How to Cancel CIC TripleAdvantage
Stop the charges, get your money back and get justice!
Scenario 1: You notice a $14.95 charge from a company called "CIC * TripleAdvantage," "CIC*CreditReport" or "InfoFCR.com" on your credit card statement. Where did it come from and who are these people?
The answer: You recently visited FreeCreditReport.com to view your credit report. You are now stuck in a credit monitoring service, like millions of people before you.
Scenario 2: You have tried canceling the TripleAdvantage service but the charges continue to show up.
If you fall into either of these scenarios, this article is for you!
You are dealing with a company who has been subject of multiple class action lawsuits, fines by the FTC totaling $1.25 million and over 11,000 complaints with the Better Business Bureau. You were charged for a credit report you could have got free from a different web site.
Don't become FreeCreditReport.com's next victim!
Learn how to cancel CIC TripleAdvantage for good. Get every penny back that they took from you. Help bring FreeCreditReport.com to justice.
Knowzy helps you take on TripleAdvantage with this step-by-step guide.
Step 1: Call TripleAdvantage for Cancellation and Refund
5 Tips for Your TripleAdvantage Call
Phone Number: 1 (877) 481-6826
Tips to help you get a refund:
- Be polite but firm. Don't blow up at your rep!
- Ask for all of your money back
- The "no refund" policy is a lie!
- Your rep. cannot refund your money. Ask for a supervisor.
- Threaten to get the Better Business Bureau and your credit card company involved unless you get a refund.
More Tips and Info
Still don't have a refund? Get help.
Also Known As
CIC TripleAdvantage, FreeCreditReport.com, FreeCreditScore.com, InfoFCR.com
Parent Company
Experian
Contact Info
Address
PO Box 19729
Irvine, CA 92623-9729
Phone Number
1 (877) 300-2508
Web Pages
E-Mail Address
The only way to cancel CIC TripleAdvantage is over the phone. That same call to TripleAdvantage is also the best time to get your refund. Their toll free phone number is (877) 300-2508.
Never try to cancel through e-mail or postal mail. Your request will be ignored.
Note: If you have already tried canceling over the phone to no avail, get the Better Business Bureau involved.
Tips for Your Call to TripleAdvantage
Some people cancel and get a refund in 5 minutes. Others have a much harder time.
Below are the secrets of canceling TripleAdvantage and getting a refund. These tips are drawn from two years of insights from Knowzy readers.
Have Personal Info Ready In the first part of your call, your CIC represent confirms your identity. They'll ask for your Social Security Number, the credit card number you used when signing up and details about your credit history. One writer urges you not to give them your credit card number. Keep in mind FreeCreditReport.com is owned by Experian. The representative you're talking to likely knows more about your credit history than you. This may not be a battle worth fighting. Remain Calm. Be Polite and PersistentFreeCreditReport.com misled you into paying for a free credit report. You have a right to be angry. But when you call, don't lose your cool. You and the customer service representative both know you were ripped off. Stay on his or her good side while remaining firm and you'll get your refund. Eventually. Swear at and insult your rep and he or she will disconnect the call. Say No to the Hard Sales Pitch Adding insult to injury, TripleAdvantage will try hard to convince you to keep the service you are calling to cancel. Tell them you don't do business with companies who have violated your trust. Ask for All of Your Money BackYou are not just calling to cancel- you want your money back and all of it. Armed with a little preparation and some key phrases, that refund can and should be yours. First, be prepared for the lies your CIC Rep will tell you, in no particular order: - CIC Rep: We have a strict no refund policy You: I know you routinely refund these charges and I would like a confirmation number with my refund.
- CIC Rep: The charge is clearly stated in 3 places on FreeCreditReport.com. You: If it was clearly stated, why didn't I notice it?
- CIC Rep: I am not authorized to issue refunds. (True but his or her supervisor does have the authority to issue refunds)You: Please connect me with your supervisor.
If you are still meeting resistance while talking to a supervisor, tell him or her that you will enlist some help. You will work with the Better Business Bureau and your bank to get your money back. TripleAdvantage can save both of you some trouble by simply issuing the refund now.
Hopefully CIC TripleAdvantage has promised a full refund by now. If not, follow through with your ultimatum and get help. See Step 2.
Step 2: Get Outside Help (If Necessary)
When FreeCreditReport.com isn't willing to refund your money, there are two companies that can help: The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and your credit card company.
This is a last resort. You must try to get your money back yourself first. The BBB and your bank will not take you seriously unless you have tried resolving the dispute directly with TripleAdvantage.
The Better Business Bureau
Surprisingly, FreeCreditReport.com is a member of the Better Business Bureau. More surprisingly, they have a "B+" company rating despite more than 11,000 complaints against them in the last three years.
You'll find them listed as ConsumerInfo.com (the CIC in CIC TripleAdvantage). They are the parent company of FreeCreditReport.com.
When you file a complaint, ConsumerInfo.com must respond within 14 days.
