I hate all the credit card offers I get every day!!!

[lisas3575]

Just found this online:

Get off credit card direct mail files.  Call Experian: (800) 353-0809.


Experian is one of the credit reporting agencies, like Equifax. This let's you opt out of those mailings for 2 years or forever. Whew. Did you know that all those unsolicited mailings show up on your credit report? Jerks.

[Jewel]

I opened a tiny online business a year ago which I have since closed. The MINUTE I had a business license, I started getting dozens and dozens of mailers regarding low-interest business loans, insurance for my employees, cheaper interest for a corporate credit card. HUH? It's a podunk business outta my den! :eek: They don't know that, all they see is business license. It's hard as heck to get removed too! :(

[Gail]

Originally posted by lisas3575
...

Did you know that all those unsolicited mailings show up on your credit report? ...

Explain, please. I shred them anyway, because I'm worried about such things falling into the wrong hands, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

...on the other hand, I've been tempted to fill some of them out which come addressed to my 11-year-old. :p (Yes, I've heard stories about people getting credit for their pets and such!)

[cookinator]

Grrr..I tried stuffing their envelopes with other junk mail and sending it right back to them. As long as it doesn't have my name on it!

[mandarin2j]

Originally posted by Jewel
I opened a tiny online business a year ago which I have since closed. The MINUTE I had a business license, I started getting dozens and dozens of mailers regarding low-interest business loans, insurance for my employees, cheaper interest for a corporate credit card. HUH? It's a podunk business outta my den! :eek: They don't know that, all they see is business license. It's hard as heck to get removed too! :(

Jewel-

Your thing with your business license just inspired me to call the county and see about having unwanted commercial solicitors--ads for low mortgage rates (yeah, right, after how much in fees?!), siding contractors, etc.--blocked from getting our home address via our property tax records. I knew property tax records were public information (for many good reasons), but what I did not know is that there is no "opt out" similar to the Oregon "no call" list, that allows individuals to prohibit the culling of their personal information for commercial purposes. I bet your business license (through the city, I imagine) is a similar situation.

On the radio this morning, I heard that Washington is moving toward having a "no call" list (and also prohibiting business from blocking caller id--yay for Washington!) like our's. Maybe your state representative or senator would carry legislation for similar protections from unwanted commercial contact via public business/residential records?

DH is a legislative assistant for two Oregon state representatives, and I put a bug in his ear about this idea. I know of several bills his bosses carried last session that were the direct result of constituent concerns, so maybe a well-placed call might help stamp out unwanted mailed commercial solicitations in Washington? Unless, because it involves regulating contact via the mail, it becomes a federal issue?

-Amanda

[lisas3575]

Originally posted by Gail
Explain, please. I shred them anyway, because I'm worried about such things falling into the wrong hands, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

Anything that comes with a big "Hey Gail! You're PRE-APPROVED for a low low low introductory rate!!!" means that they've ran a credit check on you, which shows up on the report if anyone else pulls it for legit reasons. I discovered this after I requested a copy of my own credit report. I was appalled at all the hits for Capital One and the like.

I recommend getting a copy of your report at least every couple of years and making sure it's correct. I believe (don't quote me) that you can request one per year and it's free, any more than that and you have to pay a fee for it. When I got mine there were a few errors that I needed to corrrect! :eek:

[funnybone]

Hmm, I'm not sure that those mailings are counted. We get these stupid offers everyday, and they have never showed up on any credit report of ours. We get one every 6 months or so, and nothing out of the ordinary has showed up.

Also, in large print they tell you you are pre-approved, but if you read some of the fine print, they tell you that the pre-approval is subject to an actual credit check which will be done once you apply (or something along those lines).

We shred them.

[lisas3575]

Maybe just some companies run the check prior to the mailing then... because I sure had a bunch on my report.

[SusanT]

My state has a "do not call" registry for telemarketing - I wish they had the same for credit card offers. It's nice to feel wanted but sometimes we get three a day. Ridiculous!

[Gail]

Originally posted by lisas3575


Anything that comes with a big "Hey Gail! You're PRE-APPROVED for a low low low introductory rate!!!" means that they've ran a credit check on you, which shows up on the report if anyone else pulls it for legit reasons. I discovered this after I requested a copy of my own credit report. I was appalled at all the hits for Capital One and the like.

I recommend getting a copy of your report at least every couple of years and making sure it's correct. I believe (don't quote me) that you can request one per year and it's free, any more than that and you have to pay a fee for it. When I got mine there were a few errors that I needed to corrrect! :eek:

I see what you're saying.

