T to the R to the I to the A to the L. Trial... Credit Reporttt DOT COM!

The problem with staying up into the wee hours of the night is that you’ll be hit with various types of television ads with incredibly annoying jingles — FreeCreditReport.com is one such type of ad.

Now, as a quasi-marketer, I appreciate the fact that The Martin Agency was able to come up with such catchy/annoying jingles, but the deceptively named service makes me wish Experian would have found a crappier marketing agency instead.

It has been two years since Experian, the company that owns FreeCreditReport.com, took obvious advantage of the government mandated Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act to promote their ‘free’ credit report service.

A lawsuit from the FTC, an inquiry by the Florida Attorney General, and thousands of consumer complaints later… FreeCreditReport.com continues to operate, and the catchy/annoying jingles continues to interrupt my favorite episodes of Kim Possible (just kidding, the ads aren’t placed into animation time slots).

The gist is simple: back before the complaints and lawsuit, Experian pitched FCR as a source to get “free” credit reports. What many consumer missed are the fine prints that states the requirement to enroll to Experian’s “Triple Advantage” program in order to receive a free credit report. The charges for the enrollment vary, from $79 per year to $12.95 per month to the current $14.95 per month.  In either case, canceling became a hassle, and many people either forgot or were unable to cancel within the trial period.

The current websites’ disclaimer and fine print is a bit clearer, but the color scheme and design obviously wants you to avert your eyes away from the notice of trial period (currently only 7 days) and monthly membership fee (currently $14.95).

Now, if you’re fully aware of the type of service FCR offers and still want in, then more power to you (FCR does offer unlimited Experian credit score and report along with credit monitoring), but you’re probably better off with other sources for your check needs:

Better, Cheaper, and Free Alternatives

  • For your truly FREE annual credit report that’s provided by FACTA, head to AnnualCreditReport.com. No credit card information is required.
  • For a credit score with more weight and use, head to myFICO.com and purchase a single score from a credit reporting agency of your choice (the link gives a 20% discount, which brings the cost for a single score and report to $12.76).
  • For a credit monitoring service, consider Score Watch, also from myFICO. This service has a 30-day trial period option, otherwise it’ll cost $99.95 per year, or $9.95 per month with 3 months minimum required