by Shea Ryan

Created on: March 20, 2007   Last Updated: February 05, 2010

"FREE CREDIT REPORT!" the faceless voice blared in tandem with the bold type on my TV screen, "For YOURS, go to freecreditreportforunow.com"
Okay, I was in. "Free" is a wonderful word, and I DID wonder what my credit looked like these days, after several years post-auto accident, countless medical bills and collection notices from the creditors my insurance carrier still had not gotten around to paying.

So the next morning, at my computer with a satisfyingly just-right cup of coffee, I remembered the commercial and easily typed in the web address.
Ah-ha. I was at the right place. Big, bold and color-beautiful type-font reminding me that, yes, this was the place to get my FREE peek at my mysterious credit report, and I would soon be on my way to making it PERFECT again.

One simple little form to fill out: name, email address, street address, a few other personal identification items like Social Security number, State ID and/or Driver's License. And there, just above the SEND button, a little line of underlined type that read something like "Yes, I have read the Terms & Conditions etc." with a pre-ticked little check box beside it. Of course, I clicked the SEND button without hesitation. These things are all the same, anyway. You read one set of "Terms and Conditions", you've read them all, so... why waste more time?

Within moments, I was routed to a page with a little clock in the center, it's hands making their animated way around and around. "Please Wait..." read the friendly note below it. And I did, patiently. After all, I was asking them to provide me with VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION, and it would be worth the wait!

Cool... There it was. A new page, JUST for me. I could view my credit report NOW, either online, or download it to view as a a PDF. I couldn't wait: I selected "View Now".

It was a long page, very detailed, and I was quite satisfied with the results. Surprised AND satisfied. My credit rating was NOT as bad as I had feared, and there were a few creditors listed therein that I KNEW were simply late-insurance-payment related, nothing to worry overmuch about. I printed my credit report, very pleased with the whole experience. I DID understand that this particular site would only allow me free access to my credit report ONCE a year, but I was okay with that. I went back and saved the file as a PDF to my hard drive, so I could look at it again later. I now had a copy in my hands of my credit report, up-to-date, and I intended to use it to straighten

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