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Experian - Too much expertise
Love this site and its forums, always been inspired and made many changes in my life based on its forums, but never really thought I'd be posting or starting a new thread myself.
Today, I was triggered by yet another frustrating experience with Experian the credit Experts. One that made me write and send the following email, which I felt I would want to share with others on here, and maybe get other opinions, to see if I alone am thinking in this way, if others share my views, and most importantly if others don't, and why. Maybe I am missing something there...
Hope you don't fall asleep half way through, here goes nothing...
"Dear Ms Xxxxxx,
Thank you for taking the time to answer my queries and the issues I have raised. I must admit that, at some point, I felt a bit hopeful about pointing out a few things that are negatively affecting my report, and everyone else's for that matter, and having those issues corrected, like it happened last time I registered, and therefore improvements can be done on both sides, me and my report and scoring, and Experian and their system and methods used, so far proven to be full of flaws.
However, after trying again this time, by reopening my account for another 30 days trial, I felt that it's a pointless plan, and any efforts spent trying to understand and improve my personal credit, and your general understanding of consumers real situations, which still are very badly reflected in your reports, are in vain, regardless of how many of the issues raised are finally understood and dealt with, and of how many apologies or corrections one can get at the end of a long and exhausting wave of correspondences, all leading nowhere other than the monthly subscriptions, until further notice.
I will not be replying to each and every point raised as I normally do, neither will I be discussing any matters further, as I'd either have to go down the complaints roads which I am really avoiding at this point, or just lose my mind trying to understand all the absurde logic behind this system which defy common sense in all ways possible.
I will just sum it all up in 2 points:
1- If I was to rephrase all the things that you have kindly been trying to explain and convince me and yourself of their logic, and by gathering all the info received by everyone who replied to any of my queries, Experian report is a very fair, clear and straightforward way for lenders to check the history and assess the risk of lending a consumer. To access the info held against me and improve my rating, I have to sign up with Experian, to access my report and score. My score is not seen by any of the lenders, but is only a guideline for me to see where I stand as a borrower, it reflects what the lenders might see in me, however, it is not the scoring used by lenders, as they use their own scoring system. It will however point out the weaknesses in my report, those that the lenders can see and judge my applications upon. Now those weaknesses could be coming for example from lots of searches. Those searches are clearly listed in the Searches part of my report. The searches as I see them are not what the lenders see. The lenders see searches that are made for lenders, and the other searches are subliminal ones that only I and the Almighty can see. Even when I call you on the phone to ask about them, the rep tells me she cannot see them, and needs to access another part of the system, as the report as I see it is different from what she can access.
Same goes for alerts. Experian membership gives me the ultimate power over my credit report monitoring by alerting me about any changes as soon as they happen. Oh no, sorry, spoke too soon, I mean as soon as they are reported to Experian. As some companies do not report immediately what is happening, I might get alerts about a search done two months ago, because the company that updates their details and reports monthly, happened to alert Experian about the search done two months earlier, just a bit later. And those alerts appear and disappear along with what consumers and reps and lenders may or may not see.
Also, reports are updated on monthly basis, but at any point during the course of the month, the score drops down, say on the 18th, then goes back up, say on the 26th, because of more invisible searches and alerts, and accounts being reported months after they've been opened. But that is ok, because the score is just a guideline, and is not seen by creditors and lenders unless the solar eclipse happens on a Friday afternoon and it happens to be an Easter Sunday... Or at least that is how all of it sounded.
And a naive simple minded consumer like myself, who has never studied paranormal genetic biochemistry, is supposed to know all these things, and if not, to learn them while paying a monthly membership.
2- I have already asked by email for my membership to be cancelled, way before the trial expires. I am sure that my query will not be answered before a few weeks, as part of the process of answering queries at Experian.
I would just like to point out the following: I am a member of CheckMyFile and Equifax. I am amazed by their service, the accuracy of their information, and the promptness of their actions. Even when I cancelled my membership with Equifax, a free alert is always sent to me about any changes on my file. Ironically, their alerts are right on time, the minute the change occurs, even if it's just a small search. Their information is always up to date, and never had any accounts appearing months after being opened. Above all, their customer service representetives answer any queries, by phone or email, or just a secure message through their website, in no more than 24 hours. Their answers are straight to the point, and they deal with any issue immediately.