But, I'd have to question whether these credit checks DO show up for every such pre-approved offer, considering how many we get on a weekly basis. As it so happens, I recently did run a credit check after a local department store made an enormous bookkeeping error and suggested they were reporting me to a credit bureau. Didn't see a thing which looked unusual. (fortunately)

[funnybone]

Originally posted by SusanT
My state has a "do not call" registry for telemarketing - I wish they had the same for credit card offers. It's nice to feel wanted but sometimes we get three a day. Ridiculous!

There is a ton of info on this site http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs4-junk.htm


Here is an exerpt:

MAIL ORDER, CREDIT CARDS AND MAGAZINES. If you are a customer of one mail order company, you are likely to receive offers from other companies. Many mail order firms "rent" their mailing list to other businesses. Credit card companies also rent their mailing lists, as do magazines. So, if you subscribe to a cooking magazine, you may find yourself receiving mail order catalogs for kitchen supplies and food specialties.


Mail-reduction tips. You can remove yourself from most national mailing lists by contacting the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Mail Preference Service MPS). You must re-register after five years.

Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.

You may also sign up online at the DMA’s website for a $5 fee, www.the-dma.org.

The MPS will put you into the "delete" file which is sent to subscribing organizations several times a year. You should see a reduction in catalogs, magazine offers, credit card solicitations, sweepstakes and other national advertising mail within three to four months.

Companies that do not participate in the DMA program must be contacted directly. Notify the customer service department and request that your name and address not be provided to other companies. Contact magazines to which you subscribe as well as charities, nonprofit organizations and professional associations to which you have either donated money or joined.


Many credit card companies compile lists of cardholders for sales promotions based on purchase patterns. California Civil Code sec. 1748.12 requires all credit card companies to provide notice to cardholders prior to disclosing personal information to marketers. Cardholders may prevent the release of this information by filling out a preprinted form or calling a toll-free number

Look at this one:

The U.S. Postal Service sells the names and addresses from its Change of Address cards to the major marketing and financial companies so there will be fewer miss-addressed letters. This is how "junk" mail is able to follow you to your new address. When you move, you might consider not filling out the Change of Address card. You must be sure to contact all your correspondents individually.

[Jewel]

Due to my unfortunate marriage back in 1989 and my subsequent fortunate divorce in 1991, we had to file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in California. I was AMAZED at the number of pre-approved credit cards that came addressed to me right after the bankruptcy filing. I was getting 4 or 5 per week! I wanted to call them and say "Hello!!?? I had to do that because I couldn't pay my bills and you want to give me more credit???" Then I was told by a CPA friend that they WANT to give you a credit card because you cannot file bankruptcy again for 7 or 10 years (Can't remember which) so you're going to be forced to pay them off! You can't file bankruptcy on a maxed out MasterCard 2 years later because you've already filed. In their twisted way of thinking, I'm already proven to be a bad money manager and I like to max out credit cards (even though it wasn't me... :rolleyes: ) so they want to give me all kinds of credit so I will abuse it and they can snag me for all kinds of high interest! ACK! Good girl that I was, I tore them up. The ex-husband? I have no idea, but since we were divorced it made no difference to me if he got himself into Credit Card Hell again! :p It's been nearly 11 years now so my credit report is completely clean, and actually I was able to start rebuilding my own credit immediately anyway, so since 1994 I've been in great shape... I hated the idea of bankruptcy, it always seemed so dishonest to me, but the deadbeat left me no choice! :(

On another note, when DH and I refinanced our home last year we got assaulted by 'pre-approved' offers once again. Credit cards, mortgage insurance, you name it! I would LOVE to get our name on one list that says "no pre-approved!" I get a minimum of 5 or 6 per week still! :mad:

[MrsReber]

I don't know about them all showing up on the credit report, but I have seen them on my credit reports, too. My mom was trying to refinance her mortgage and she was told that these people who randomly check into your credit history DO affect your credit rating.

By the way, I completely agree with Lisa about getting periodic copies of your reports. I have had to have things corrected on my credit reports. I had an open American Express account, which I closed many many years ago. And First Card (my favorite!!) who woudn't close my account after I requested they do so several times. It's interesting to see what's on there- they put any "known" aliases on your report, too. My mom had three aliases because someone once spelled her name wrong on something!

[Kjente2]

These don't bother me as much as those swell auto dialers that call from the moment that we get home from work as well as a few that call while we're gone and leave blank messages when we do get home.
That said, the credit card companies are in heaven with the thought that they can have us pay 2 or 3 times for anything that we purchase and prey on those that they feel can't.

[ewatkins]

I called Experian a few years ago and haven't gotten any credit card offers since.
What shows up on your credit report is the number of firms that have looked at your credit. This can be those annoying offers, or it could mean that you have been applying for credit. That's why it's on the report.