Free credit reports: not so free

[Martyshk 137]

I am very proud of myself forovercoming a disasterious marriage the resulted in a sub 600 score and I am now well above 700. I walking into a car dealership and walked out with 0% financing, I have to admit it felt great.

Gotta love dealerships... last time I walked in to try and buy a car with a score over 800 they tried to ** me over with a 6.5%... and the worst of it (even though I didn't finance through them after all) is that credit inquiry is on my report.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

anyone who doesn't do the laundry with a smile plastered on their face deserves the boot. if a man can't get his fluffy folded towels and ironed underwear delivered with enthusiasm then what's next? his dinner served with indifference and a surly expression? no self-respecting man should ever have to put up with that.

Our society is crumbling!

And another thing: She should be grateful to have a washer & dryer! I bet she's never even set foot in a laundromat! Dream girl, my a$$. That idiot really should have his head examined.

[scandal 951]

Ben Stein, IEA.

Did you know he thinks the Theory of Evolution caused the Holocaust? Yikes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkY2BdQdqIM

Free Credit Report? Not So Fast, Ben Stein

By Marlys Harris | Aug 3, 2009 |

Shame on Ben Stein. A Columbia University-trained economist and Yale law grad with a career that has included gigs as a Federal Trade Commission lawyer, an actor, a quiz-show host, New York Times columnist and CBS Sunday Morning commentator, is now promoting a bait-and-switch deal from a website called freescore.com. His co-star, Filbert the Credit Squirrel, also has “extensive training in both Economics and Finance,” according to the website. So shame on you too, Filbert.

Stein (and the squirrel) promise that the website will, at no charge, provide you with reports from each of the three major credit bureaus along with credit scores developed from their information. But if Stein and Filbert are as smart as they claim, they know that any consumer can get credit reports absolutely free from a government-sponsored site called annualcreditreport.com.

Given their backgrounds, Stein and the squirrel must also know that freescore.com is luring you to pay for what it gave you for free, which is not nice at all. First, when you go to the site, you have to lay down $1. That entitles you to your scores and credit reports and a 7-day trial membership. If you don’t cancel before time’s up–and who remembers to cancel on time? — then you get hit with a $29.95 monthly membership fee which is automatically charged to your credit card every month you don’t opt out.

Now nobody is gonna get rich by saving a dollar, but what do you get for that $29.95 monthly fee? The answer is: Not a whole helluva a lot. First, you get anytime access to the reports and scores you already saw for a mingy buck. Second, the company sends you alerts when “there’s a critical change in your credit profile that could impact your credit score.” As Ben and Filbert know, unless you are hunting for a loan, there’s no reason to know about every little twiddle in your credit score. Seriously, it’s like going on a diet and then weighing yourself every hour to see if there’s been a change. What else? You get toll-free access to the site’s customer service team — whoopie! There’s some other stuff you probably don’t need either, including –and, this is my favorite — access to your free annual Social Security Report. I mean, Ben, Filbert, you know that the government mails that to you without your even asking.

Now it really bugs me to pay for stuff I would ordinarily get for free, especially when it’s stuff I should OWN, like my own financial information. If you feel as I do, get your credit reports from annualcreditreport.com. If you absolutely positively need your credit score, then feed the data into the FICO Estimator at the webiste of Fair Isaac, the company that invented the credit score. The number should be close enough to tell you what you need to know.

[alienlovechild 75]

Wow, Dave. I wouldn't have taken you for one of those "stupid" people who fall for such schemes.

Everyone makes mistakes but hopefully we don't get burned again for the same offense.

I just got a postcard asking me of I'd like to join a class action lawsuit against a group of companies in the lawn mower industry since I bought a lawn mower and signed up for the limited warranty. Hasn't anyone gotten this or I'm I going to get scammed again?!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

sandinista!, on 06 April 2010 - 04:35 PM, said:

anyone who doesn't do the laundry with a smile plastered on their face deserves the boot. if a man can't get his fluffy folded towels and ironed underwear delivered with enthusiasm then what's next? his dinner served with indifference and a surly expression? no self-respecting man should ever have to put up with that.

