Do you know what Experian, Free Credit Report, Thirsty, Hot Topic and ************ have in common?

[The Newswire]

A while back, I was appalled to learn that my pal Halcyon had taken a gig assisting with promo for Experian's FreeCreditReport.com. Halcyon has always struck me as someone, who not only has a beautiful soul, but someone who usually strives to better the world around him, rather than polluting it. He and I made plans to do an interview on the topic of Experian and FreeCreditReport.com before...

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[athenahollow]

Yea, and try cancelling from said website.
If you log into your account to verify that it has been cancelled (provided you can even find the correct phone number to call, as the one on their TOS isn't even valid anymore), then they will charge you another month and say that you didn't cancel because you logged back in.

[Rockwulf]

You just have to reject the offer for the "credit monitoring" or whatever they call it. I checked my credit score years ago and haven't had any problems.

[Amelia G]

You just have to reject the offer for the "credit monitoring" or whatever they call it. I checked my credit score years ago and haven't had any problems.

You are legally entitled to free credit reports every year and, if you plan on making major credit purchases or are concerned about identity theft, many people feel it is a good idea to do so. I don't think I'm qualified to say one way or the other.

It is checking your credit score on FreeCreditReport.com which is not such a hot idea for numerous reasons.

[Velvet-Tongue]

Free credit report . com tell your friends tell your dog tell your mom

[VoltaireBlue]

I've seen their commercials lately. I don't trust credit report people.

[Morning Glory]

from what I've heard if you (or other people) check your credit score too much, then it actually reflects badly on your credit rating. I'm not really sure how that works, but that's what was told to me by people who were shopping around to buy a house, and of course, everywhere they looked at ran a credit check before even talking to them.

[Mr Karl]

isn't it best to just go to the bank in person for those kinds of things?

[Lady Alias]

from what I've heard if you (or other people) check your credit score too much, then it actually reflects badly on your credit rating. I'm not really sure how that works, but that's what was told to me by people who were shopping around to buy a house, and of course, everywhere they looked at ran a credit check before even talking to them.

I don't understand the logic behind that...

[Raza]

So I'm just sitting here, wondering just how utterly brainwashed with bourgeois-capitalist fear mongering you'd have to be to check your lover's 'credid score'.


Or maybe not. Personally I would probably have a difficult time trusting someone who even had one of those things, were I made aware of that fact.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

You are legally entitled to free credit reports every year and, if you plan on making major credit purchases or are concerned about identity theft, many people feel it is a good idea to do so. I don't think I'm qualified to say one way or the other.

It is checking your credit score on FreeCreditReport.com which is not such a hot idea for numerous reasons.

Although it is true that you are "entitled" to one, what they don't tell you is the free report does not actually give you a credit score. It will only tell you everything else but it the end, not the most important thing....Your score (although, identity theft does happen alot these days and at least the freebie can show you enough to know if some else is using your info to screw up your credit.)

I, myself, go onto the actual credit reporting sites themselves (Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union) and make a one time fee payment for a one time credit report. Usually it's about $15.00-$20.00 if it includes your credit score. Just read the fine print and MAKE SURE it's a one-time fee. Pick just one of them. Don't worry about getting all THREE credit company reports. They all are going to be "a little" different in your score, but in the end, they're all pretty much the same.

And as for your score going down some points when you have a report pulled up...That's true. Although after about three months your scores goes back to what it was originally. So...Yeah, don't go hog wild applying for the same loan at a bunch of establishments UNLESS you have to...Meaning you have bad credit and you have to keep moving on to another financial institution because you keep getting turned down, your score should go down less the 10 points which usually isn't that bad.

[Amelia G]

Although it is true that you are "entitled" to one, what they don't tell you is the free report does not actually give you a credit score. It will only tell you everything else but it the end, not the most important thing....Your score (although, identity theft does happen alot these days and at least the freebie can show you enough to know if some else is using your info to screw up your credit.)