I am not trying to advertise or even compare, as there is obviously no need to, but all I am trying to point out is the sad fact that any queries sent to Experian have to wait for so long to be answered. You have at a few times had reps answering immediately and efficiently, but most of the times, it's weeks before anyone can answer, especially when it's a request to cancel the membership. Advised to call of course, so that issue can be dealt with faster, or do I dare and say so that the rep on the phone tries and talks you out of it, or sell you cheaper subscription that will alert without access to report, or report without access to score, etc....
Please do not tell me that your staff is busier than Equifax or CheckMyFile staff, and they are answering other queries in a very well organised queue, as this would mean that Experian should hire more staff and isn't doing so, but mostly that Experian is having endless queries and complaints, which is not actually showing how popular it is, but only confirming how poor the service is, to get that amount of calls and requests.
Therefore, in case my cancellation request is still pending, awaiting monthly payment schedule at least, I would really appreciate it if you could cancel my membership without charging, and please do not take any offence in what I wrote, as I have no intention whatsoever in offending anyone, it is just out of regret and disappointment that I wrote to you today, because I can only see myself trapped in an endless chain of borrowing form sharks and payday loan companies, and a tough financial situation, which I could have been very well without, or got out of, hadn't it been for the Credit Experts' effect out of all CRA's, and their great service and understanding of consumers' needs.
One final thing Ms Xxxxxx, and this is not just an Experian thing, but a general understanding, or misunderstanding of a situation: when an individual applies for credit, and is not doing so just for fun, or because he was advised by LowerMyBill to do it as a way to improve score, but because he actually needs credit at this particular time of his life, the lender searches his report. If denied, the stupidest advice I have ever heard is: do not reapply anywhere, wait for 3 or 6 months, and then apply, or else you would seem credit hungry. If I apply for a loan today, because I need it today, and for urgent reasons, and I get denied, my need and emergencies aren't dealt with, and I do need to apply again with someone else, trying to get the credit that I am seeking to sort things out. Many applications damage my rating, but why? At least if made at the same time, it shows that I am looking for credit at this specific time. If waiting for 3 or 6 months was an option, there would be no need for the credit now would there? If a person is able to wait and reapply, then applying in first place would be out of curiosity and fun, not need. The way people are rated based on their multiple applications during a short period of time, is actually never helping them, but damaging their chances even more. Maybe someone should think about that sometime, and without actually having to be that person in need. This is probably something for another Experian to start thinking about, an Experian who actually cares about consumers and individuals, slightly more than giving the poor little lenders maximum security against the big scary borrowers, and getting borrowers and consumers to spend their lives trying to correct and improve what the Credit Experts have decided their financial situation should be, based on things that appear and disappear magically on their reports, and are seen by some and not by others, and can only be corrected once every 5 months, after being argued by half the planet's well trained reps reciting the same chapters of how scoring works and how reports are fair.
Thank you and please do confirm when my membership is cancelled, I hope it is something that can be seen by ex-members after it's been done.
Best regards"
Today, I was triggered by yet another frustrating experience with Experian the credit Experts. One that made me write and send the following email, which I felt I would want to share with others on here, and maybe get other opinions, to see if I alone am thinking in this way, if others share my views, and most importantly if others don't, and why. Maybe I am missing something there...
Hope you don't fall asleep half way through, here goes nothing...
"Dear Ms Xxxxxx,
Thank you for taking the time to answer my queries and the issues I have raised. I must admit that, at some point, I felt a bit hopeful about pointing out a few things that are negatively affecting my report, and everyone else's for that matter, and having those issues corrected, like it happened last time I registered, and therefore improvements can be done on both sides, me and my report and scoring, and Experian and their system and methods used, so far proven to be full of flaws.
However, after trying again this time, by reopening my account for another 30 days trial, I felt that it's a pointless plan, and any efforts spent trying to understand and improve my personal credit, and your general understanding of consumers real situations, which still are very badly reflected in your reports, are in vain, regardless of how many of the issues raised are finally understood and dealt with, and of how many apologies or corrections one can get at the end of a long and exhausting wave of correspondences, all leading nowhere other than the monthly subscriptions, until further notice.
I will not be replying to each and every point raised as I normally do, neither will I be discussing any matters further, as I'd either have to go down the complaints roads which I am really avoiding at this point, or just lose my mind trying to understand all the absurde logic behind this system which defy common sense in all ways possible.
