Everyone has seen the commercials, heard the radio ads, but do they know what is really behind this "company"?
This is an area where being frugal or uneducated can really hurt you. I am a perfect example. Having never checked my credit (I've only had cards for ~2 years), I decided to take advantage of this "great" offer before I began my new vehicle search.
I logged onto the website and was prompted for my address, social security #, and credit card number to test. Now, after settling this whole mess (I will get to that in a minute), I was informed to never give out your credit card # unless buying something...Dumb-me thought it was so they could check my credit. But anyways, moving on...
I chose the "Free" service which was a basic summary of your credit for NO CHARGE. The other options were much more in-depth and were priced accordingly.
Fast-forward four months and I check my particular card (given to FCR.com) and find an over-draft charge. Now, I only use this account to pay my rent. I deposit the respective amount in each month, cut a check, and repeat. The card is an HSBC Mastercard Checking Card for what it's worth. I am phasing it out of my cards very soon since its the locations don't exist in CT.
I then Google'd this CIC*Triple Advantage charge for $12.95 for the past four billing cycles and find a plethora of gripes with this company completing false charges, left and right. Here are a couple links:
http://ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff151787.htm
http://badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff143020.htm
After working closely with HSBC, we get a customer rep on the phone from this "company". This rep defined the term "clueless". Clearly, she was reading right from her computer screen script. You could actually hear her sounding out words. I sat there and argued with how I was charged for a service I: 1) never agreed to and 2) never received any "service" for. She argued back how I was signed up for a "Monthly Credit Checkup Club".
In the end, I was able to get two out of four payments re-imbursed. I am still working with HSBC for the overdraft charge to be removed. However, I learned a couple lessons:
Always check all of your debits
Always monitor your accounts
If it's too good to be true, it probably is
This is an area where being frugal or uneducated can really hurt you. I am a perfect example. Having never checked my credit (I've only had cards for ~2 years), I decided to take advantage of this "great" offer before I began my new vehicle search.
I logged onto the website and was prompted for my address, social security #, and credit card number to test. Now, after settling this whole mess (I will get to that in a minute), I was informed to never give out your credit card # unless buying something...Dumb-me thought it was so they could check my credit. But anyways, moving on...
I chose the "Free" service which was a basic summary of your credit for NO CHARGE. The other options were much more in-depth and were priced accordingly.
Fast-forward four months and I check my particular card (given to FCR.com) and find an over-draft charge. Now, I only use this account to pay my rent. I deposit the respective amount in each month, cut a check, and repeat. The card is an HSBC Mastercard Checking Card for what it's worth. I am phasing it out of my cards very soon since its the locations don't exist in CT.
I then Google'd this CIC*Triple Advantage charge for $12.95 for the past four billing cycles and find a plethora of gripes with this company completing false charges, left and right. Here are a couple links:
http://ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff151787.htm
http://badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff143020.htm
After working closely with HSBC, we get a customer rep on the phone from this "company". This rep defined the term "clueless". Clearly, she was reading right from her computer screen script. You could actually hear her sounding out words. I sat there and argued with how I was charged for a service I: 1) never agreed to and 2) never received any "service" for. She argued back how I was signed up for a "Monthly Credit Checkup Club".
In the end, I was able to get two out of four payments re-imbursed. I am still working with HSBC for the overdraft charge to be removed. However, I learned a couple lessons:
Always check all of your debits
Always monitor your accounts
If it's too good to be true, it probably is
