Opinion Talk

By Pammy

January 11, 2006 10:45 AM | Link to this

Yes … at NO (zero) cost to the consumer. The law(s) need to be expanded to ensure that anyone and any entity (including all government operations) who obtains personal info SHALL be responsible and liable for the protection of the information with SERIOUS penalties for not doing so. Sanctions SHAll include monetary restitution for past, present and future to the injured consumer and decendants.

By Scott

January 11, 2006 11:24 AM | Link to this

Absolutely we should be able to freeze our credit records, along with our medical records, our phone records and our library records. Too often we hear about stolen identification, which leads to years of rebuilding ones financial situation. To allow anyone, including our government, to peek into our personal lives without our consent, is not only wrong, but should be illegal.

By tamara

January 11, 2006 01:30 PM | Link to this

I have always felt like the credit reporting system was unfair. You get no notice when something is posted to your report and find out only when you request it or apply for credit. By then it’s already there and trying to mend it is like putting water inside of a rock. The credit reporting bureaus should notify everyone before making any posts; positive or negative to your report. These days your life revolves around this scoring system and we should be able to defend ourselves from unfair creditors. For example, I purchased a cell phone from AT&T back in 1999. I could never get service and dropped 90 percent of the calls I was charged for due to lack of service. When I contacted AT&T to inform them that I could not get service in my area and they charged me 400+ for dropped calls they just politely said sorry you have a contract. I then negotiated with them and they agreed that if I paid the charges in question that they would drop my contract. OK I paid them over the phone and thought all was well and good. Two years later I apply for a mortgage loan and low and behold there it was: derrogatory posting for the amount that they claim was settled. It was only $90 and the mortgage co. said it was OK since it was over 2 yrs old so I just let it ride. I mean after all, we had an agreement and they should have stuck to it. Anyway, it’s been over 5 yrs and it should have fallen off of my report but when I pulled it a couple months ago, they posted the same amount through a different collection agency. Now it looks like a fresh bad mark on my report. Is this legal? I plan on checking into it as soon I get someone that speaks English at Equifax, but in the meantime does anyone know if I can do anything about it or should I just pay what I don’t owe in order to satisfy it?

By crawford

January 11, 2006 07:31 PM | Link to this

YES. It is criminal greed not to allow such!!!!!

By rob

January 12, 2006 10:20 AM | Link to this

Yes, credit bureaus should lay on the floor to make it easier for consumers to freeze THIER credit, at no cost. Credit leeches make a living off gathering OTHERS private financial information and selling SOMEONE else’s information to outside parties (unknown to the owner of this information). Your credit is something you work to create, not the credit bureau. This sometime false information is not just being used for financial reasons, it is also being used for job interviews. A person should have to be notified everytime when thier PRIVATE information is being sold for profit by others, especially when someone is profiting off of FALSE information and harming others. Can I come take a picture of your house listing your name, number of residents, values inside, address, use it as a cover for my magazine, sell as many copies as I want to whomever I want without telling you, keep all revenues, and maybe make a few errors which could harm you financially with only my future profits in mind?

By J & J Ranch

January 12, 2006 10:35 AM | Link to this

Freezing credit reports is an interesting thought.

Ya know, we froze our accounts at Wachovia two or three times. When we noticed it remained unfrozen, an attorney requested the freeze for us.
We were told that the accounts were frozen.

Next thing we know, our names had been removed from our accounts, checking account had been closed, $15,000 stolen and stocks and Mutual Funds listed in two names re-issued. Then commenced to selling off our stocks and Mutual Funds.

To this day, Wachovia insists that all the paperwork involved in the matter is “privleged” and even though the Superior Court ordered them to supply us with the paperwork we request, they refuse.

If you cannot freeze your accounts at a bank to prevent “Id Theft” how on earth will you ever freeze your credit report?

P.S. We have filed suit against Wachovia. Funny thing, even though the paper has been forwarded the information about the suit, the suit is ignored.

When was the last time AJC wrote anything negative about Wachovia?