FreeCreditScore.com

FreeCreditReport.com as well as its affiliate site FreeCreditScore.com has been the subject of two major lawsuits. In 2005, the site's owner, Experian Consumer Direct, was sued by the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive marketing tactics. They settled for $950,000 in the form of free credit monitoring for those affected and agreed not to use deceptive and misleading claims about free offers and to offer full disclosure of terms and conditions of any free offers.{{cite news |url=http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/08/consumerinfo.shtm |title=Marketer of "Free Credit Reports" Settles FTC Charges |date=2005-08-16 |access-date=2009-06-06 |work=Federal Trade Commission |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623225525/http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/08/consumerinfo.shtm |archive-date=2009-06-23 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/ftc_consumerinfo.html|title=Marketer of "Free Credit Reports" Settles FTC Charges|date=2005-08-16|access-date=2008-03-27|work=Consumer Affairs}} The penalty was largely seen as ineffective since it amounted to a small fraction of the $72 million annual advertising budget for FreeCreditReport.com. They were further subjected to a 2006 inquiry by the Florida Attorney General for violating Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.{{cite news |url=http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/11/florida_ag_inve.html |title=Florida AG investigates FreeCreditReport.com |first=Bob |last=Sullivan |date=2006-11-15 |access-date=2008-03-27 |work=MSNBC |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127133959/http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/11/florida_ag_inve.html |archive-date=2007-11-27 }} An MSNBC.com investigation of the website called it "misleading", "deceptive" and a "scam".{{cite news|url=http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/09/dont_fall_for_f.html |title=Don't fall for FreeCreditReport.com |date=2006-09-12 |access-date=2008-03-27 |first=Bob |last=Sullivan |work=MSNBC |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516071939/http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/09/dont_fall_for_f.html |archive-date=2008-05-16 }} The program has also been identified as a scam by ConsumerFraudReporting.org.{{cite news|url=http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/freecreditreportdotcom.php|title=FreeCreditReports.com Scam at ConsumerFraudReporting.org}}[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/your-money/credit-scores/03scores.html "A Free Credit Score Followed by a Monthly Bill"] article by Ron Lieber in The New York Times November 2, 2009

The advertising practices of FreeCreditReport.com were specifically addressed in the Credit CARD Act of 2009. Now any company who advertises a “free credit report” on TV or radio must include the statement: "This is not the free credit report provided for by Federal law."{{cite news|url=http://allbusiness.sfgate.com/economy-economic-indicators/economic-indicators/12345170-1.html |work=The San Francisco Chronicle |title=Small Business |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716044111/http://allbusiness.sfgate.com/economy-economic-indicators/economic-indicators/12345170-1.html |archive-date=2011-07-16 }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.nasfaa.org/publications/2009/gccbill052109.html |title=President Poised to Sign Credit Card Act; New Law Substantially Impacts Colleges and Students |access-date=2009-06-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525100131/http://www.nasfaa.org/publications/2009/gccbill052109.html |archive-date=2009-05-25 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-627|title=Text of H.R. 627 (111th): Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (Passed Congress/Enrolled Bill version) - GovTrack.us|work=GovTrack.us}} The law also calls for the Federal Trade Commission to issue new rules that will force free credit report advertisers to inform consumers that the only place for a free credit report is AnnualCreditReport.com.

In October 2007,{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/adtrack/2008-04-13-ad-track_N.htm|title=Ad Track: Starbucks splash stick says no to sploshing|publisher=USA Today|pages=2B|access-date=2009-06-12|date=2008-04-13|last=Petrecca|first=Laura |author2=Theresa Howard |author3=Bruce Horovitz}} Experian Consumer Direct began airing an advertising campaign featuring singer Eric Violette as a man struggling with difficult life circumstances due to his poor credit score, and his ignorance of it. The commercials feature jingles written using various distinctive forms of popular music. To date the company has aired nine different commercials, which have aired in different orders in different markets. The commercials featuring Violette and his band stopped airing in February 2010, as a new band was brought in. In June 2012, the original band returned in new commercials for FreeCreditScore.com as a part of a "comeback" campaign.

The themes/motifs of the commercials include, in order:{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzkBhfbwRkg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/YzkBhfbwRkg |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=All 9 Free Credit Report.Com Commercials|date=4 October 2009|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

• Pirate-themed seafood restaurant
• Living with in-laws
• Used car
• Bicycle riding
• Rockstars pool party
• Renaissance fair
• Roller coaster
• Small town / cell phone shop
• Country bar in Reno

Most feature references to the original "Pirate" commercial; either lyrically, or by including it as part of the background. Most also feature an elderly woman, who in the later commercials is disapproving of the group.

