# creditreport.com commercials **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125 "2008-02-18T17:56:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/1 "2008-02-18T17:56:06Z")
The [creditreport.com](http://creditreport.com) commercials bug me. Sure, the tunes are catchy and they’re mildly amusing; but they don’t make sense. Pirate: In this one a guy is dressed like a pirate and is working in a seafood restaurant. He sings that he’s been the victim of identity theft, which he would have known about if only he’d signed up for [creditreport.com](http://creditreport.com). So why’s he working in a seafood restaurant? Did the fraudster steal his former job as well? My conclusion is that he’s having to work a second job to pay the fraudulent bills. But why does he have to pay the fraudulent bills? I wouldn’t. I’d demonstrate that the debts are not mine, and use the (free) tools available to people who have had their identities stolen. No need for a second job. Used Car: So the guy wants to buy a ‘cool convertible or SUV’, but he ‘didn’t know [his] credit was whacked’ so he’s driving around in a beat-up Sprint (or similar car). Too bad he didn’t sign up for [creditreport.com](http://creditreport.com)! Wait… If he had, he’d know he had poor credit. (He should know that anyway if he just thought about it.) So if you don’t know you have poor credit, you can’t get a loan for an expensive car; but if you _do_ know you have poor credit you _can_ get one? 😕 They just don’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/2 "2008-02-18T18:05:13Z")
You forgot about the one where he wouldn’t have married his girlfriend if he’d known she had bad credit, which he still wouldn’t have known if _he_ signed up because that wouldn’t give him access to _her_ information. As for the used car one, I think it’s trying to say that had he known what his credit was like he would have gone car shopping with lowered expectations. But it’s still a douchey ad campaign and I hate both it and the company. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/3 "2008-02-18T18:10:14Z")
The details don’t make a lot of sense in those commercials, but at least they convey the very excellent idea that one should be aware of what is in their credit report. Although you really should use [Annualcreditreport.com](http://Annualcreditreport.com) instead of [freecreditreport.com](http://freecreditreport.com). Annual is actually free where freecreditreport requires you to sign up for a paid service. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/4 "2008-02-18T18:17:16Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] You forgot about the one where he wouldn’t have married his girlfriend if he’d known she had bad credit, which he still wouldn’t have known if _he_ signed up because that wouldn’t give him access to _her_ information. [/quote] And he’d be a douche if he didn’t marry her because of her bad credit. I mean, does he love her? Or is it a purely financial arrangement? > [@Otto](#): > > As for the used car one, I think it’s trying to say that had he known what his credit was like he would have gone car shopping with lowered expectations. But he’d still be driving a POS. > [@Otto](#): > > But it’s still a douchey ad campaign and I hate both it and the company. Heh. I used to work for their parent company. (Dealing with Business credit, not Consumer.) Errata: **free** [creditreport.com](http://creditreport.com); not [creditreport.com](http://creditreport.com) ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/5 "2008-02-18T18:36:59Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Pirate: In this one a guy is dressed like a pirate and is working in a seafood restaurant. He sings that he’s been the victim of identity theft, which he would have known about if only he’d signed up for [creditreport.com](http://creditreport.com). So why’s he working in a seafood restaurant? Did the fraudster steal his former job as well? [/QUOTE] There are jobs you can’t get if you don’t have a decent credit rating. If you apply for a security clearance for your job, they will look into your credit rating, for example (the idea behind this is that many people who become spies do so because of financial problems). If you do have a clearance for your job, it periodically comes up for reinvestigation. If it were not renewed, you’d almost certainly lose your job. I agree that the car one doesn’t make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/6 "2008-02-18T18:43:32Z")
Maybe he’s broke because there hasn’t been much of a demand for ironic-suburbanite faux-grunge since 1994 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/7 "2008-02-18T19:00:15Z")
[QUOTE=Slithy Tove] Maybe he’s broke because there hasn’t been much of a demand for ironic-suburbanite faux-grunge since 1994 [/QUOTE] Well maybe not in Buford… ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/8 "2008-02-18T19:09:46Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] As for the used car one, I think it’s trying to say that had he known what his credit was like he would have gone car shopping with lowered expectations. [/QUOTE] They also sell some sort of credit protection. If he had that, the fraudsters lurking around every corner wouldn’t have ruined his credit, and he’d lookin’ fly and rollin’ phat, instead of stickin’ to the vinyl with his posse gettin’ laughed at. [sub]Yeah, I think the tunes are pretty catchy…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/9 "2008-02-18T19:16:42Z")
