ripped off, they kept charging my credit card after I ask them not to. It was a waste, I did better monoriting my own credit, because by the time they would contact me I already knew who checked my credit, that was $9.95 for 4 months doen the drain.
Damn,
I just picked up my free report and Googled “how do i cancel freecreditreport.com membership. I should have search before. I am going to call them Immediatly and cancel.
Ok, I just finished with them on the phone, She , like stated above was a foreign sounding woman, though she could communicate very well. I told her i wished to cancel my account.
she said “I see you just signed up 45 minutes ago, Was there someting wrong with your credit report, that would make you cancel your membership so soon”
I said “No, it seemed accurate, but immediatly after regestering I googled your company, and I was blown away at the multitude of Scam alerts, and blogs ontop of blogs about thousands of people getting screwed over by you. And I do not wish to take the chance”
she said “Ok sir, I am going to process your request. You should receive a cancelation email within 2 hours, and as a free gesture your credit report and account will remain available for the 30 days in the trial period. You will Not receive any billing”
Hopefully I wont, and they are honest aboutit.
Adam,
They will cancel the account as promised - at least they did for me. It’s the marketing that is intentionally deceptive. I don’t think it goes any further than that, although they will try to high pressure you to keep you from canceling the “valuable credit reporting services.”
Thanks for dropping by.
she does sound like she is off the coast of the philippines, hahaha, but a guys anybody know what or how to remove this negative, i called the collection agency, i called the creditor, i’m not going to call experian because now i know that they work with freecreditreport, and i thank you, i have a five year old account on my credit which i paid in full and as you know it shows as a negative how do i get rid of it?
Jay, there are only two quick ways to get rid of something negative on your credit report - work with the reporting agency or hire a lawyer.
The third way is to wait seven to ten years.
It’s amazing, I did this a few months back, and everytime I checked my bill, I had no idea what the charge was. But with $1500 a month being spent and paid on 1 card, it really seemed like a small thing.
I’m a network administrator, and look very carefully at freecreditreport.com when I filled everything out. I check for charges and things like that. But this one somehow slipped past me and even suckered me in. And I’m only 25 years old. I wander how many people out there are also paying the bill and not getting anything for it.
You would think FREECREDITREPORT.com would be consider false advertising. However they have us by our balls. You can accidently register for this $12.95 service online without much for verification. If you choose to be removed or terminate you account, you have to call between 6-6pm Pacific time. It’s insane that they don’t have a cancel service button on the page.
You can also tell this happens ALLL the time it says on the website under the faq that you will not be refunded for any thing….
What a crock of shit.
Well, the commercial says pretty clearly, “with enrollment in triple advantage.” [i]Enrollment[/i] clearly set off the health club contract warning bells to me
The one thing that people need to do is pay attention to what they’re signing up for. It shows that when you apply for this report, you need to call and cancel within the 30 day free trial, or you will continue with them per monthly charge.
I have called the company a few times about certain issues, and each time I called, they were very pleasant to work with and even credited me a free month for a few problems I was experiencing.
I give this company a bonus for being better than most. Atleast they’re up front with what they offer and they’re very easy to deal with. They also send out an email every time someone checks into my credit report and have alerted me to behavior in my report that I had no idea of.
CIC triple advantage This company deceptively advertises free credit reporting then charges your credit card monthly without being authorized. Consumer beware. File your dispute with the better business bureau in Calif. and the federal trade commission. The more complaints the faster the justice.
Ya, they screwed my husband and I too. 3 months worth each account. They only refund 1 month back if you call. I want to know more about this lawsuit. I don’t want to be included if that gives them the option to screw me more…
Yes, I too went through the same website over a year ago. However, I noticed that it was VERY confusing to sign up for the free reports. In fact THE SITE IS DESIGNED TO TRICK YOU INTO SIGNING UP FOR THE PAID SERVICE, thinking you are getting your free reports. This is obvious once you study the site. I was fortunate enough to carefully go through and find out how to getthe free report without signing up. However, I made a pointto contact them and comaplin about their extortionist tactics. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU ALL FILE A FORMAL COMPLAINT ONLINE TO THE FTC AS I HAVE. CORPORATE CORRUPTION MUST STOP. And these credit reporting agencies are nothing short of a rip-off. They’re scumbags and the entire credit reporting system is a joke. Consumers are being held hostage to this crap.
I too just noticed these charges on my cc. for the last two months. However, I in fact DID call them and cancelled this “credit monitoring service” the very same day I signed up, in order to make sure I did not get charged. I was assured at the time that my account was cancelled. Obviously it was not cancelled. These clowns are either incompetent (unlikely) or the ultimate in scam artists and need to be taken down for good.