I, myself, go onto the actual credit reporting sites themselves (Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union) and make a one time fee payment for a one time credit report. Usually it's about $15.00-$20.00 if it includes your credit score. Just read the fine print and MAKE SURE it's a one-time fee. Pick just one of them. Don't worry about getting all THREE credit company reports. They all are going to be "a little" different in your score, but in the end, they're all pretty much the same.

And as for your score going down some points when you have a report pulled up...That's true. Although after about three months your scores goes back to what it was originally. So...Yeah, don't go hog wild applying for the same loan at a bunch of establishments UNLESS you have to...Meaning you have bad credit and you have to keep moving on to another financial institution because you keep getting turned down, your score should go down less the 10 points which usually isn't that bad.

I actually just paid for my reports from all three recently because Bank of America were being jerks about my long time account with them. The credit bureaus insisted to me for years that they just couldn't find me when I tried to get the free reports, but darn if all three couldn't find me when I paid them. Two of the three bureaus have no credit score for me whatsoever and all three have multiple names which are not mine and have never been mine. Although I hear most people's reports are fairly similar to one another, mine are not. For example, the two bureaus with no credit score for me (something B of A was very concerned about) do not show my B of A credit card which I've had since 2003.

[Amelia G]

So I'm just sitting here, wondering just how utterly brainwashed with bourgeois-capitalist fear mongering you'd have to be to check your lover's 'credid score'.


Or maybe not. Personally I would probably have a difficult time trusting someone who even had one of those things, were I made aware of that fact.

I'm not sure how it is in Europe, but most Americans over the age of eighteen have some sort of credit score. I don't really, but I'm kind of a freak in this respect. I have never run someone's credit before sleeping with them and I think I've only once seen part of someone I was sleeping with's credit report when we were applying for a place to live and the landlord showed it to us.

I think a woman who wants to run someone's financials before she decides whether he is a suitable partner either (a) better cook one heck of a bundt cake and be a kind and nurturing helpmeet and have great organizational skills for running a household or (b) she's a whore and should just accept whatever her rate for the acts performed is and be on her way.

[Raza]

I suppose involuntary credid scores cannot be held against anyone... It's got something to do with the american habit of getting irrevocably tied up in the need to make more and more money by buying stuff you can't pay for yet, right? A measure of how well you've paid off depts in the past, how reliably you've made an income, and generally how safe and investment you're considered by money sharks?

Actually, I'm pretty sure I can hold that against people, involuntary or not. Especially if you've got a respectable rating. Eww.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

I actually just paid for my reports from all three recently because Bank of America were being jerks about my long time account with them. The credit bureaus insisted to me for years that they just couldn't find me when I tried to get the free reports, but darn if all three couldn't find me when I paid them. Two of the three bureaus have no credit score for me whatsoever and all three have multiple names which are not mine and have never been mine. Although I hear most people's reports are fairly similar to one another, mine are not. For example, the two bureaus with no credit score for me (something B of A was very concerned about) do not show my B of A credit card which I've had since 2003.

I would say if you have the ready funds, yes, pay for all three. The only problem is that it usually gets pretty pricey to do that....And , yes, like in your situation, they don't always jive. And that does suck because financial institutions do pay all three companies to input the same info of credit on you. B of A was probably concerned because they actually paid those companies cold hard cash TO have your B of A credit card info on the reports....So, in essense, they paid those two companies money and those companies did not render services paid for. I personally think credit bureaus need to be better regulated. All three should ALWAYS have the same score...Yet they NEVER are totally in sync, even if they have all the same info listed.

[Amelia G]

I would say if you have the ready funds, yes, pay for all three. The only problem is that it usually gets pretty pricey to do that....And , yes, like in your situation, they don't always jive. And that does suck because financial institutions do pay all three companies to input the same info of credit on you. B of A was probably concerned because they actually paid those companies cold hard cash TO have your B of A credit card info on the reports....So, in essense, they paid those two companies money and those companies did not render services paid for. I personally think credit bureaus need to be better regulated. All three should ALWAYS have the same score...Yet they NEVER are totally in sync, even if they have all the same info listed.

