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Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

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Re: Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

#261
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm aware this is legally the case, but I think this is yet another sign that default opt-in isn't a legitimate agreement, society has become pretty litigious and I think some of the understanding around default opt-ins during enrollment for other services and third party data sales need to be revisited. I find them to be highly unethical and to generally result in a contract negotiated without compensation and any c…

This is not "default opt-in", like having the "Subscribe to our email newsletter" checked on an online order form. The sharing of credit worthiness information is the cornerstone of your ability to get credit. It's not a hidden extra, it's not something you can choose not to get, there's no "opt out". It's a condition of doing business with the credit grantor. It's like opting out of having a driver's license. If you…

It is, in a word, extortion.

Re: Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

#263
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, most of us did opt in. If you look at the credit agreements we sign when we buy cars, open credit accounts, enter into a mortgage, we give the lender the privilege to share our data with these credit reporting companies.

I read or heard a phrase for this recently and it's "consent theater".

See also, "manufacturing consent"

Re: Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

#264
post #163
post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A genuine alternative is to be able take your custom to one of the MANY other providers who aren't forcing you agree to conditions that are ridiculous. As soon as there is no alternative it's an industry cartel and we need to look at regulating. What is appropriate to determine credit worthiness? How about a blood sample? How much melanin do you have? Who did you vote for and we'll need that verified with a photo of…

it's an industry cartel and we need to look at regulating There are ALL KINDS of regulations around banking and credit reporting. All of the wacky things you mention are already not allowed.

no, not all things that are wacky are disallowed and that's the point. I chose examples that are hard to disagree with to show why regulation is already used and is necessary in the presence of market failure. This is market failure, clearly.

You can't take your business elsewhere if you don't like the provisions on account of the fact that they ARE wacky. You can't renegotiate wacky contract provisions. Market failure.

Re: Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

#265
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you could build a better algorithm to do underwriting, you could make billions. Companies try all the time like zest finance.

Why? Why feed into it? This is the mentality that kills me. Why double down and try to make something that is already being gamed? The very definition of insanity is doing The same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. There is no right to operate a business that exposes everyone to risk they have no choice in whether to accept or not. Centralizing excessive amounts of data with obtuse and dubio…

It wouldn’t put anyone at risk if we held lenders to a legal standard of proof that YOU signed a contract asking for money. It might be inconvenient but not compared to being stuck with debts you never agreed to.

Re: Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

#266
post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not "default opt-in", like having the "Subscribe to our email newsletter" checked on an online order form. The sharing of credit worthiness information is the cornerstone of your ability to get credit. It's not a hidden extra, it's not something you can choose not to get, there's no "opt out". It's a condition of doing business with the credit grantor. It's like opting out of having a driver's license. If you…

> The sharing of credit worthiness information is the cornerstone of your ability to get credit. It's not a hidden extra, it's not something you can choose not to get, there's no "opt out". It's a condition of doing business with the credit grantor. No, this is only true because the law does not meaningfully restrict abusive contracts. Sure, a credit card issuer should [0] be able to ask some agency for information o…

How would 'some agency' have anything to say about your credit risk if issuers of credit weren't feeding them information about your credit performance?

What's more bothersome to me is that these companies are scooping up every bit of information they can about me and selling it to anyone. Did I consent to TheWorkNumber? I definitely did not with the first few employers / payroll processors who have sold out my payroll data.

I Google my full name and the first hit is some background check site that shows my birthday, most of addresses I've had since the mid-90s, every family member I've shared an address with since 1999, information on two vehicles I presently own and one former, and that's just the bait to get someone to pay for whatever else they know about me...

'Credit' information is the tip of the iceberg.

Re: Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

#267
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, if you want to borrow money, the person loaning you money is generally going to insist that you opt into the system that helps them understand if you are a good credit risk or not. That's not an unfair request on their part. Don't want to participate? Then don't ask for a loan.

Just be rich!

Rich people depend on credit more than anyone. They call it 'leverage.'

Re: Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

#268
post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Market is efficient. If underwriting wasn’t efficient, a company could utilize better algorithms and offer better rates and better determine risk to minimize default. This a multi billion dollar opportunity. People don’t care about who is underwriting their car or home loan, they care about rates.

Equifax and their brother businesses give us low rates in exchange for exposing us to fraud risks whose monetary value is probably literally incalculable. The thing is, we don’t get to choose whether we’re exposed to those risks. It happens whether we like it or not. So let’s say I start a company that offers better TCO: my rates are a bit higher but this is more than made up for by a much lower fraud risk. Do I win…

There are underwriting systems that don't pull credit reports. The loan rates are around 20% and go down as you develop a history with them. People have choices.

Re: Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

#269
post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The sharing of credit worthiness information is the cornerstone of your ability to get credit. It's not a hidden extra, it's not something you can choose not to get, there's no "opt out". It's a condition of doing business with the credit grantor. No, this is only true because the law does not meaningfully restrict abusive contracts. Sure, a credit card issuer should [0] be able to ask some agency for information o…

> It does not follow at all that the issuer should have permission to give information back to the agency. The agreements you sign when requesting and getting credit explicitly grant that right.

Nothing is really “explicit” when it’s buried in pages of small print legalese. If everyone just read (forget understood, just read) everything they ever signed or agreed to thoroughly, life would slow down significantly.

Re: Equifax removed the $125 claim payout option after millions submitted claims

#270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read or heard a phrase for this recently and it's "consent theater".

See also, "manufacturing consent"

That’s more of a term for propaganda as a tool of modern society, based on Chomsky’s work.
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