[...] never have happened. So, if you’d like to read up on the afforementioned website, please look no further…Also. I tried to get on to vent, but it says the password is wrong…has it been changed in the last [...]
THANK YOU. i just noticed the same charge on my account, and started tracing it.. and i have been chraged $13 for 6months.. crazy. I am on the phone with them right now.. trying to “cancel this membership that i never knew of”
Same happened to me, I am so mad!
They will not reimburse you and they will keep charging you without you knowing it!
CAREFUL OUT THERE!
I will never provide my info ever again, lesson learned.
And yes she does sound like she is from the Philipines!
Does anyone have their number? I just went to their website to cancel my account and number is missing now!
I called the 1-877-481-6825 today (March 25, 2008) and the man who answered cancelled my account (hopefully) and refunded my 12 dollars without asking any questions other than info needed to access my account. I think all the complaints are working…
I agree totally. CIC has done it to me as well.
A lot of this grief would be avoided if only … PEOPLE READ THE FIRST PAGE OF THE WEBSITE. It says right there on the FRONT. That you will be enrolled into the trial period and you have to call to cancel so that you won’t get charged. My parents use the service, get a copy of the report and then cancel after an hour. Majority of the people who go there cancel after getting their free report. So pardon us if we don’t feel sorry for you people who don’t bother READING and just click away because you saw the word FREE. Duh.
Although the info is good to have and check once in awhile, they do try to scam you. After the “trial” period, you are billed 14.95 for the monthly “credit score monitoring”. In addition, they say you can upgrade to “ALL THREE REPORTS AND CREDIT SCOREs for just 39.95 month, however, they dont reimburse you the 14.95 already paid unless you ask for it. Thus, you are somewhat double billed.
Duaine, there are hundreds of different credit “scores” in use. The most commonly bandied about is the FICO (Fair Isaac) score. However, most banks and car manufacturers do their own independent scoring. They pull your credit report from the bureau of their choice and compute a score based upon their particular risk model. All three bureaus offer independent “scores” that are *not* the FICO, but most consumers think a credit score is a credit score. They’re usually pretty close to each other, but a lender may choose to ignore certain kinds of debts or delinquencies, or to consider the debt to income ratio, or the age of the debt outstanding to be more important than how it’s weighted in teh FICO model.
I got tired of paying the $12.95 a month for the credit monitoring too, so I went to the site to cancel and as someone else mentioned, there was NO cancel membership link, button or whatever. Then, you call the number and it says to go to the website to cancel… WTF!!! THIS is what the FTC and BBB should be looking into. They should be REQUIRED to display a cancel link to continue doing business.
If “I” had the authority to require that, I would make it a law. Then there would be NO excuses for anyone.
The company could simply say, the cancel link is clearly displayed on our site (even if you had to login first) and then the consumer could either keep being billed monthly OR cancel the account.
Everybody wins with this arrangement… No…??
Sure helps to be able to vent somewhere doesn’t it…
Regards,
cobes
Yeah, venting does help Cobes.
I had a situation with that site too and HOPEFULLY is has finally be resolved thought i’ve been giving the run around for like 3-4 days now. my only suggestion is for those who feel really strong about the issue with this company is for you to send a email to Dateline@NBCUNI.com and to tell anyone and everyone you know who has been abused by this company to send a email A.S.A.P. and if you come across other sites with people complaining about this company and it’s tactics then post that email address and have others write too. It’s said that this company has been sued before and has ties with the ftc yet they continue on with their desperate tactics to exort money for customers. I can see the title now “how to catch a coporate predator”…I will give my situation another week before i take it global…that’s what the world wide web is for…
Sorry but if Experian can’t tell you I certainly can’t tell you Duaine.
As for freecreditreport.com, I just caught their monthly $14.95 charge. They refused to refund ANY of my money. It’ funny they said “it was my fault for not cancelling the service” in their read response from their representative. If they have a written repsonse for their employees to read, you know they’ve been deceptive.
I said the hell with the BBB, I filed a complaint with the US Attorney Generals office! Even on their web site, they recommmend using them to check their credit. If that doesn’t get some action, nothing will.
CIC Triple Advantage (FreeCreditReport.com) needs to be shut down, and someone’s rear thrown in jail,AFTER they refund everyone’s money they taken.
Scammed as well. They say they were monitoring my credit but didn’t even have the correct contact information to alert me if there was a problem. This website is very deceptive and should be shut down at minimum.
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