I think B of A was concerned partly because they are looking for any excuse to decrease or turn off credit accounts. According to a recent Obama speech, they were leveraging to the tune of loaning $30 for every $1 they had. I don't even begin to fathom how that works. I guess the answer, given the state of the economy and the bailouts is that B of A didn't really know how that works either.

Sucks if they paid the credit bureaus to have my credit account on there and one of the three had it partially on there and the other two did not have it at all and none of the three had it completely on there. Still, if the reason I don't have credit scores with two of the bureaus is that they didn't record things like my B of A account in good standing, it seems like B of A analysts could easily see that the problem was on the bureau end and not that I'd somehow tricked them into allowing me to pay them as agreed for five years. Surely B of A has its own records.

[athenahollow]

From what I understand, the only way to get a bank or credit card on your report is to let it default then pay it off at once.
I've had a bank account and visa card with my bank for over 2 years now, without a single overdraft, and they aren't on my credit report to help counterbalance the crap that's on there that's default.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

All the credit companies are decreasing and turning off credit accounts because one day they finally woke up and realized all these credit cards are totally unsecured by not any collateral. They've been pushing credit cards big time now for the last 10 years or so, and we small bankers were scratching our heads because how could they NOT figure out that sooner or later it would be a problem? Say what you will about giving out mortgages but at least if the mortgages go belly up the banks get SOMETHING in return. Even if it is a house that is wayyyyy under-valued. If a credit card goes unpaid, the banks get nothing in return, except a pricey court date to try to recoup some of the losses.

It's good that you're fighting B of A though. If people are and have been always paying they're credit card bill, then there really is no reason for the company to try to back step they're original offer of credit. THAT is bullshit.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

From what I understand, the only way to get a bank or credit card on your report is to let it default then pay it off at once.
I've had a bank account and visa card with my bank for over 2 years now, without a single overdraft, and they aren't on my credit report to help counterbalance the crap that's on there that's default.

That's because a bank account and "debit" Visa card are not loans. Only loans, unpaid bills, or bank accounts where you owe money, will show up on your credit. If it is a regular Visa credit card, then most definitely it should show up on your report.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

And the reason a bank account in "default" shows up is because just like unpaid bills, they turn into a "collection". If you owe something and don't pay it, sooner or later, it'll probably show up on your credit as a collection.

[Amelia G]

All the credit companies are decreasing and turning off credit accounts because one day they finally woke up and realized all these credit cards are totally unsecured by not any collateral. They've been pushing credit cards big time now for the last 10 years or so, and we small bankers were scratching our heads because how could they NOT figure out that sooner or later it would be a problem? Say what you will about giving out mortgages but at least if the mortgages go belly up the banks get SOMETHING in return. Even if it is a house that is wayyyyy under-valued. If a credit card goes unpaid, the banks get nothing in return, except a pricey court date to try to recoup some of the losses.

It's good that you're fighting B of A though. If people are and have been always paying they're credit card bill, then there really is no reason for the company to try to back step they're original offer of credit. THAT is bullshit.

According to their analysts, they have two years to reverse their decision on my long-time card in good-standing without changing what its start date and such count as. I would understand, if I were a new customer, if a bank looked at my bizarro credit reports, which I haven't even been able to pull for years, and was like no way.

I do not understand how a bank I've been a customer in good-standing with for years would decide to pull my card. It is not like they need to ask another company what kind of payer I am; they have their own records that show I pay as agreed.

Part of me is hellbent on making them fix this, writing my congressman, and generally pointing out the egregious injustice of taking a giant taxpayer handout and turning off credit lines on good accounts at the same time. Part of me is like why would I give them my business after being treated like that? I have recorded all my conversations with them (for quality assurance) so maybe I'll just make avant-garde dance music mixes out of the headache.

[Buster Friendly]

I think Roddy Piper had the right idea about banks.

[VoldtaEngler]

Just thought I'd mention it, that https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ is the truly free report (once a year, more than once costs) from the FTC under federal law. In case anybody was in need of it

[Amelia G]

Just thought I'd mention it, that https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ is the truly free report (once a year, more than once costs) from the FTC under federal law. In case anybody was in need of it

It would not give me mine, but I'm told it works for most people. Folks can also snail mail each bureau.

