Last month an unsolicited charge from CIC Triple Advantage appeared on my credit card statement, this month I received another one. When I called my credit card company about it -- no one at CIC picked up when I called them -- my card company's credit manager told me they frequently get complaints about CIC's practices, and there seems to be several sites out there warning and complaining about this company. Apparently there's some small print or a small box to check on their "free" credit report site. Anyway, I feel it is inappropriate and in bad taste for this website to run Google ads for CIC Triple Advantage - unless, of course, this site is run by CIC.

I was charged on my credit card for fee credit report. When I called their number received no answer. Tried 5 five times over a two day period never answered phonee6b27e.

This isn't a complaint against the company, I'm just giving out information to everyone that's going to complain on the company. I've dealt with FreeCreditReport.com before and have NEVER had any trouble with the website, nor have I been billed. All I had to do was READ THE WEBSITE. If you go onto FreeCreditReport.com before you even put your name in to get the report it says the following:

"IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

When you order your free report here, you will begin your free trial membership in Triple AdvantageSM Credit Monitoring. If you don't cancel your membership within the 30-day trial period, you will be billed $12.95 for each month that you continue your membership.

ConsumerInfo.com and Freecreditreport.com are not affiliated with the annual free credit report program. Under a new Federal law, you have the right to receive a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies. To request your free annual report under that law, you must go to www.annualcreditreport.com."

So... they're already letting you know you have 30 days to cancel the membership you're joining. Just in case you don't catch that one, right after you put in your credit card number it also says this:

"Payment Information:

When you order your free report here, you will begin your free trial membership in Triple AdvantageSM Credit Monitoring. If you don't cancel your membership within the 30-day trial period, you will be billed $12.95 for each month that you continue your membership. If you are not satisfied, you can cancel at any time to discontinue the membership and stop the monthly billing; however, you will not be eligible for a pro-rated refund of your current month's paid membership fee. "

So... it LITERALLY tells you "Hey, if you don't cancel, you'll be billed for our monitoring service, but if you cancel you won't be billed." Now if you want to cancel... it's quite a simple process. You go to FreeCreditReport.com and click on the button that says "CONTACT US." And when you click there, lo and behold it says : "CANCEL MEMBERSHIP. If you would like to cancel your membership, for your security, please call our toll-free number at 1-877-481-6826."

So, if you people who are complaining about the site would actually take a second to read the words on there other than "FREE" you'd know why you're being billed. Also, I don't know if it's just my personal common sense, but any time a company says something is "FREE" and they ask for any type of PAYMENT INFORMATION I backtrack and re-read the website. Just a tip for all of you who plan to launch a complaint on CIC/Triple Advantage.

PLEASE, ALL, MAKE COMPLAINTS UNDER "FREECREDITREPORT.COM" ALSO! THIS IS THE ROOT ORGANIZATION!

My story and how I got my refund:

I got my "free" credit report from FreeCreditReport.com about three months ago. For the last two months, I've received unauthorized charges from some outfit labeled "CIC Triple Advantage." Today, I found out that this is the label of the charges made for a bogus membership that FreeCreditReport.com had signed me up for automatically. Even if you think you are not wanting (or are clicking "no" for) any further services from them, this "membership" is begun, and you must give written notification that you do not want it, or you must call 1-877-481-6825 to "cancel membership." And be prepared to wait a long time. Use a land-line phone, so that you are not cut off!

Following is an edited-for-time transcript of my phone call to the above number:

After calling the number (at 12:20 pm MT) and telling the woman that I wanted to "cancel my membership," and after she went through a long spiel about how I signed up for such and such and that this included such and such, she put me on hold with music for a minute or so. The woman came back on and said that my membership was now canceled.

I THANKED her, and then asked for an email confirmation of this. She replied that it would be sent within 2 hours.

I THANKED her again and said that I would now like the charges to my account to be refunded. She said, "the charges are valid," and something about them not being refundable.

I POLITELY persisted, and asked to be transferred to someone who could give me a refund. She repeated the same statement: "the charges are valid," etc. and then said she would be right back. She came back and said that "as a courtesy only the $12.95 has now been refunded to your account."

I THANKED her, and then said, "now I would like the remaining charges refunded as well." Of course, she repeated the mantra and then more about not being refundable, only one month's charges....

I POLITELY said, "I would like to be transferred to the person who gave the approval the first time. She said she would try and ask and to please hold.

This time, the phone did not have music on hold but silence and a lot of clicking. I think that this was the company hoping that I would think that I was disconnected and hang up, because she spoke again after a minute or so (with no clicking, as if she were listening the whole time). I also think that the company has them listen for profanity and threatening language because these are cause for anyone to legally hang up. BE POLITE!

After about 2 minutes of silence, clicks, and knocking sounds, she came back and said that all the charges have been refunded but that I would have to hold for some kind of application process.

Finally, after 5 or 6 minutes of the same silence/clicking, she said that the application was approved and that I would be getting confirmation. I had a hard time understanding her accent, so I said, "Thank you. Please, also, I would like an email confirmation of this." She said that she'd already said that and repeated it back. (Good idea to ask again anyway with a difficult accent!)

I THANKED HER AND GENTLY TOLD HER TO HAVE A GOOD DAY. (I wanted to tell her that she needn't worry, that she wouldn't have that job forever, and that I hoped that she was paid well, because they make a lot of money --- but I didn't.)

I'll write another complaint, if I don't get what was promised.

I've read most of the complaints on this message board and I concur. I just got off the phone with Nicole at 1-877-481-6825. She said that if you don't cancel your "account" within 30 days, you get charged $12.95 per month. I had some very choice words to say about their policy and false advertising and subsequently got her to agree to cancel my "account" and refund my credit card for the past two months. She said it would reflect on my credit card in 7 - 10 days. What a scam!