I will just sum it all up in 2 points:
1- If I was to rephrase all the things that you have kindly been trying to explain and convince me and yourself of their logic, and by gathering all the info received by everyone who replied to any of my queries, Experian report is a very fair, clear and straightforward way for lenders to check the history and assess the risk of lending a consumer. To access the info held against me and improve my rating, I have to sign up with Experian, to access my report and score. My score is not seen by any of the lenders, but is only a guideline for me to see where I stand as a borrower, it reflects what the lenders might see in me, however, it is not the scoring used by lenders, as they use their own scoring system. It will however point out the weaknesses in my report, those that the lenders can see and judge my applications upon. Now those weaknesses could be coming for example from lots of searches. Those searches are clearly listed in the Searches part of my report. The searches as I see them are not what the lenders see. The lenders see searches that are made for lenders, and the other searches are subliminal ones that only I and the Almighty can see. Even when I call you on the phone to ask about them, the rep tells me she cannot see them, and needs to access another part of the system, as the report as I see it is different from what she can access.
Same goes for alerts. Experian membership gives me the ultimate power over my credit report monitoring by alerting me about any changes as soon as they happen. Oh no, sorry, spoke too soon, I mean as soon as they are reported to Experian. As some companies do not report immediately what is happening, I might get alerts about a search done two months ago, because the company that updates their details and reports monthly, happened to alert Experian about the search done two months earlier, just a bit later. And those alerts appear and disappear along with what consumers and reps and lenders may or may not see.
Also, reports are updated on monthly basis, but at any point during the course of the month, the score drops down, say on the 18th, then goes back up, say on the 26th, because of more invisible searches and alerts, and accounts being reported months after they've been opened. But that is ok, because the score is just a guideline, and is not seen by creditors and lenders unless the solar eclipse happens on a Friday afternoon and it happens to be an Easter Sunday... Or at least that is how all of it sounded.
And a naive simple minded consumer like myself, who has never studied paranormal genetic biochemistry, is supposed to know all these things, and if not, to learn them while paying a monthly membership.
2- I have already asked by email for my membership to be cancelled, way before the trial expires. I am sure that my query will not be answered before a few weeks, as part of the process of answering queries at Experian.
I would just like to point out the following: I am a member of CheckMyFile and Equifax. I am amazed by their service, the accuracy of their information, and the promptness of their actions. Even when I cancelled my membership with Equifax, a free alert is always sent to me about any changes on my file. Ironically, their alerts are right on time, the minute the change occurs, even if it's just a small search. Their information is always up to date, and never had any accounts appearing months after being opened. Above all, their customer service representetives answer any queries, by phone or email, or just a secure message through their website, in no more than 24 hours. Their answers are straight to the point, and they deal with any issue immediately.
I am not trying to advertise or even compare, as there is obviously no need to, but all I am trying to point out is the sad fact that any queries sent to Experian have to wait for so long to be answered. You have at a few times had reps answering immediately and efficiently, but most of the times, it's weeks before anyone can answer, especially when it's a request to cancel the membership. Advised to call of course, so that issue can be dealt with faster, or do I dare and say so that the rep on the phone tries and talks you out of it, or sell you cheaper subscription that will alert without access to report, or report without access to score, etc....
Please do not tell me that your staff is busier than Equifax or CheckMyFile staff, and they are answering other queries in a very well organised queue, as this would mean that Experian should hire more staff and isn't doing so, but mostly that Experian is having endless queries and complaints, which is not actually showing how popular it is, but only confirming how poor the service is, to get that amount of calls and requests.
Therefore, in case my cancellation request is still pending, awaiting monthly payment schedule at least, I would really appreciate it if you could cancel my membership without charging, and please do not take any offence in what I wrote, as I have no intention whatsoever in offending anyone, it is just out of regret and disappointment that I wrote to you today, because I can only see myself trapped in an endless chain of borrowing form sharks and payday loan companies, and a tough financial situation, which I could have been very well without, or got out of, hadn't it been for the Credit Experts' effect out of all CRA's, and their great service and understanding of consumers' needs.