Violette was born June 12, 1981, in Montreal and attended the National Theatre School of Canada in 2002. The commercials prepared by David Muhlenfeld at The Martin Agency began appearing in October 2007. Due to Violette's Canadian French accent, his voice was dubbed by Muhlenfeld.http://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/2014/03/freecreditreport-com-band {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}} He earlier did a Sirius Satellite Radio commercial in French.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQMt7fcqLD8|title=Radio satellite Sirius|date=25 November 2007|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}{{IMDb name|id=3082393|name=Eric Violette}}

When asked about his character by the Washington Post, Violette said that "He's a guy who has a lot of dreams and hopes. But he's not able to make them concrete because I think he's a little bit lazy. He's the kind of guy who always has bad luck . . . but I'm sure he has a good heart."{{cite news|

url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/01/AR2009050100131.html|

title=Conversations: Eric Violette, the FreeCreditReport.com Guy|

newspaper=Washington Post|

access-date=2009-12-17|

date=2009-05-23}}

The commercials have spawned various homages including many parodies on YouTube.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/business/media/04adco.html|title=The High Cost of a 'Free Credit Report'|date=4 August 2008|work=The New York Times}} MADtv parodied the ads in a sketch that featured a young man cursed by bad luck after getting a credit card in his senior year of high school.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuKYP2cBvBA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/MuKYP2cBvBA |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Mad TV - Free Credit Card|date=18 May 2008|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} After racking up $80,000 in debt, he ends up in jail, escapes and eventually winds up living with a skinhead named Fang "in a soggy cardboard box".

In response to the commercials, the Federal Trade Commission produced two public service announcements to remind citizens of the right to annual free credit reports from annualcreditreport.com.{{cite web|url=http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2009/03/ftc-releases-spoof-videos-serious-message-annualcreditreportcom|title=FTC Releases Spoof Videos with a Serious Message: AnnualCreditReport.com is the Only Authorized Source for Free Annual Credit Reports}}

In May 2010 a nationwide band search began to find the new face of freecreditscore.com. Live auditions were held in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Bands could also submit videos of themselves online at freecreditscoreband.com{{Cite web |url=http://www.freecreditscoreband.com/ |title=FCSBand.com - Home |access-date=2010-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101030170814/http://www.freecreditscoreband.com/ |archive-date=2010-10-30 |url-status=dead }} for consideration. Many were typical entries, but some bands, apparently as a joke, submitted videos as well, most notably Comparative Anatomy.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlkCgitUt0U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/OlkCgitUt0U |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=COMPARATIVE ANATOMY: Free Credit Report Band Search Rejection|date=17 June 2010|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}} In August 2010 The American Secrets (Formerly known as "Victorious Secrets", but changed the name to avoid any possible legal issues with Victoria's Secret){{Cite web |url=http://freecreditscoreband.com/ |title=Freecreditscoreband.com -- home of the freecreditscore.com band! |access-date=2011-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103190637/http://freecreditscoreband.com/ |archive-date=2011-11-03 |url-status=dead }} were named the new FCS Band.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/956880/the-victorious-secrets-named-new-freecreditscorecom-band|title=The Victorious Secrets Named New FreeCreditScore.com Band|magazine=Billboard}} The band features Daniel Zott of JR JR.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.metrotimes.com/index.php/2010/08/detroits-victorious-secrets-new-freecreditreport-band/ |title=Detroit Metro Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120804001106/http://blogs.metrotimes.com/index.php/2010/08/detroits-victorious-secrets-new-freecreditreport-band |archive-date=2012-08-04 }}

Unlike the first band, who sang about finding themselves in bad credit situations, the new band sang instead about other people in bad credit situations, while simply being part of the background.

On June 15, 2012, freecreditscore.com released a new commercial that featured the return of the original band.

FCS Commercial Themes:

• "New Spot"- featuring the band gone and regrouping, with all members now financially well off. The "used sub-compact" from the used car commercial, is now pimped out, and the scene from the earlier commercial is reprised. The band is stopped at a light next to attractive women in a red Mustang convertible, but this time, instead of laughing at them as in the previous commercial, the women are now interested because of their financial success.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38icBN1f1_g|title=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}
• "Set It Off"- featuring the band talking about receiving score alerts from the FCS app. The commercial also featured the return of the elderly lady, who frequented the band's older commercials.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFumVTomsFY|title=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}

{{reflist|2}}

• [http://annualcreditreport.com AnnualCreditReport.com], the legally mandated, FTC-promoted site.
• [http://FreeCreditScore.com FreeCreditScore.com]
• [http://FreeCreditreport.com FreeCreditReport.com]

Category:Finance websites

Category:Credit scoring