[inox]

The guy who sings the freecreditreport.com commercials has to have one of the most annoyingly smug personas every brought to television. Every time one of those comes on, I reach for the mute button and wish I could kick him in his face.

[Amelia G]

The guy who sings the freecreditreport.com commercials has to have one of the most annoyingly smug personas every brought to television. Every time one of those comes on, I reach for the mute button and wish I could kick him in his face.

You and I share lizardbrain reactions there big time. I wonder what percentage of the population is incredibly irritated by that and if the irritation makes for better more successful branding and retention of the product. Or do some people find that persona non-irritating?

[ROGIZOID]

i stay away from shit like that.
i absolutely loathe their commercials.
sucky. lol

[Ajax Knucklebones]

According to their analysts, they have two years to reverse their decision on my long-time card in good-standing without changing what its start date and such count as. I would understand, if I were a new customer, if a bank looked at my bizarro credit reports, which I haven't even been able to pull for years, and was like no way.

I do not understand how a bank I've been a customer in good-standing with for years would decide to pull my card. It is not like they need to ask another company what kind of payer I am; they have their own records that show I pay as agreed.

Part of me is hellbent on making them fix this, writing my congressman, and generally pointing out the egregious injustice of taking a giant taxpayer handout and turning off credit lines on good accounts at the same time. Part of me is like why would I give them my business after being treated like that? I have recorded all my conversations with them (for quality assurance) so maybe I'll just make avant-garde dance music mixes out of the headache.

I totally agree with you.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

I think Roddy Piper had the right idea about banks.

Kick ass and chew bubble gum, but be all out of gum?

[Ajax Knucklebones]

Just thought I'd mention it, that https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ is the truly free report (once a year, more than once costs) from the FTC under federal law. In case anybody was in need of it

But like I said before....And this is taken from there site:
How can I get my credit score?

You can purchase a credit score by contacting one of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies.

Equifax - www.equifax.com
Experian - www.experian.com
TransUnion - www.transunion.com

You don't get the score for free and most times that the most important part...Especially if you're looking to borrow.

[VoldtaEngler]

I was shopping for a goth porn site
Which ones me
The famous Blue Blood or SG?
Didn't know that Sean was whack
And now im on BB forums talking smack

Muahah

[One Eyed Cat]

I'm sure Halcyon will figure it out. I can't say that surprises me about Suhl. I've read some of his "compositions". He is, in essence, functionally illiterate.

OEC

[Amelia G]

I'm sure Halcyon will figure it out. I can't say that surprises me about Suhl. I've read some of his "compositions". He is, in essence, functionally illiterate.

OEC

Although, of course, Blue Blood in print was one of his big inspirations, he may not have personally copy/pasted any articles from early incarnations of BlueBlood.net online, but it was his job to supervise the people who did.

Did he tell them to do it? Did he do it himself? Did he not direct it, but did nothing to stop it, being well-aware of it? We've certainly spoken with people who worked with him at the time, online and in-person. Folks who want to talk tend to be much more interested in some more salacious info. I don't really care about who took stuff from work at Thirsty and who had sex with who. Scratch that. It is not that i don't really care about that aspect; I don't care at all.

I'm interested in the part where intellectual property was being ripped from people actually in the community in order to feed Thirsty.com and facilitate Hot Topic being able to close down all the independent punk rock stores which were the central meeting places and cornerstones of so many local scenes.

[Amelia G]

I'm sure Halcyon will figure it out. I can't say that surprises me about Suhl. I've read some of his "compositions". He is, in essence, functionally illiterate.

OEC

I don't recall offhand from Sean Suhl's resume, but I think he attended Hampshire College without graduating. Hampshire is not on the level of the schools which founded it as an experiment, but it's still a pretty good school, way way way above having to be literate just to matriculate, even if he did not complete his course of study.

Given that the head of what is functionally the hardcore porn video arm of ************ is widely believed, particularly by people who actually are dyslexic, to be faking dyslexia, it would not surprise me if Sean Suhl deliberately wrote text where he came across as much less bright than he is.