One final thing Ms Xxxxxx, and this is not just an Experian thing, but a general understanding, or misunderstanding of a situation: when an individual applies for credit, and is not doing so just for fun, or because he was advised by LowerMyBill to do it as a way to improve score, but because he actually needs credit at this particular time of his life, the lender searches his report. If denied, the stupidest advice I have ever heard is: do not reapply anywhere, wait for 3 or 6 months, and then apply, or else you would seem credit hungry. If I apply for a loan today, because I need it today, and for urgent reasons, and I get denied, my need and emergencies aren't dealt with, and I do need to apply again with someone else, trying to get the credit that I am seeking to sort things out. Many applications damage my rating, but why? At least if made at the same time, it shows that I am looking for credit at this specific time. If waiting for 3 or 6 months was an option, there would be no need for the credit now would there? If a person is able to wait and reapply, then applying in first place would be out of curiosity and fun, not need. The way people are rated based on their multiple applications during a short period of time, is actually never helping them, but damaging their chances even more. Maybe someone should think about that sometime, and without actually having to be that person in need. This is probably something for another Experian to start thinking about, an Experian who actually cares about consumers and individuals, slightly more than giving the poor little lenders maximum security against the big scary borrowers, and getting borrowers and consumers to spend their lives trying to correct and improve what the Credit Experts have decided their financial situation should be, based on things that appear and disappear magically on their reports, and are seen by some and not by others, and can only be corrected once every 5 months, after being argued by half the planet's well trained reps reciting the same chapters of how scoring works and how reports are fair.
Thank you and please do confirm when my membership is cancelled, I hope it is something that can be seen by ex-members after it's been done.
Best regards"
Walk a mile in my shoes before criticising my actions
0
Comments
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Did you really send this? please say noHi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure - MSE ForumTeam0
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I can't say no! I really sent it lol
Why?Walk a mile in my shoes before criticising my actions0 -
They will print that out and stick it on the wall for everyone to laugh at!Pay off all my debts before Christmas 2015 #165.0
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Far too long, far too waffly, I'm afraid. If you have points to make, you need to make them as brief and clear as possible. As it is, the reader will quickly lose interest and clarity on what you're after.“In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing at all.” - Roosevelt0
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tell_it_how_it_is wrote: »Far too long, far too waffly, I'm afraid. If you have points to make, you need to make them as brief and clear as possible. As it is, the reader will quickly lose interest and clarity on what you're after.
Correct. I did a bit of speed reading and sadly nothing jumped out at me to encourage me to read it properly. Very badly written, I doubt they will read it in its entirety if at all.
Short, sharp, concise points when dealing with companies is the best way to go.
Can I just ask, what is it the OP was actually complaining about to Experian? I couldn't quite figure it out to be honest.0 -
I think it says:
"Dear Sir,
If I pay my bills on time I have more chance of getting credit.
So I don't want to pay for a random number calculator anymore.
Cya"0 -
Thank you for your honest comments. It is a long email I agree. But has any of you ever actually contacted experian in any similar cases?
They do read every word and reply with even longer emails.
I will post my original conplaint and their long replies to give you an idea later tonight when home. Then you can judge by looking at more evidence instead of by measuring length.
In the meantime, please feel free to print it, stick it on walls, and laugh for as long as you want 😜Walk a mile in my shoes before criticising my actions0 -
I thought when you said in the letter that you would 'sum it all up in two points' that they would be clear and concise.
Each point is actually longer and harder to read than the preceding paragraph!
I wouldn't expect them to read it all, but they may have some kind of policy in place where they make sure they do.
Interested to hear of any response.0 -
tell_it_how_it_is wrote: »Far too long, far too waffly, I'm afraid..
this.......0 -
Thank you for your honest comments. It is a long email I agree. But has any of you ever actually contacted experian in any similar cases?
They do read every word and reply with even longer emails.
I will post my original conplaint and their long replies to give you an idea later tonight when home. Then you can judge by looking at more evidence instead of by measuring length.
In the meantime, please feel free to print it, stick it on walls, and laugh for as long as you want 😜
Yes, I have actually contacted Experian on an issue, I am a member and pay per month. It was to complain that an account (credit card) was showing as active but zero balance on my account, when in fact it had been closed by me months earlier. They responded within 4 hours and contacted the company to get it dealt with and corrected. This is what I pay my membership fee for, for them to do the work, not I.
Their replies were concise, to the point, polite etc. and they dealt with my issue.
I think the problem here is you don't actually have a problem, you just do not wish to pay for the service they offer, therefore would it not simply have been easier to just cancel your membership? I look forward to you posting all the documents related to this issue, to enable me to actually see what your issue was.0
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