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Free credit report problems persist
Problems make it difficult for consumers to see reports
As of September 1, all Americans can obtain a copy of their credit reports for free. But thousands of consumers have complained about problems with the system that haven’t yet been fixed.
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Free credit report is a great idea but still needs work
.The Bush administration has not exactly developed a reputation for being consumer friendly. On the contrary, they have been pretty good to business in general and to the credit and lending industry in particular. One of the few concessions to consumers has been the law that allows consumers to obtain a free copy of their credit reports from each of the three main credit bureaus once per year. As of September 1, 2005, all Americans have access to the Free Credit Report Website at
www.annualcreditreport.com. Unfortunately, many of the thousands of Americans who have used the Website have complained about a number of difficulties using the system. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission has received more than two thousand complaints since the system went online in late 2004.
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Among them:
- The Website is hard to navigate. Consumers complain that once they visit the site, they cannot find the means to order their credit report. The credit bureaus manage the Website, and it has been suggested that they have intentionally made the site difficult to navigate because they aren’t interested in providing credit reports for free.
- There are too many Websites with similar names. Many fraudulent Websites have been set up for the purpose of luring people into paying for reports they otherwise might get for free. Other sites exist to engage in credit report fraud, either by stealing money from the consumers or by stealing information for purposes of identity theft.
- The site tells them that they have already received their report. Each consumer is entitled to one report per year, per bureau. But what do you do if you order the report and the Website tells you that you have already received one? This is a common complaint.
- Incorrect information on file. Many people want to check their reports to make sure that they are accurate. For a few consumers, inaccurate information is actually preventing them from obtaining the report in the first place. Visitors to the site must answer some personal information in order to identify themselves. In some cases, the information on file is wrong, making it impossible for the consumer to correctly answer the question.
- Ordered reports never arrive. Some consumers either call or mail for their documents rather than order them online. And then the documents never come.
The bureaus will not release any information regarding the Website, so it isn’t possible to know how many people are having problems. The FTC is looking into it, however, and consumers can only hope that the system will soon be tidied up with a more accurate and reliable system that is easy to use.
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