Hope you won't cancel, or other come ons

I recently "signed up" for a credit monitoring service. The reason I placed signed up in quotation marks was that I had no intention of utilizing this service. I simply wanted my credit score. I suspect many others do the same thing. So after "signing up", I'm supposed to get a postal mail containing some code I need to get access to my credit file and credit score. 4-5 weeks later and no mail, I contact this credit "service" CreditExpert. They e-mail the necessary information, only after having already charged my credit card for the next months service. They "offer" to extend my account for another 30 days. These sleezeballs count on you signing up for the service and then not cancelling. My guess is that most "1 month free" offers count on you not cancelling a worthless service.

After all is said and done, I finally got my credit report and credit score. Since CreditExpert wouldn't credit me for the 1 month of service I didn't receive, I called my credit card company who promptly removed the charge. I've subsequently cancelled my CreditExpert account and suggest others not bother with their "service".

While I'm on the subject of credit reports and credit scores, I find it more than humorous that I have only a fair credit score. Apparently paying a couple of bills past their due date damages your credit score. I could understand this if the situation were that I was unable to pay the bills. But in my case, either myself or my spouse didn't keep on top of the bills so paid some late. For the privilege of paying the bill and the usury interest and fines for paying late, I get a "fair" credit score. Does the credit score consider that I could have paid off the balance 1000 times over? No. So not only does the creditor get some ridiculous late fee and interest rate, the idiotic credit reporting agencies ding my credit score. The lesson to all of this? Be poor and pay your bills on time. You'll get a great credit score.

And who says morons don't run the world?

First but not last

Well since this is going to be the first of my random rants, I thought I'd start out gently.

Why is it when you call Cingular with a question and your bill is due or past due, they treat you like a criminal? In fact, why do most companies treat you that way? Never being one to be particularly inclined to watch my bills like a hawk, I'm periodically behind in one or more bills. Although I may have successfully paid the bills to a certain vendor for the last 10-20 years, I'm treated like a deadbeat and someone that is going to make off with their valuable services.

I'll add other companies to my list of least favorite customer service, but to begin with I'd like to name:

Cingular
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Sears

as receiving dishonorable mention for treating a past due bill like a mortal sin. Phooey on you!