Miss Bankrupt » free credit report http://www.missbankrupt.com Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:00:49 +0000 en hourly 1 Trouble for Experian and How to Really Get a Free Credit Report http://www.missbankrupt.com/trouble-for-experian-and-how-to-really-get-a-free-credit-report/ http://www.missbankrupt.com/trouble-for-experian-and-how-to-really-get-a-free-credit-report/#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:54:12 +0000 christina http://www.missbankrupt.com/?p=317 I don’t know about you, but I love those freecreditreport.com commercials. In fact, we’ve talked about the curse of the commercial at work. Once you hear that jingle you’re pretty much stuck with it all day. I’ve included a video in case you’ve been in a cave and haven’t yet seen one of the commercials. Beware though, if you’re planning on doing anything important afterwards, you’ll definitely be whistling or singing the jingle.

It seems though, that freecreditreport.com isn’t actually free. You do get a free credit report, but according the a class action lawsuit headed by Erica Possin, a college student in Wisconsin, you also have to pay for something, which means it’s errr, not actually free.

I’ve read different comments on different sites, and some people are saying that it’s clear if you don’t cancel, you’ll be billed $14.95 a month for a credit monitoring service. Of course if you’re expecting something free as the guy in the commercial merrily sings of, you probably don’t pay much attention to the little details that include payment of something.

Here are ways to get a free credit report that is actually free:

One Free Credit Report Per Year- The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that each of the three credit bureaus, TransUnion, Experian and Equifax, provide one free credit report each, every 12 months. You can request your reports from each agency or you can request all three at annualcreditreport.com.

Credit Denial- If you’re denied credit, insurance or employment, you can request a free credit report within 60 days.

Other Ways to Get a Free Credit Report- If you are unemployed and plan on looking for work in 60 days, if you are on Welfare and if your report is wrong because of fraud or identity theft, you are also entitled to one free report every 12 months.

I would suggest using one of these methods if you need a copy of your credit report and you don’t want to pay the fee of at least $10.50 per report. Otherwise, make sure you read through any agreement thoroughly. Haven’t we learned that from credit card companies? Okay, maybe I didn’t. If you do agree to a service in exchange for something free, mark the date on your calendar or cell phone and make sure you call and cancel if you don’t intend on keeping the service. Also make sure you call before the final day so you aren’t risking any charges you didn’t want.

Here is the copy of the lawsuit

Have you ever signed up for something you weren’t aware of? Let me know, and Happy Super Bowl XLIV!

]]> http://www.missbankrupt.com/trouble-for-experian-and-how-to-really-get-a-free-credit-report/feed/ 3