Experian Sued For Its Deceptive FreeCreditReport.com Ads

[rd_kent]

I hope they are found guilty not only of misleading ads, but guilty of crimes against humanity for having the MOST IRRITATING ADS EVER!




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/04/experian-sued-for-its-dec_n_449098.html

[tularetom]

1. You got that right

If I didn't have a remote I would have shot my TV if I had to listen to that one where they are pirate waiters in some seafood joint.

[T Wolf]

2. Free ain't free, at least, in America. But they need to put that "band" on Idol or something

so that the unemployment rate does not rise.

[damntexdem]

21. Well, some unemployment is a good thing.

That band is a shining example. Other examples:

Sarah Palin
Mark Sanford
John Ensign

and so on

[Selatius]

3. For anybody who doesn't know, you can get the free one at annualcreditreport.com

That's the one run by the big three credit reporting agencies that provides free annual credit reports, as required by federal law.

[NYC_SKP]

5. Once per year only. I wish we could do it quarterly or more often. n/t

[Selatius]

9. Yeah, somebody should amend that law to allow multiples in a year.

When I have time, I could fish for a response from more liberal congressmen and senators like Kucinich or Sanders.

[madinmaryland]

10. What you can do when you use that is to request from only one credit company

each time you request rather than all three at one time. That will give you three free requests per year.

[NYC_SKP]

13. Ah! That's clever! Thanks! n/t

[madinmaryland]

17. Granted, you can't check one companies report for a year, but

you can see at least every four months if there could be an issue on your report, which is likely to be on the others.

[NYC_SKP]

18. I haven't seen them vary by more than a few points, fewer than five points.

But they don't always carry identical histories. You might show a late payment or collection on just one or two, but not all three.

So it can be good to see them all once a year, but I like the idea of seeing a single different one every four months.

[dixiegrrrrl]

28. Since all 3 bureaus are pretty similar in the info they have.

we order a free report from one of the three every 4 months.
Then 4 months later order a report from another bureau, etc.
Rinse, repeat.

[mwooldri]

24. Either that or work their system.

I have used services that are similar to freecreditreport.com and got a multiple credit report plus score for free. They're not "free" of cost - there is the cost of having to pony up a credit/debit card number for a temporary hold and there's the "cost" of calling their customer "care" lines, being on hold forever and survive being talked into keeping their "monitoring service" which allowed you to get the "free credit report" in the first place. That's the cost of "freecreditreport.com" and similar services.

Also if you have a credit card company you just hate and have a little credit line available with them you could always give these companies that number, then afterwards (give it a couple of days) call said credit card company and claim the card was stolen (don't claim it as lost) - grabbed from your unlocked car, say... and then the "free credit report" companies then just have an invalid card number, and if you get charged, dispute it. That's the other "cost".

Sure, freecreditreport.com is not "free" but you can work it so you part with $0 to get a triple credit report plus at least a score from one bureau.

[Blue Owl]

4. K&R

I hate those goddamned ads almost as much as the credit industry itself.

[Initech]

6. I'm not violent but I would seriously punch the FCR guy in the face if given the opportunity

[Cleita]

7. He's just an actor trying to make a few bucks. Save your punches for

the guy who pays for the commercials.

[Initech]

15. You're right - the actual people who run FCR are the ones who deserve it.

I think of the FCR guy like David Schwimmer's Greenzo character from 30 Rock - is he really an actor or a corporate pawn?

[inna]

16. Really?? I think he's hilarious!

Well I was shopping for a new car
Which one's me
A cool convertible or an SUV
Too bad I didn't know my credit was
whack cause now I'm driving off the lot in a used subcompact
F-r-e-e that spells free
credit report dot com baby
Saw their ads on my tv
Thought about going but was too lazy
Now instead of looking fly and rolling
phat my legs are sticking to the vinyl
and my posse's getting laughed at
f-r-e-e that spells free
credit report dot com baby

:D

:hide:

[inna]

8. Are you serious about the ads?? FreeCreditReport.com is horrible and a scam,

but the guys in the ads are adorable, and very talented, particularly the main dude, Eric Violette!! :P :hide: http://www.squidoo.com/ericviolette



:yoiks:

[Statistical]

11. I would support a Congressional action to keep those ads off the air.

[texastoast]

14. Haha

You beat me to it. Love that Eric.

[frylock]

30. i like those commercials!

especially the house party/rap commercial.

[texastoast]

12. LOVE the commercials

Just had to be different.

:evilgrin:

[inna]

19. LOL, aren't they catchy though?

"I married my dream girl, I married my dream girl!..." :rofl:

:evilgrin:


Having said that, I absolutely loathe and despise FCR.com, I even became their "victim" several years ago (in the pre-Eric Violette era), and their scam cost me over $60. :grr:

[RaleighNCDUer]

20. DAMN YOU

Now I've got that stupid music in my head.

[NYC_SKP]

22. "Well I was shoppin' for a new car, which one's me?..." All lyrics here:

The singer's name is Eric Violette.

