Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Free Credit Report

Don't believe the word "free." It's a rip off.

I noticed there was an unusual charge on my online banking account this month that I did not authorize. So, I did a little research to find out where it was coming from. It turns out the charge is from Freecreditreport.com I visited there a month ago, because I was curious and I thought it was the one you get free every year.

I went to their website, and read the fine print "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"

I also didn't read:
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 30-day trial period, you will be billed $12.95 for each month that you continue your membership."
Thus, I forgot to cancel and was billed $12.95

Let this be a warning to you. Not everything advertised is free. I have read tons of complaints regarding this company on several websites. Just type the words "Cic Triple Advantage" into Google. A lot people are having problems with cancellation as well. I called to tell them I don't want the service anymore. I told them to send me an email with a cancellation no. We will see what happens. I'm also going to the bank for a new card number.