Experian Service downgraded?

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but it seems that the credit
monitoring functions have been severely downgraded since the release of M05.

The way it used to work:
When you log in to Experian (via the link in Money) you could view your
"Plus Score" AND your credit report for FREE.

The way it works now:
When you log in to Experian (via the link in Money) you could view your
"Plus Score" for free, but if you want to view the details of your credit
report then you have to pat $9.95 each time.

At first I thought this was a "feature" of M05, but on checking the archived
reports it appears this behavior began on 9/16/2004, and I didn't install
M05 until 9/17.

Due to other reasons (sync problems with MSN) I have gone back to M04
temporarily, but still have the same issue with Experian.

David

Vadim
Sun Sep 19 14:47:05 CDT 2004

Hello David:
You wrote in conference microsoft.public.money on 19 Sep 2004
13:20:11 -0500:

DHR> I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but it seems that the credit
DHR> monitoring functions have been severely downgraded since the release
DHR> of M05.

It's not downgraded. In Money 2004, Experian credit monitoring was a bonus,
i.e. Microsoft paid Experian for the year of service for everyone who
purchased Money 2004.

In Money 2005, Experian paid MSN to place their ad; consequently, the ad
finds its way into Money 2005.

FYI:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/experian_class_action.html : "A
consumer class action lawsuit charges Experian and ConsumerInfo.com with
misleading consumers into signing up for "free" credit reports that in fact
cost $79 per year or more. ... The suit asks the court to issue an
injunction barring Experian and its affiliates from continuing the allegedly
illegal practices and requiring that consumers be refunded all fees paid as
a result of the unfair and misleading practices"

also FYI: MyPerfectCredit.com provides credit monitoring + credit scores
from all 3 bureaus absolutely free.



Vadim Rapp

Dick
Sun Sep 19 15:02:47 CDT 2004

I'll bet more likely that Experian paid Microsoft (or offered the "free"
service at no cost to Microsoft) for vectoring customers to them, hoping
that they'd get us all to buy extra services from them (i.e., Experian) once
we got there. Maybe not enough of us did so.

"Vadim Rapp" <vr@myrealbox.nospam.com> wrote in message
news:%23LJNxFonEHA.596@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> It's not downgraded. In Money 2004, Experian credit monitoring was a
> bonus, i.e. Microsoft paid Experian for the year of service for everyone
> who purchased Money 2004.

Vadim
Sun Sep 19 15:20:40 CDT 2004

Hello Dick:
You wrote in conference microsoft.public.money on Sun, 19 Sep 2004
14:02:47 -0600:

DW> I'll bet more likely that Experian paid Microsoft (or offered the
DW> "free" service at no cost to Microsoft) for vectoring customers to
DW> them, hoping that they'd get us all to buy extra services from them
DW> (i.e., Experian) once we got there. Maybe not enough of us did so.

May be indeed. The stupidity of business models has no limit; but so does
the stupidity of consumers as well, so who knows, maybe enough of us just
did?

Vadim

Chris
Sun Sep 19 16:15:25 CDT 2004

What's the catch? Sharing your financial info with a marketing company that
would otherwise not have it? Just being paranoid here, but I suspect they
disseminate it in some manner.
--
Chris Cowles,
Gainesville, FL

"Vadim Rapp" <vr@myrealbox.nospam.com> wrote in message
news:%23LJNxFonEHA.596@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>
> also FYI: MyPerfectCredit.com provides credit monitoring + credit scores
> from all 3 bureaus absolutely free.

David
Sun Sep 19 20:21:13 CDT 2004

>
> also FYI: MyPerfectCredit.com provides credit monitoring + credit scores
> from all 3 bureaus absolutely free.
>
thanks, I'll check it out.

via_newsgroup
Mon Sep 20 00:59:32 CDT 2004

In microsoft.public.money, Chris Cowles wrote:

>What's the catch? Sharing your financial info with a marketing company that
>would otherwise not have it? Just being paranoid here, but I suspect they
>disseminate it in some manner.

"You're not paranoid if they really are out to get you."