CIC Credit Monitoring Company Isn't it Ironic that a company claiming to help you avoid identity theft steals your money? Orange California

On September 8, I ordered a credit report for $9.95. A few minutes later I found a different company that includes the credit score for that same fee. I checked with CIC Credit Monitoring to see if they would include the credit score and was told no. I therefore cancelled my service, and informed them I would be doing business with the other company.

I asked for a full refund on my credit card, and was informed that the person I was talking to would "expidite" the request, and that it should only take a few days, but that she had to tell me that it could take seven to ten days. I waited 11 days before checking my credit card statement.

Not only had the refund never been credit, but I was being charged an overlimit fee, to add insult to injury! I contacted the company, and was told they would expidite it again, which could take another seven to ten days for them to "decide" if I got a refund.

They refused to give me a physical address, or the name of a person who had the authority to give me my refund. I was told that talking to a supervisor wouldn't help, because supervisors didn't have the authority to help me either. I was then told that I needed to fax them a copy of my credit card statement, a letter explaining why I wanted a refund, and also include a number that she gave me. (Of course, the fax number is long distance!)

I insisted on speaking to a supervisor, who then informed me that they couldn't authorize a refund because they no longer "had" my account, that it was now being held by another company. He told me to fax the information the customer service rep had given me, and then gave me the number of the company that supposedly has my account now. I called them, and they couldn't find any record of my account by name, phone number, credit card number or social security number.

I faxed the letter, and told their "Consumer Relations Group" that I hope this is the most expensive $10 they've ever received. I also contacted the Better Business Bureau (you can file a complaint against the company online...go to bbb.org). I contacted the Federal Trade Commission (go to www.ftc.gov/) and filed an online complaint, and I filed a complaint with my credit card company (who were totally willing to work with me...I love that "what's in your wallet?" company...

On this website alone, there are over 300 complaints against this company...sounds like we've got grounds for a class action lawsuit. Does anyone know if there is already one in the works????

By the way, here's a little more information from my research on this company....GUS in 91m US credit-check buy
Fiona Walsh, Evening Standard 19 March 2002

RETAIL conglomerate GUS is expanding its credit checking operations in the US with the $130m (91m) cash purchase of ConsumerInfo.com, America's leading supplier of online credit reports.

ConsumerInfo.com was founded in 1995 and has a turnover of $50m. It made a 'small operating profit' last year. But GUS finance director David Tyler said the deal will be immediately earnings enhancing and the price being paid is justified by the company's high growth prospects. 'It is the clear market leader in online credit checking,' he said. 'The US consumer is far more indebted than in Britain, with Americans having an average of five credit cards compared with just 0.9 here, and they are much more concerned about their credit score.'

For an annual subscription of $79.95, members of ConsumerInfo.com can access their credit reports as often as they want. Three quarters of its revenue comes from membership subscriptions and, as at 28 February, the company had 778,000 members, up from 492,000 a year earlier. The business is being bought from Homestore.com. Its management will stay on.


GUS owns Argos and Burberry but its biggest profits earner is Experian, the financial information and credit checking company that has large operations in the US.


Don Robert, chief operating officer of Experian North America, said: 'This acquisition is an opportunity to expand significantly our reach into the direct-to-consumer market.'

This is not some fly-by-night company...They claim that they are helping us fight identity theft....and then are getting rich by stealing from us.

Cheryl
Sunnyside,, Utah
U.S.A.

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