I recently found out my credit is good with Experian and bad with TransUnion and Equifax (all in the 600s) but when I called and disputed an old utility bill someone had with my social security number (my ex husband) they gave me the third degree like I was the thief! It ticked me off to say the least. Then when you speak to TransUion they are telling you your report may have changed since you’ve ordered it two days ago..and they ask you do you want the free 30 day trial when and then to be billed afterwards, even though you are paying for your credit report each month!! Talk about money grubbing!! Experian was awesome about the whole situation though their customer service was better. I don’t know about Equifax yet. They are like the lochness monster of credit. I have to write them via certified mail.
Are all credit companies this rude?
Do you think their should be tougher laws on people who steal the identities of others?
Do you think you should be held responsible for your ex spouses debt?
Do you think Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion should have better customer service and finally
Do you think you should be able to obtain a copy of your credit report for free every six months instead of one report one time per year???
Back story: Tried to get a car I was denied citing my credit report. Then I tried to get a new apartment couldn’t because I was 2-3 points too low on my credit score so I was denied an apartment too! Found out my identity was stolen by some thief who broke into my home Christmas ’05, my sister, AND my ex-husband!!!
I do have the police report from 2005 amongst my important papers. Luckily. Two and a half years ago I bought a car with no problem and I paid it off on time never late not once. I’ve never had any credit cards or credit card debt. Yeah I got TransUnion and Experian on the phone. I gave TransUnion the number of the company that my ex husband used to get lights in my name. I never signed anything to get lights on. I just hope I can fix the situation soon. Thank you for your great answers. 
Valerie
Chester
Yes it is hard fighting for your credit and most are really that rude. They look at every customer as a liar because they don’t know who is on the other end of the phone. Someone got my social and opened a $500 bank of america credit card in my name and charged it up. I disputed it and contacted your local challenges but my request was denied of course. They won’t own up because that means they made a mistake on their behalf verifying your information.
Comment by zah — June 7, 2010 @ 9:28 am
Randy
Some CSR’s are rude no matter who they work for.
It’s very probably that the CSR that you spoke with didn’t believe you if you didn’t at least file a police report about the ID theft. In fact, they really do not have to believe you unless you had filed a police report, and/or FTC complaint, and could furnish them a copy of that report.
The FTC has a very good guideline for what to do when a person discovers their ID had been stolen.
The 4 steps according to the FTC:
Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports.
Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.
Google FTC identity theft and do some reading.
Many companies have those sales pitches. They are annoying but can be and should be ignored.
As for your individual questions:
1. Not everyone in any company is rude, just individual people.
2. If a person is not on the ex’s account then they should not be held responsible (depending on the account and state law). If the person was a joint/signer on the account, not an authorized user, the person should be responsible.
3. EX , EQ and TU has customer service?? I kid, kinda. Actually it is extremely difficult to get a live person with any of them. But, yes they should have good customer service.
4. No, why should they. The CRA’s are individual companies. Allowing everyone to get a free report once a year, along with free reports when a person is denied credit or has received adverse action, is a financial loss for them in itself.
They do not receive funding from the government to pick up what they lose. If they were forced to hand out even more products for free then they probably would go after government funding. If so, you would pay in the form of taxes.
Anyway, Google and read the FTC site about ID theft.
Even though the theft happened in ’05, you had just recently found out about it. File the police report and the FTC complaint, follow the rest of what the FTC states you should do in this circumstance.
Comment by echo — June 7, 2010 @ 2:32 pm