Cool Guy In Ad Forgets To Mention He Will Cost You Money

6.52K

Hamilton Nolan

08/04/08 08:22AM

Filed to: freecreditreport.com

Guileless grownups and equally guileless children both seem to respond well to straightforward ad jingles with a catchy tune. But members of the disaffected 20-something creative underclass need a dash of ironic humor with our jingles, to makes us feel like we're not giving in so easily to corporate mind control. That's why the ads for FreeCreditReport.com are so popular-they show a 20-something guy (just like your friends!) singing a funny little song about how hard it is to work crappy jobs, and how happy he is that he can get a free credit report. Turns out the ads are misleading and the reports aren't free at all! How could you do this to us, guitar-strumming advertising guy? FreeCreditReport.com is run by Experian, and it actually signs you up for a $14.95 per month fee when it gives you your report. Making this even worse is the fact that we're all legally entitled to a free credit report from the company every year, via AnnualCreditReport.com. But Experian's site is incredibly successful, because we are all suckers for a catchy ad tune.

"It absolutely is the free credit report," [an Experian exec] said. "It's not the one by the government, which is why we put the link on our front page of the landing site, and it is a free report. It's really a test drive for people to understand what's in that report because a report can be very complex."

One key step to understanding your credit report: knowing where those mysterious $14.95 per month charges are coming from. Three of the company's ads are in the clip below.

The following replies are approved. To see additional replies that are pending approval, click Show Pending. Warning: These may contain graphic material.

Hangnails Hamilton Nolan 08/04/08 08:45AM

@Thatcornellguy: I won't even have sex with someone until I've seen their credit report.

Gizmosmonster Hamilton Nolan 08/04/08 02:44PM

It looks like a great free basement- has a kitchen and different rooms.

Maybe instead of having his "band" over, he should take some more shifts at the pirate place and SAVE for a downpayment for the house-

Bad credit stuff falls off the credit report after 7 years, she must be a couple years into this, so if they save and wait, they can get what they want. Besides, the way this guy parties without her, sooner or later she will dump him and keep the house or any property they aquire. So he is out either way.

Yes, I do know this is only a series of commercials, but this is how sad my life is right now. I must live through catchy tunes and cool dudes.

Aaron Altman Hamilton Nolan 08/04/08 08:55AM

Here's an idea: put every kid in the fourth, fifth or sixth grade through a basic finances course. Teach them about credit, savings, and generally how not to fuck up the rest of your life because you thought the free frisbees and beer mugs at the Chase Visa signup table was worth signing your fucking life away. Then, as the kid progresses through high school and into college, press them to put what they've learned into practice. Perhaps starting with smashing that (plastic) beer mug over the head of the guy at the Chase Visa signup table.

And here's the link that HamNo so very helpfully pointed out.

[www.annualcreditreport.com]

VoxPopuli Hamilton Nolan 08/04/08 10:00AM

Yeah, the one in which he complains about his wife while she's in the room ... passive aggressive much?

A bit off topic, but is anyone else a little scared of Vonage ever since Crazy Eyes has become their spokeswoman? It's hard to see her or her !!VERY EXPRESSIVE EYES!! in this particular one, but this is who I'm talking about.