Consumer Rights

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act passed in 2003 permits everyone to receive a free annual credit report from the three major credit bureaus--and more frequently under special...

Shopping can be fun, but returning what you bought isn’t! Of course, you should never try to return merchandise to the wrong chain or do anything unethical However, you can increase your chances...

Purchases made with prepaid Visa cards may be declined or blocked due to insufficient funds, holds or unauthorized use.

Experian, Equifax, TransUnion and Innovis share certain credit information with marketers unless you stop them. This information is used to pre-screen you for credit and insurance offers and other...

Credit bureaus, such as Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, are organizations that compile information on your debts, and calculate your credit score. Each credit bureau must adhere to federal laws...

A debt collection agency primarily works by phone to contact consumers. The majority of a collection agency's calls are directed toward the debtor, but in certain situations, collection agency...

Although creditors have a legal right to be paid the money they are owed, their options are limited when it comes to garnishment. Social Security checks are government funds and as such are exempt...

If you find mistakes on your credit report, you can appeal to the three credit bureaus. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that Equifax, Experian and TransUnion investigate all appeals,...

Medical billing errors can be surprisingly common, but it can challenge most people to spot them on a daunting stack of bills. Common mistakes include double-billing for a single procedure,...

Wondering if renting to own a house is right for you? Think of renting to own as leasing a car with the option to buy it when your lease is up. Many home sellers are happy to enter into...

Dealing with Collection Agencies has a lot to do with knowing their limitations in contacting you concerning late payments or overdue bills. These three steps will help you to know what to do if...

Your credit report is a record of your debts for the past seven to 10 years. In addition to debt, your credit report will also contain a record of your personal information. such as your name,...

Errors on a credit report are more than just a minor issue; they can prevent you from getting approved for auto or mortgage loans, credit cards or low interest rates, among other things....

Vehicle warranty phone calls have been going on for years, although they did not attract the Federal Trade Commission's attention until 2007. Since then, Parija Kavilanz of CNN Money says more...

Debt collectors are illegally trying to scare consumers into paying back Internet payday loans, even if the loans were already repaid, according to the West Virginia attorney general's office....

A soft credit check has no effect on your credit score and will not be viewed by anyone who pulls your report in the future. This is opposed to a hard credit check which will have a slightly...

Vehicles can be towed for a number of reasons, from unpaid parking tickets to police seizure. Whatever the reasons for impound, the bill has to be paid--and the vehicle owner is responsible for...

Credit bureaus put wrong information on your credit reports more often than you might realize. They don't publicly release their error rates, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that...

If you have allowed your credit card debt to go unpaid for long enough, your credit card company can opt to file a lawsuit against you for the balance. It is far more common, however, for credit...

Consumer education encompasses a range of subjects as diverse as consumer spending, debt management and consumer rights. By being an educated consumer, a person can lobby for wage increases and...

If you are being denied credit and you are not sure why, you may need to look at cleaning up your credit report. Contrary to popular belief, there is not a magic bullet to remove negative items...

If a collection agency files a lawsuit against you for a debt and wins, it may request that the court issue a bank levy. A bank levy is a form of garnishment in which a creditor can request that...

Enzyte is an herbal supplement manufactured by Vianda and sold under the premise that it provides "natural male enhancement" by improving blood flow and circulation and increasing sexual stamina....

The role played by loan companies is a controversial one in the financial industry. Short-term loan companies, often called payday lenders, are viewed by some as pariahs and by others as providers...

If you have delinquent account receivables, there is a chance you will need to a collection agency to collect the debt. A collection agency has more experience and capabilities when it comes to...

Occasionally, a consumer's debt may be transferred to collections by mistake. More often than not, however, an account is remitted to a collection agency due to lack of payment. Each credit...

Disputing credit report information is the right of every individual, as granted in 1971 by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Even if negative entries on your credit report correctly reflect...

Experian is one of the three major credit bureaus that maintains a copy of your credit report. The company offers several different products for consumers, ranging from the purchase of an...

Telephone Computer Printer

The three major credit bureaus--Equifax, Experian and Trans Union--help bring financial responsibility to bear in the United States. These three agencies report payment histories for most American...

Counterfeit or fraudulent checks have become more prevalent than ever with the aid of Internet scams. Oftentimes, the first sign that a check is bad is the bad feeling you get when you pick it up....

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your credit-card charge liability is limited to $50 in cases of a legitimate billing error. As defined by federal law, billing errors can involve charges for...

Technology is wonderful. It makes our lives easier and allows us to complete tasks in record time. It also gives thieves another way to cause havoc and distress. Identity theft does more than cost...

If an individual neglects to pay a debt that he owes, his creditor has the option to file a lawsuit against him to collect the unpaid balance. Once a lawsuit is filed, the debtor is either mailed...

In 2008, victims of online fraud lost more than $264 million according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Email scams involving car shipping and similar check-related scams were among the top...

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows Transunion, Equifax, and Experian to sell certain financial information to credit companies and insurers. They use this information to market credit...

Collection agencies are third-party organizations hired by companies to contact people who owe debts. Whether you have an outstanding debt that you know about but cannot pay or a company falsely...

Credit reports are an important part of financial integrity. Lenders and creditors evaluate credit and use it to determine whether to lend money, issue credit cards or allow home or car purchases....

When you are unemployed, the last thing you need is to feel like a hostage in your own home to the telephone and the dreaded debt collectors and collection agencies. While it is probably best to...

A large part of the population depends on Social Security and VA benefits. The Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that there are 23.8 million living veterans, and the Social Security...

Credit cards are one of the safest ways to make a sales transaction. Your card is protected against fraud by the Federal Trade Commission in a way that checks and cash are not. Credit card fraud...

Finding your car has been impounded is frustrating. To make matters worse, attempting to find and retrieve your car can be challenging in and of itself. The car may have been towed because you...

Any individual can opt to fire a lawyer. You can fire your lawyer for mismanaging your case, not returning your phone calls, or for any other reason you choose. Keep in mind, however, that...

You may opt to add a consumer statement to a credit report at any point in time. Consumer statements notify lenders of the circumstances surrounding certain items that may appear within your...

Let's face it, unless your last name is Hilton, Buffett, Walton, or Trump, you are experiencing a little of what all America is feeling in this recession. Almost all of us have been in a need of...

Identity theft happens when someone steals your financial records and other personal documents for their use. Identity theft can not only take thousands of dollars to fix but it makes it harder to...

Because identity theft is such a problem, the three major credit reporting agencies now allow anyone to freeze their credit, while in the past only identity theft victims could request a freeze....

A credit freeze, usually called a security freeze, gives consumers the option to lock access to their credit files. Most people do this to protect against criminals opening credit accounts using...

Beware of "Free Credit Report" offers coming from companies who offer to give your annual free credit report but take advantage of you by inserting monthly subscription fees into the...

Information and the access to information is increasing rapidly, which has many advantages to the consumer for use in obtaining new credit lines and other financial options. The disadvantages are...