And another thing: She should be grateful to have a washer & dryer! I bet she's never even set foot in a laundromat! Dream girl, my a$$. That idiot really should have his head examined.

Now see, I have a different take on this thing. Here is this young woman working away doing both of their laundry while the guy that she married plays his guitar and jams with friends in her parent's basement. Why isn't he out working? Why do they have to live in her parent's basement instead of an apartment that he can afford to rent - or even his parent's basement? Her credit score might be bad but heck, his must be even worse and his parents don't even want him around! She's scowling because she realizes her marriage is a mistake and she is probably going to have to support the both of them for the rest of their lives because he won't get a real job .

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Everyone makes mistakes but hopefully we don't get burned again for the same offense.

I just got a postcard asking me of I'd like to join a class action lawsuit against a group of companies in the lawn mower industry since I bought a lawn mower and signed up for the limited warranty. Hasn't anyone gotten this or I'm I going to get scammed again?!

Usually those things will be sent out by the law firm who is handling the lawsuit. Should be listed on the card. A simple search engine search and maybe a phone call should help there.

[alienlovechild 75]

Usually those things will be sent out by the law firm who is handling the lawsuit. Should be listed on the card. A simple search engine search and maybe a phone call should help there.

I just looked at the website. The individuals in the class don't get much money but how many people bought a lawnmower from 1994 to 2010?

You can receive Cash:

· Up to $35.00 for each walk-behind lawnmower

· Up to $75.00 for each riding lawnmower

You can receive an extended Warranty:

You can receive these benefits if:

1. You purchased a lawnmower, for your own use, containing an engine with up to 30 horsepower in the United States or Puerto Rico and between January 1, 1994 and April 12, 2010.

2. Either the lawnmower or the engine of the lawnmower was manufactured or sold by a Company listed below.

3. You submit a claim.

Your lawnmower is included if your engine was manufactured by:

Briggs & Stratton

Honda

Kawasaki

Kohler

Tecumseh

Toro

Or, your lawnmower is included if your lawnmower was manufactured by:

Deere

EHP

Honda

Husqvarna

MTD

Sears

Toro

Brands manufactured by these companies include, but are not limited to:

Yard-Man, Cub Cadet, Honda, Bolens, Exmark, Deere, Sabre, Scotts, Toro, Yard Machines, Craftsman, Troy Bilt, Husqvarna, Poulan, Poulan PRO, Lawn-Boy, Weed Eater, White Outdoor, Snapper, Simplicity, Brute, Murray, and other brands.

https://lawnmowerclass.com/

Edited April 7, 2010 by alienlovechild

[Obama 2012 1,714]

yeah, the cases usually end up winning several million or sometimes billions of dollars, but due to the amount of claims they have in the suits... you get jack ######.

They're almost a waste of time imho...

I have known a few people who have gotten their piddly $20-$50 checks before. It's a night out to dinner at least...

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Now see, I have a different take on this thing. Here is this young woman working away doing both of their laundry while the guy that she married plays his guitar and jams with friends in her parent's basement. Why isn't he out working? Why do they have to live in her parent's basement instead of an apartment that he can afford to rent - or even his parent's basement? Her credit score might be bad but heck, his must be even worse and his parents don't even want him around! She's scowling because she realizes her marriage is a mistake and she is probably going to have to support the both of them for the rest of their lives because he won't get a real job .

Actually, you're right. I'm not sure why I was focusing on her laundry bitchiness. No wonder she's unhappy given that she married a loser with a weak voice, bad haircut, subpar musical skills, and lousy band, not to mention copious self-pity and a clear tendency to finger-point and blame others for his predicament. And let us examine these lyrics: "If we'd gone to freecreditreport.com, I'd be a happy bachelor with a dog and a yard." So...he's saying that if he'd known about his "dream" girl's bad credit, not only would he not have married her, but he would have dumped her? What a shallow asswipe.