If F-R-E-E Spells 'Free" Why Does it Cost Money to Get That "Free" Credit Report?

I tried to get my free credit report and ended up buying credit monitoring services that I didn't want. Now I need to cancel. I went to the annualcreditreport site but think somehow I was misdirected. Why is it so hard to find the right place to get our credit reports for F-R-E-E?

Rob
Denver, CO

You are not alone. It is confusing when trying to figure out how to obtain the officially free annual credit report that we're all entitled to when there's an array of commercials filling the airways with jingles such as "F-R-E-E- Spells Free". What happened to you has happened to many consumers and unfortunately, it's a common complaint.

Another common problem is that if you happen to mis-spell the official site (annualcreditreport.com) even a tiny typo -you can be whisked away to an imposter site and may not realize it until after you have purchased a product or service.

"Jennifer of Washington, DC (03/18/08)
I had to get a credit report because Experian completely messed up my report. Unbeknownst to me I signed up for a 30-day free trial and have been charged $15 for the past four months. They claim that they have now canceled it, but they refused to refund the money.

I am planning to sue them in small claims court, but I am an attorney and realize that not everyone has the ability to do this. (For more complaints like this see: ConsumerAffairs)

Unfortunately there are no public service announcements directing consumers to the legitimate site -although mega advertising dollars are spent misdirecting consumers to sites where credit reports are only free once you pay for a service such as credit monitoring, and then and only then will you receive that F-R-E-E credit report!

To obtain your free credit report without paying for a service or product:

1. Call 877-322-8228 and order it over the phone - This is the preferred method because the privacy policy for phone orders is much better than the one for ordering over the internet.

2. Visit the AnnualCreditReport.com website - This will give you immediate access to your credit report but there are certain privacy risks. We suggest that you read their privacy policy in its entirety before ordering this way. If you are asked for your credit card number -back out and start over -or better yet, use the toll free number above.