[QUOTE=Cheesesteak] They also sell some sort of credit protection. If he had that, the fraudsters lurking around every corner wouldn’t have ruined his credit, and he’d lookin’ fly and rollin’ phat, instead of stickin’ to the vinyl with his posse gettin’ laughed at. [sub]Yeah, I think the tunes are pretty catchy…[/sub] [/QUOTE] F-R-E-E that spells free, credit report dot com baby. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/10 "2008-02-18T19:31:21Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] F-R-E-E that spells free, credit report dot com baby. [/QUOTE] Every time I hear that I think it should be “that spells moon”. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/11 "2008-02-18T19:53:05Z")
The tunes are amusing, but that hastily-whispered and fine-print-announced “Must enroll in Triple Advantage” is what turns me right off. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/12 "2008-02-18T20:03:01Z")
Yeah, and just try to cancel that enrollment _and_ stop the scumbags from charging the credit card you give them for enrollment. I must get ten calls a day from people who get charged months after they cancel, out of nowhere. I never thought I’d encounter a billing department shadier than AOL’s, but damn if [FCR.com](http://FCR.com) doesn’t manange it. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/13 "2008-02-18T20:05:11Z")
I always just assumed that he meant that he could’ve checked his credit report, noticed the fraud, cleaned it up, & improved his credit score. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/14 "2008-02-18T20:22:58Z")
I love that the lip-syncing to the song is so completely screwed up. It just adds to the shady feel the ads give off about F-R-E-E that spells free, credit report dot com baby. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/15 "2008-02-18T20:35:33Z")
Oh, yeah: ‘I should’ve seen it coming at me like an atom bomb’ What kind of atom bomb? A gravity bomb? He might see the aircraft that drops it, and _might_ see the bomb itself. Or is he talking about an RV? What are the odds he’ll see a hypersonic device way up in the atmosphere? I mean, if a nuclear weapon is approaching, would it be all that obvious before you’re turned into vapour? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/16 "2008-02-18T21:16:10Z")
The entire ad campaign is amusing but nonsensical. A singer-songwriter with two guys in his half-assed band. As the spokesman for Good Credit Practices? Ho Ho! And he wouldn’t be bitching about his wife’s poor credit rating. He’d be grateful she has a job! ---
**Author:** ![Pixilated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aeb1de/32.png) [@Pixilated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixilated)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/17 "2008-02-19T01:46:29Z")
Anyone can get a credit report and anyone else if they know that person’s info. It really sucks about having to have good credit to get a good job - I understand their (employers) point of view but when someone is unemployed or underemployed and they cant pay their bills on time… how are they ever to get out from under if they cant get a decent job? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/18 "2008-02-19T01:54:16Z")
Free credit report is basicially ripping off people to begin with. You’re allowed one free credit report a year from each of the three credit agencies. But the site to use is [AnnualCreditReport.com](https://www.annualcreditreport.com). It _is_ free. They might try to sell you some services, like their own propriety credit score. But that isn’t necessary to get your report. Freecreditreport jumped in to get people to pay them when they don’t need to get paid. It’s like those “services” that offer to look up Social Security information for you when you’re sent it each year at no charge. ---
**Author:** ![Labelless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f19dbf/32.png) [@Labelless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labelless)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/19 "2008-02-19T04:11:52Z")
Do you want to know what really sucks about this ad campaign? My six year old daughter singing it. For ten hours straight. Very catchy tune. The first twenty times perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2008, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125/20 "2008-02-19T11:44:58Z")
[QUOTE=Pixilated] Anyone can get a credit report and anyone else if they know that person’s info. It really sucks about having to have good credit to get a good job - I understand their (employers) point of view but when someone is unemployed or underemployed and they cant pay their bills on time… how are they ever to get out from under if they cant get a decent job? [/QUOTE] The company I am starting work for today does credit on a sliding scale. You’re allowed _x_ dollars in old debts before it becomes an issue. You also don’t have to have debts completely paid off; you just need to show that you’ve got some sort of payment arrangement worked out. They also understand that people can have tens of thousands of dollars of debt for mortgages and student loans and other large items, and all they want is proof that they’re current. In my case (and this is why I hate TransUnion with a passion), three of the four “negatives” were paid in full and have been for at least two years. So, yeah, it pays to watch your credit, but the free annual report should be sufficient. Just be prepared to dispute what needs to be disputed. Robin [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/creditreport-com-commercials/438125.md?page=2)