Opinion Talk

By Hunter

March 10, 2006 06:57 AM | Link to this

ALL American consumers should have the right to freeze their credit report as they see fit. The credit bureaus need to be hogtied into consumer friendly businesses that do not ruin lives. Their customer services are atrocious and too confusing. Too many ongoing mistakes, no accountability. Credit Bureaus are a correctable American travesty.

By Lou

March 10, 2006 07:42 AM | Link to this

Should consumers have the right to freeze their own credit history from access from just any “tom, dick & harry” that wants to access their information???? YES! What a novel idea to be able to control your own credit history!!!! Better yet - here’s an idea whose time has come - how about credit report bureaus pay US for allowing companies to view our credit profile. Give me 15 bucks for each time someone accesses my credit history - the bureaus can keep the other $5 they get from the companies that request the information. Someone needs to tell the rest of us why it is ok for strangers to pry in our private business - without our consent?

By Mara

March 10, 2006 07:42 AM | Link to this

to steal (and repurpose) Rep. Sue Myrick’s very pithy phrasing, “Not just “yes”, but HELL YES!”

It’s bad enough that these companies put all my credit info into one file, (oh, I understand why but I still don’t like it!)but for them to say that I have no right to ask for the right to restrict the access to ONLY the people I want to see it…? It’s my information fer gawds sake.

By Jim

March 10, 2006 09:45 AM | Link to this

This is an idea that is long overdue. If this idea becomes law, the public will finally be regaining some control over something they never should have had taken from them in the first place. I have long resented the fact that private information on me can be sold without my consent and without my being compensated for it. While this is a great idea, don’t hold your breath. Equifax, etal has a strong, well financed lobby. They will fight like hell to keep from losing this valuable source of income.

By Thomas

March 10, 2006 09:52 AM | Link to this

Absolutely.

I work in the mortgage industry. The amount of personal and proprietary information contained within a credit report is astounding – the names, phone numbers and addresses of all your creditors and account numbers therein, not to mention your address, social security number, and date of birth, if you’ve been sued, by who, when and if you’ve paid the judgment.

Equifax, Transunion and Experian are basically data miners who sell your information to anyone willing to pay a few bucks. If we were serious about stopping them, we’d slap a fat class action lawsuit against them.

By E. Lewis

March 10, 2006 01:48 PM | Link to this

I think that all my personal information should be kept private unless I specifically say otherwise. If a company wants to offer me something in exchange for such information I would take it under consideration, but I guess the horse is already out of the barn on that one.

By Susan

March 10, 2006 02:12 PM | Link to this

The argument that consumers demand access to in-store credit is totally irrelevant to the point of this bill - consumers would get to choose to freeze their report or not. We finally have a way for us to protect ourselves against identify theft - let us do so.

By MRC

March 10, 2006 07:12 PM | Link to this

Well of course. This is a stupid question. How can someone stop people from not using their credit if they don’t want to. We have rights to everything else so why not add this right to the list. I’m tired of the government always trying to take over an individuals life.

By MRC

March 10, 2006 07:16 PM | Link to this

I like Thomas’ idea. You need to get with me and we should start a class action suit against the credit bureaus. Seriously. It’s crazy how we have to pay to see our own information but the creidt bureaus don’t have to pay us to give it out. Great idea Lou. I want you in on this class action lawsuit! Anyone know a really good, smart lawyer??!! How about Neal Boortz!!!

By MRC

March 10, 2006 07:23 PM | Link to this

[text to be linked](I work in the mortgage industry. The amount of personal and proprietary information contained within a credit report is astounding – the names, phone numbers and addresses of all your creditors and account numbers therein, not to mention your address, social security number, and date of birth, if you’ve been sued, by who, when and if you’ve paid the judgment.

Equifax, Transunion and Experian are basically data miners who sell your information to anyone willing to pay a few bucks. If we were serious about stopping them, we’d slap a fat class action lawsuit against them.) Just seeing if this actually works.

By Frank Kramer,Alpharetta Ga

March 11, 2006 07:19 AM | Link to this

Who gave these companies the right to collect your infomation in the first place?

