The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows the Consumer to obtain a disclosure from every credit reporting agency of the nature of and substance of all information in his or her file at the time of the request. Full disclosure of information in your file at Equifax, Experian or Trans Union must be obtained directly from each credit bureau by calling: Equifax (800-685-1111); Experian (800-682-7654); or Trans Union (316-636-6100).

Rule #1: Never pay

You should never have to pay for a credit report. Period. They try to make money by having you pay for "special shipping" (regular mail is free), or "services" that give you monthly reports, etc. That's all bullshit. Don't fall for it.

Also, if you are denied credit you are entitled to one free credit report from the services they used. The denial letter will include a code # you can use with these companies.

They will often try to confuse you into purchasing one of their for-fee services. Typically it is a service that will send you your credit report once a year, or alert you any time new information is added to your report. I tried this service once. It cost 100 bucks and all they did was send me the forms I had to fill out to get the reports they promised me. When I called them they said, "but we couldn't fill those forms out for you! The companies require your signature!" Well then what am I paying you 100 bucks for? It's bullshit. Just make the calls yourself once a year. Do it on the month that includes your birthday. That way you won't forget.

Rule #2: Don't help them

They have difficulty collecting certain information, such as spouse's name and other stuff that they have NO RIGHT TO COLLECT. However, if you offer it to them, they're allowed to retain that info. To give you a report they ONLY need your full name and SSN. They will try to collect employer, salary, spouse's name, and tons of other stuff that they're having trouble collecting about you claiming they need this information "to help identify you". Sounds like it is to help them make sure they send you the right report, right? No, when they say "to help identify you" they mean "to help THEM gather more identifying information about YOU."

Don't fall for it. Name and SSN is all they need to find your report, and the mailing address is only needed to make sure they're sending the report to the right address. Don't give them anything else: just name, SSN, and mailing address.

If you order by phone, they are less likely to ask for info since it is an automated system. They ask you to enter your SSN, and then use Caller-ID to see if they found the right report. If your report includes your home phone number, they have all they need to send you a report.

So why does their paper and web form ask for your spouse's name, where you've lived the last 5 years, etc. etc? They're trying to collect info that they have no other way to collect. Don't help them by offering it to them. If you list your addresses from the last 5 years. They now know all the places you've lived during the last 5 years because you voluntarily gave it to them! One of the companies doesn't know one of my old addresses and I'm not about to help them find it.

Think about it: Why would they need anything more than your name, ssn, and current mailing address? Mothers maiden name, employer, etc. isn't required! When you see you're report you can tell them if they have the right info... not the other way around!

Rule #3: Call from home

If you call from home, they use Caller-ID to give you much better service. If you call from work or something else, they'll ask 50 ways to verify who you are.

Do not use their web form or their paper forms. They ask too many questions (see Rule #2) and the web site tries to confuse you into using one of their for-fee services (see rule #1).

Step 1: Equifax

Phone number to call: 800 997 2493

How I found their phone number: The phone number they advertise (800-685-1111) isn't the number you call to order your report. I'll save you time, just call the number above. To find this number, I clicked on http://www.equifax.com/ then "Consumers" and these pig fuckers try to get you to pay for the service. It's free, don't let them trick you. Call from home. Don't use their web page.

Description of service: I called from home and they needed my SSN, my birth year, and the numeric portion of my address. The used Caller-ID to identify me. It worked very well. Because Caller-ID was successful, and because I'm in a state that requires one free report a year, they asked minimal questions. They said it would be sent first class mail in 48 hours.

Don't fall for the "For $12 they'll ship it priority mail." It's a scam. Regular mail is just fine.

History:
I ordered it on 2000-01-4 and received it on 2000-01-08. I used their web site to report certain accounts were closed on 2000-01-08 (a Saturday) and later I received a message with the updates.
I called 2001-09-08.
I placed an order 2004-07-17.

Step 2: Experian

Phone number to call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (1 888 397 3742)

How I found their phone number: The phone number they advertise (800-682-7654) isn't the number you call to order your report. I'll save you time, just call the number above. To find this number, I clicked on http://www.experian.com then they distract you with offers that cost money. If you click on "Contact us" they reveal the phone number to call to get it for free with minimal questions. In New Jersey its free but the web site asks for tons of information that they have no right to. A much better deal is to just call 1-888-EXPERIAN (1 888 397 3742) from home, and they use caller ID to identify you and they ask minimal questions.

Description of service: I called from home and they needed my SSN, 5-digit zip code, the numeric portion of my address and that's it. They then gave me a confirmation number. The report is promised to arrive in 8-10 business days.

History:
I placed an order in 2001-01-04 and it arrived soon after.
I placed an order 2001-09-08.
I placed an order 2004-07-17.

Step 3: Trans Union

Phone number to call: 1-800-888-4213

How I found their phone number: The phone number they advertise (316-636-6100) isn't the number you call to order your report. I'll save you time, just call the number above. To find this number, I clicked on http://www.transunion.com then "Contact us", then "TransUnion consumer products", then nearly hidden at the bottom of the page is a link for "by Phone or by Mail". Click on it and they reveal the phone number to call.

Description of service: I called from home. They ask if you are in one of the free states (I pressed 2 because I'm in New Jersey). I had to give them the following information:

I want to point out that even though the first 4 questions were a fixed number of digits they still required you end input by pressing the pound key. I mock companies that do that... it just seems amaturish. I was promised the report in 6-8 business days. Nice touch: they ask if you want your Trans Union credit score... but I assume there is a charge for it. Warning: They don't give you a confirmation number, so there is no proof if you want to complain.

History:
I placed an order in 2001-01-04 and it arrived soon after.
I placed an order 2001-09-08.
I placed an order 2004-07-17.

Step 4: Receive and check your report

Now wait until the reports come in and check for any mistakes. You can usually report the mistakes by phone.

I've found that when correcting mistakes it's a BIG win to call and be extremely friendly. In fact, be joyful and overly happy. These people only get angry phone calls all day, so if you call and are extremely friendly (ask them how their day was, etc.) they seem to give you extra special treatment. Translation: be the FIRST and possibly ONLY pleasant person to be calling them today and you'll get better treatment!