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Freecreditreport.com Informative - Don't go to freecreditreport.com - Online credit report
Online credit report
Don't get fooled by that jingle on TV. Well, I can only say I'm a sucker for it. When you sign up for the so-called free credit report on their web site, they will start to bill you after that if you did not realize the fine print. I think lots of people have fallen to this ploy and they have been sued by the FTC before. Read it here at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/08/consumerinfo. shtm. In there it says :
It deceptively marketed “free credit reports” by not adequately disclosing that consumers automatically would be signed up for a credit report monitoring service and charged $79.95 if they didn’t cancel within 30 days, in violation of federal law.
According to the FTC’s complaint, Consumerinfo’s advertising and Web sites failed to explain adequately that after the free trial period for the credit monitoring service expired, consumers automatically would be charged a $79.95 annual membership, unless they notified the defendant within 30 days to cancel the service. Consumerinfo billed the credit cards that it had told consumers were “required only to establish your account,” and, in some cases, automatically renewed memberships by re-billing consumers without notice. The FTC charged that the defendant’s failure to adequately disclose the automatic billing and to get consumers’ consent to bill their accounts violated federal law.
If you're like me, send a complaint to FTC here at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/. Call freecreditreport & demand a refund. Or get in touch with your state attorney general or the state banking commission if your credit card company refuses to dispute these unauthorized charges. If you need a credit report, get it here http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt156.shtm. Also organizations like the BBB nowadays is not a good source of trust nowadays as it makes money from subscriptions from companies and there is a potential conflict of interest and they have no authority to deal with situations like these unlike the FTC.
It deceptively marketed “free credit reports” by not adequately disclosing that consumers automatically would be signed up for a credit report monitoring service and charged $79.95 if they didn’t cancel within 30 days, in violation of federal law.
According to the FTC’s complaint, Consumerinfo’s advertising and Web sites failed to explain adequately that after the free trial period for the credit monitoring service expired, consumers automatically would be charged a $79.95 annual membership, unless they notified the defendant within 30 days to cancel the service. Consumerinfo billed the credit cards that it had told consumers were “required only to establish your account,” and, in some cases, automatically renewed memberships by re-billing consumers without notice. The FTC charged that the defendant’s failure to adequately disclose the automatic billing and to get consumers’ consent to bill their accounts violated federal law.
If you're like me, send a complaint to FTC here at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/. Call freecreditreport & demand a refund. Or get in touch with your state attorney general or the state banking commission if your credit card company refuses to dispute these unauthorized charges. If you need a credit report, get it here http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt156.shtm. Also organizations like the BBB nowadays is not a good source of trust nowadays as it makes money from subscriptions from companies and there is a potential conflict of interest and they have no authority to deal with situations like these unlike the FTC.
Comments:
Posted by justbcuz on 2009-05-21:
I use this website and have for years. When I signed up, it clearly stated that if I did not cancel within the trial period, I would be billed a monthly fee of $12.95. That fee provides daily credit monitoring, as many free credit reports as I want, and access to my credit report as much as I want, etc.
On the main page of their website, right under silly guy with the banjo it says in regular sized font:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
When you order your free report here, you will begin your free trial membership in Triple AdvantageSM Credit Monitoring. If you don't cancel your membership within the 7-day trial period**, you will be billed $14.95 for each month that you continue your membership.
ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. and Freecreditreport.com are not affiliated with the annual free credit report program. Under a new Federal law, you have the right to receive a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies. To request your free annual report under that law, you must go to www.annualcreditreport.com.
**Looks like the monthly fee went up $2 since I joined a few years ago.
On the main page of their website, right under silly guy with the banjo it says in regular sized font:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
When you order your free report here, you will begin your free trial membership in Triple AdvantageSM Credit Monitoring. If you don't cancel your membership within the 7-day trial period**, you will be billed $14.95 for each month that you continue your membership.
ConsumerInfo.com, Inc. and Freecreditreport.com are not affiliated with the annual free credit report program. Under a new Federal law, you have the right to receive a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies. To request your free annual report under that law, you must go to www.annualcreditreport.com.
**Looks like the monthly fee went up $2 since I joined a few years ago.
Posted by Stew on 2009-05-21:
Freecreditreport.com is a scam and has been a scam for years going back to the days of "I'm thinking of a number". All the disclaimers on their website are their because of FTC fines and threats by state's attorney generals. Everybody from the press to government agencies who have looked into this company have all concluded that their marketing is deceptive, misleading and borderline fraudulent. Doesn't surprise though because the website/name is owned by Experian the same jack@sses that are denying the average consumer access to their FICO score in favor of you buying one of their FAKKO scores which are meaningless in today's world. Scumbags if you ask me.
Here's my litmus test for any free offer. If you ask for my credit card number then your offer is not FREE.
Good job OP bringing this mountebank to the memberships attention. Perhaps your lesson learned will save somebody else from a lesson learned.
Here's my litmus test for any free offer. If you ask for my credit card number then your offer is not FREE.
Good job OP bringing this mountebank to the memberships attention. Perhaps your lesson learned will save somebody else from a lesson learned.
Posted by Ponie on 2009-05-21:
justbcuz, you're one of the (few) people who doesn't jump in with both feet at the siight of the word 'FREE.' They get to that word and read no further. We see it quite often on My3C where further shipments of a product are made after the 'free' shipment. Those words are there--maybe in very fine print--but they're there. And if they aren't, then I'd agree with the complaints.
Posted by justbcuz on 2009-05-21:
Thanks Ponie, what's funny about that is I found M3C after I ordered some exercise equipment online that included a free trial of some weight loss gimmick and didn't even notice it til I'd been charged. I posted it as an FYI to everyone to make sure they read the fine and extra, extra fine print. It was a great learning experience for me though.
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