By J&J Ranch

March 12, 2006 12:12 PM | Link to this

AJC has asked this question in the past.
I think my reply then was if you cannot freeze your own bank accounts to protect them from id theft and grand larceny internally or externally (THANKS WACHOVIA FOR THE LOSS - $400,000.00), how can we expect to be able to freeze our credit reports?
Our CAP = (checking, stocks, bonds, Mutual funds) accounts were frozen through our attorney and confirmed as frozen. They were still accessed Mutual Funds etc., re-issued, checking account closed, money stolen. The frozen accounts still were not safe.

I like the idea of a class action lawsuit. The problem there is that the Judicial system in GA is as corrupt as the criminals. It is hard to fight the Corporate Gods. They have too much money, too much power!

We are giving it a shot on our own.

MRC asks about anyone knowing a good lawyer….

My dealings with lawyers show that the “good ole boy” syndrome has taken them over as well. I knew a good lawyer once, he retired.

Besides in a class action lawsuit, the lawyers are the only ones that win, they take all the rewards in fees to themselves. Some class action lawsuits, when there are many Plaintiffs, and the cost of the attorneys is so expensive, the Plaintiffs end up with a few dollars each (literally).

One of the attorneys I used in the past, who also lied to me and failed to perform the duties for which he was paid, turned out to be corrupt. He testified in the Campbell trial, I found out reading the AJC. After reading the story, the “little light bulb” effect hit me. Confirmation of my suspicions, he was a crook!

BEWARE OF LAWYERS, WE CALL THEM LIARS!

By Thomas

March 13, 2006 09:45 AM | Link to this

Who really cares that a few lawyers will be made rich if such a lawsuit can bring about real change in the way credit bureaus operate? Not I, for one. I want to see them choked to death via state legislation, federal legislation, and more law suits than they can shake a stick at.

By J&J Ranch

March 13, 2006 11:03 AM | Link to this

Thomas,

I agree that IF it would make a change the money does not really matter.

Then again, change takes a great deal of publicity and takes public outrage. Without these two items, there will be no change. Without a newspaper behind you, no one of importance listens.

AJC’s Paul Peralte told us almost a year ago that until a lawsuit filed, the AJC would not publish the story. Since we have enough proof to choke a horse, we were assured that once a lawsuit is filed, the AJC would do a story. Well…The lawsuit was filed January 03, 2006 for $850,000,000.00. Have you seen a story about it?

We were left with the impression that once we filed a lawsuit against Wachovia for their crimes it would become public and maybe Wachovia would have to begin abiding by laws that govern banks.

To the crime of “computer fraud” the answer was: “We own the computers, the network, the system and the employees, therefore it cannot be computer fraud”. This means that your accounts can be changed at any time to say anything that Wachovia decides they want.

Try telling it to the IRS! When you are audited, they go by your bank records…HHhhhmmmm.

Why is it that you claim you opened your accounts in May 1997, the Bank says they were opened in August 1997? And these Mutual Funds acquisitions… Why do you claim that you put $200,000.00 in AIM Mutual Funds and Wachovia says that there are two acquisitions a few months apart for $200,000.00 each?

Then you point out the forgeries on the Mutual Funds. Where did they come from? They are in the Certified Bank Records from Wachovia? Who has access to these kind of records, that would insert them into your file and why?

Do you really think that anyone cares? The FBI will not call you back. The DA’s Office has a “shut up and go away meeting” with you.

Guess again. There is not a news agency around that has published the information. Yes, we have provided the information to the news.
When was the last time that anything negative was in the new about Wachovia?

Get my point?

By Thomas

March 13, 2006 12:00 PM | Link to this

I have heard nothing about it.

The banking and credit interests certainly benefit from their friends in the major media outlets covering up for them, apparently.

The fact there isn’t public outrage is amazing. Everything from the rate you’ll pay on your mortgage, credit cards, car loans, to job you get is influenced by a seemingly arbitrary three digit score often riddled with errors.

Obviously, in order to file a lawsuit, one has to show damage or harm caused to them by the defendant. I sincerely hope that someone who is declined for a mortgage, turned away from a job due to an error in credit just sues the ever-lovin’ you-know-what out of these corporate tyrants.

By J&J Ranch

March 14, 2006 12:07 PM | Link to this

Thomas,

You say it well and I aggree :)

By Emma Duffie

March 16, 2006 11:55 AM | Link to this

I live in a County that does not have funds for physical education, the arts, a nurse, a full time counselor in the school system, however we do have the funds to have a full time police officer and a probation officer on duty. What’s wrong with this picture.