Restaurant
They say a man should always dress for the job he wants
So why am I dressed like a pirate in this restaurant
It's all because some hacker stole my identity
Now I'm in here every evening serving chowder and ice tea
Should'a gone to free credit report dot com
I could'a seen this comin' at me like an atom bomb
They monitor your credit and send you e-mail alerts
So you don't end up selling fish to tourists in t-shirts

Dream Girl
Well, I married my dream girl
I married my dream girl
But she didn't tell me her credit was bad
So now instead of living in a pleasant suburb
We're living in the basement at her mom and dad's
No we can't get a loan
For a respectable home
Just because my girl defaulted on some old credit card
If we'd gone to free credit report dot com
I'd be a happy bachelor with a dog and a yard.

New Car
Well I was shoppin' for a new car, which one's me?
A cool Convertible or an SUV?
Too bad I didn't know my credit was whack,
Cuz' now I'm drivin' off the lot in a used Subcompact.
F-R-E-E that spells free,
Credit report dot com baby.
Saw their ads on my T.V.
Thought about going, but was too lazy.
Now instead of lookin' fly & rollin' phat,
My legs are sticking to the vinyl and my posse's gettin' laughed at.
F-R-E-E that spells free,
Credit report dot com baby.

Renaissance Fair
I was getting depressed 'cause of all the stress I was feeling at home
Had a poor credit score and the number would haunt me wherever I'd go
Thought I'd move to a place where my credit could stink and nobody would care
I just wish that somebody had told me that place was a Renaissance Fair!
Free Credit Report dot com!
Tell your friends, tell your dad, tell you mom!
Never mind, they've been singing our songs
Since we first showed up with our pirate hats on!
So if you're not into fake sword fights,
Pointy slippers or green wool tights
Take a tip from a knight who knows
Free Credit Report dot com, let's go!

Rock Star
When you're a rock star,
You get to party hard.
Champagne and caviar,
Tricked out exotic cars.
That's just how I thought it'd be,
Except the party's not for me,
Cause some punk opened a credit card with my ID.
Free what,
Free credit report dot com.
That's the site I'm gonna hit when I go home.
They know how credit works.
They send email alerts.
Now I'm findin' out how bad reality hurt's .

Bicycle
Check it out gas prices blowing up sky high
Ditched my used sub-compact for a 2 wheel drive
Now I'm rolling eco-friendly, but I still look bad
When the bike store saw my credit
They said this is all they had
I'm singin'
F to the R to the E to the E to the C to the R to the E D I T
RE to the PORT to the dot to the com
Come on everybody grab your bikes and sing along
F to the R to the E to the E to the C to the R to the E D I T
RE to the PORT to the dot to the com

Roller Coaster
Buckle up everybody cause were taking a ride
It can strain your relationships and hurt your pride
Its the credit roller coaster
And as you can see it kinda bites
So sing the lyrics with me
When your debt goes up your score goes down
When you pay a little off it goes the other way around
Its just the same for everybody
Every boy and girl
The credit roller coaster makes you wanna hurl
So throw your hands in the air and wave em around
Like a wannabe frat boy trying to get down
Then bring em right back to where your laptops at.
Log on to freecreditreport.com stat!

Cell Phone
Wanted to get myself a new cell phone
So I could hear myself as a ringtone
Who knew the store would go
And check my credit score?
Now all they let me have is this dinosaur!
Hello hello hello, can anybody hear me?
I know I know I know, I should have gone to
FreeCreditReport.coooom!
That's where I should have gone,
Could have got my knowledge on.

Reno
We were stuck in a basement apartment
Tiny rooms the sun never blessed
So when we needed space for a family
Set our sites on the wide open West!
Well I thought we'd see Sierra Vistas,
And breathe air pure as new-fallen snow,
But my poor credit score was a sinker
Now we rent by the week in Reno!

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_lyrics_to_the_Free_Credit_Report_commercials

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FCruS_0arjY/SKVcnOF-iWI/AAAAAAAAANE/cJcTB5ygGDE/s400/big+bird.jpg

[texastoast]

31. So

Did that darling child French Canucky Eric write those?

I've seen where he's quite the musician, but I didn't see about his songwriting ability.

[Cali_Democrat]

23. *

*

[Berry Cool]

25. The ads are pretty funny, but what I could never figure out

is why do people end up in dead-end jobs just because their identity got stolen? I mean, it's horrible, and upsetting and time-consuming to try to erase the wrongs and the debts someone else did and incurred under your name, but why would it condemn you to spend the rest of your life at a minimum-wage job?

[RaleighNCDUer]

27. Because, of course, in modern America it is impossible to live a fulfilling life

without credit.

Or so they'd have us believe.

[texastoast]

32. Some jobs just won't take a chance

without a complete, clean background check.

Ahem, bank employees, for example (are you getting the irony here?).

So no matter what is in the works to right an identity theft, some jobs just go, "Uh-huh" when an applicant tells them that their identity has been stolen. Right or wrong, 'tis fact.

[ddeclue]

26. They've been sued.. tell your friends, tell your dad, tell your mom..

:rofl:

[11 Bravo]

29. I shoulda seen that comin' at me, like an atom bomb!