Explain why you are complaining (felt scammed, charge wasn't clearly disclosed, etc). Then explain what you want TripleAdvantage to do about it (refund your money, stop charging your credit card). FreeCreditReport.com typically responds to these complaints by issuing refunds.
BBB pages for TripleAdvantage:
Your Bank or Credit Card Company
Your credit card company can help you in two cases:
Reporting FreeCreditReport.com/TripleAdvantage to your bank or credit card company prevents them from charging you again. You can also ask your bank to refund any charges made in the last 60 days.
The key phrase to use when talking to your bank is "not authorized." CIC TripleAdvantage is not authorized to make further charges to my card. These charges from CIC*TripleAdvantage were unauthorized.
By law, credit card and check card issuers must refund unauthorized charges as long as you report them within 60 days. Many banks, as a courtesy, will refund charges even if they are over 60 days old.
Getting your bank involved is an effective way to prevent further charges from TripleAdvantage; kind of a brute force cancellation. However, this is the least reliable way to get a refund.
Although Federal law requires banks and other credit card issuers to reverse unauthorized charges, many Knowzy readers find themselves arguing over whether or not they approved the transactions. Their bank will claim the charge for the "free" credit report is listed on the home page.
While the bank may have you on a technicality, denying the refund shows poor customer service. Had you known there was a recurring charge for your supposedly free credit report, you would have never accepted the offer.
So did you "authorize" the charge? If your bank says "yes," they are enabling FreeCreditReport.com's deceptive practices instead of protecting you from them.
Step 3: Get Justice
Get the Law Involved!
FreeCreditReport.com has been in trouble with the law before but the scam persists. Don't let them get away with it. Report this rip off!
File a complaint against TripleAdvantage through these sites:
If you fit into either of the scenarios in the introduction to this article, you are a victim of deceptive advertising or worse. Two government organizations can decide to make legal trouble for FreeCreditReport.com: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and your State Attorney General.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
The FTC has already taken action against FreeCreditReport.com/TripleAdvantage twice. With your help, the third time can be the knock-out punch.
Experian, (parent company of CIC TripleAdvantage), has been forced to give up$1.25 millionin what the FTC calls "ill-gotten" gains. First in 2005 for $950,000 and again in 2007 for $300,000.
FreeCreditReport.com's commercials used to claim over 20 million people have "checked" their credit report. If just 1 in 20 ended up with a single $14.95 charge, TripleAdvantage brings in $14,950,000. Of course, many people end up with multiple charges.
They clearly haven't been fined enough!
File a report with the FTC and help bring TripleAdvantage to justice.
Filing an FTC complaint is not straightforward, unfortunately. They will ask you a series of questions before you can enter your complaint.
Here's how you need to answer each question:
- "Is Your Complaint Concerning Identity Theft?" Answer: No
- "Is your complaint most closely related to" Answer: Dissatisfaction with other business practices
- "What kind of company are you complaining about?" Answer: Lending/Financial Services, Other Financial Services
- "How were your contacted?" Answer: I initiated contact
- "Do you know the name of the company/individual involved in your complaint..." Answer: Yes
- "Tell Us About the Company" Answer:ConsumerInfo.ComP.O. Box 19729Irvine, CA 92623
- Continue to answer questions from there.
Your State Attorney General
Another excellent place to report this rip off is your state's attorney general, your regional consumer advocate. In addition to taking legal action against TripleAdvantage, the attorney general can issue consumer alerts to citizens in your state.
In 2006, the Florida Attorney General opened an investigation into FreeCreditReport.com, covering the two scenarios discussed here: Deceptive advertising and a pattern of failing to honor cancellations.
Make sure you state's attorney general knows that you have been ripped off by FreeCreditReport.com and you want action! Find the consumer complaint form on your state's web site:
The Truly Free Credit Report
Now that you've experienced the trouble a free credit report from FreeCreditReport.com will get you, allow us to show you a better site: http://www.annualcreditreport.com.
At this government mandated web site, you are entitled to one free credit report a year from each of the three credit bureaus. No strings attached.
If you spread these reports out, you can create your own free credit monitoring service.
The Federal Trade Commission recently produced two public service announcements (watch them below) parodying FreeCreditReport.com's commercials to drive home the point: The real site for your free credit report is AnnualCreditReport.com. "The other guys charge a fee," the lead singer says in the commercial, "Read the fine print and you'll see!"
The FTC reportedly spent $100,000 creating the commercials and they are hoping that they go "viral." Another page offers instructions on embedding the videos in your own web page and downloadable, high-resolution copies of the PSAs.
If you have a web site or blog, spread the word so that others won't fall into the same trap!
And while we're showing videos warning about FreeCreditReport.Com/TripleAdvantage, a reader who goes by Fishie McGee sent in an excellent and hilarious music video about his TripleAdvantage experience. He's got talent!
Talk About It
You are invited to share your experience with FreeCreditReport.com/CIC TripleAdvantage on our discussion page and read what others have to say.
Originally Published: Monday, March 12, 2007, 5:00 PM PT Last Updated: Wednesday, August 3, 2011, 12:29 PM PT Version 2
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