Consumer complaint received 2016-08-04
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: CA
Product: Credit reporting
Issue: Credit monitoring or identity protection
Sub-issue: Billing dispute

Complaint:
I signed up for a free credit report and XXXX score reading on XXXX/XXXX/16 with Experian XXXX XXXX XXXX and there was written in fine print that this is a trial membership and if I do not cancel the membership, I would be charged {$29.00} each month. I canceled the membership by phone within the time period. I believe I called in on XXXX/XXXX/16. I also sent an email the night before on XXXX/XXXX/16 inquiring how to cancel my membership. I received confirmation that my membership was canceled when I called in. I also received a confirmation by email on XXXX/XXXX/16 that my membership was canceled. The cancellation confirmation number is XXXX. Experian claims that I applied for membership again on XXXX/XXXX/16 and began to charge my debit card from XXXX without my authorization. These are fraudulent and unauthorized charges. I did not log in or call in to apply to be a member again. Experian stated that they emailed me a XXXX " welcome letter '', but that was never received by me. I do still have the first XXXX from XXXX/XXXX/16. I think this is some type of scam they are running to be able to charge customers who are not paying attention. I asked Experian if they thought it was logical for me to cancel and then come right back and apply for membership. XXXX scores do not change all that much within a week or so. There was no need for me to reapply for credit monitoring. Experian could not provide me with proof that it was me who logged into the account. This is not something I would do. I knew there was only credit monitoring until XXXX/XXXX/16, so I did not log in thereafter. 

I called Experian two times on XXXX/XXXX/16 and they refused to issue me a full refund for {$110.00}. There were XXXX charges of {$29.00} in total. I checked with my bank and there is an affadavit I must fill out, but they can only credit me two months if at all. 

I hate to lost the money to Experian, but more than just the money I hate that they would make even a dollar from scamming me and other customers. The principle of the matter is at hand. I have looked Experian up on the XXXX site and they have XXXX billing complaints in the last twelve months. 

Please look into this for me and help customers in the future and present with this deceptive and scammer company, Experian. They are practicing unfair practices and are getting away with it. Please help! Thank you for your time and patience in reading this message. 

On Apr XXXX, 2016, at XXXX XXXX, Experian Support & lt ; XXXXXXXXexperiandirect.com & gt ; wrote : & gt ; Thank you for writing. We apologize for the delayed response. 
& gt ; This is to confirm we processed your request for cancellation of the CreditCheck ( R ) Total.com credit monitoring membership as of XXXX XXXX, 2016. Your cancellation confirmation number is XXXX. 
& gt ; Since you requested cancellation during the trial period your credit card will not be charged for the monthly membership fee. If you do see a charge on your billing statement, please contact us either by phone or email and we will work to correct the error. 

& gt ; We will continue to monitor your credit report and you will still be able to receive alerts and access your credit report until XXXX XXXX, 2016, when your membership expires. 

& gt ; We hope you enjoyed your CreditCheck ( R ) Total.com benefits, including the daily monitoring of your XXXX credit report and email alerts when key changes were detected on your credit report. Even though the membership may not have been right for you, please remember that we offer an array of credit report and monitoring products. Our site will allow you to log in to your account in the future in case you wish to purchase such a product or reestablish your membership. 
& gt ; & gt ; We look forward to serving any of your future personal credit monitoring, credit report or credit score needs.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation