AnnualCreditReport.com Apartment

[DainBramaged]

Run time: 00:45 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krG2d7OK8MM   Posted on YouTube: March 10, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: March 29, 2009 By DU Member: DainBramaged Views on DU: 565

 
FTC FIGHTS FREECREDITREPORT.COM WITH SPOOF AD

You’re the federal agency charged with protecting consumers. You have a $250 million annual budget, subpoena power and the ability to refer cases to the Justice Department for prosecution. So what do you do when one of America's biggest companies continually flouts the law?

You challenge the company to a joke-off.

At least, that's what the Federal Trade Commission has done. On Tuesday it released two videos that spoof the popular FreeCreditReport.com commercials and their trademark catchy tunes.

The government's ads never mention FreeCreditReport.com by name, but the target is clear.

"Beware of others, there's always a catch," the singer croons in one ad that's a dead-ringer for the FreeCreditReport spot set in a restaurant. "They claim to be free but strings are attached."

FreeCreditReport.com is owned by credit bureau Experian, which has been engaged in a decades-long battle with the Federal Trade Commission over alleged misbehavior. Most recently, in 2005, the FTC settled charges with the firm that it intentionally misled customers with its FreeCreditReport.com Web site. The FTC said in its lawsuit that the company was confusing consumers who were looking for their congressionally mandated free annual peek at their credit reports. Experian agreed to refund customers, but admitted no wrongdoing.

Even after the settlement, it kept right on marketing FreeCreditReport.com, where consumers must sign up for a $15-a-month service in order to get their credit reports. The lead singer in the ads has even become a cult figure on the Web, as my colleague Helen Popkin explained recently.

But the ads are a frequent target for consumer advocates. The Internet -- and my inbox -- is awash with complaints from consumers who were charged unexpectedly by the service, and have difficult canceling to avoid automatic renewal charges.

Consumers who wish to see their credit report for free should visit AnnualCreditReport.com

Experian did not respond to a question about the FTC spoof ads, but issued a statement arguing that consumers who sign up at FreeCreditReport.com receive valuable services.

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2009/03/ftc-fights-free.html

[Red Knight]

1. The scam of reporting agencies

These entities are corrupt useless, money-making ventures who hold the consumer victim in a lot of cases to information that may be inaccurate and difficult to correct.

The fact that any of this information----YOUR personal information should ever have any fees charged to you to view it anytime you want is a complete joke.

They have more power than they deserve.

And if something is incorrect it may be a nightmare to fix.

This is just a hammer that lenders use to bully and control people. And people make a lot of money from it. It's insane that these private entities control so much personal information that may affect everything from you getting credit to you getting a job or even higher car insurance premiums. And other than a once a year free check(which doesn't include your score--you have to pay for that) YOU have to pay to see what others are reporting about you.

There has to be a better way to do this. But it should not be in the hands of these private companies whose main focus is on profit.