In early 2007 my company signed up to start an account with Experian-Smart Business. Occasionally we need to research customers before we want to set up an account with them. We always have paid for individual credit reports to ensure safe business practices. Note, we don't always do the credit checks on each potential customer.in truth, they are kind of rare.
Recently it was requested that I run a credit report on a couple new customers our business was acquiring. We hadn't used Experian in quite awhile so I was told to call an Experian customer care consultant to set up a new online password, and I could carry on like we've always done the last couple of years. I didn't change anything with our account. I was informed of packages I could buy for a year or however long, but I declined and told them that we don't do credit checks that often so we would just keep paying for each individual report. I didn't think anything of it after that.
The last report I requested was this past August for one new customer. I just looked at our credit card statement from Sept.-Oct. 2009 and we were charged $14.95 in 7 seperate transactions. Completely alarmed I looked back four months earlier and discovered over that period we were charged 22 times an amount of $328.90. I only bought 7 credit reports through these span of months?! Our you kidding me?!!! If I only got 7 reports I should have only been charged $104.65, not $328.90! Of course I called Experian right away. I told them my concerns and told was positive that there must be some kind of mix up. Of course they gave me the run around and told me that we were being charged each month for each customer we have ever downloaded!!! What?!!! I told them that we have been a customer with them since 2007 and we were never charged like this before!!! They told we that I had signed up for some kind of new package were they do monthly follow ups of the businesses you did the reports on. LIES!!! I NEVER did and they NEVER informed me of any changes.
I just want to warn others of this terrible frauduliant company. They told me that because I didn't notice the past monthly charges that the couldn't credit me anything. That there was nothing they could do for me. I call BS on that. I spoke with a Sherry and a Marta in the Experian customer service.in my opinion they don't have a customer service! I was polite and completely level headed through all my conversations with them. I got nothing for it! Thanks for nothing Experian!!! My suggestion is to cancel your account with this company and use D & B for any credit checks you need to run. Their reports are more money, but they don't have any crazy hidden charges and their reports are way more informative!!!
Emily
0 comments