Do you use Experian or ClearScore? Help our investigation.

[CMA Comms]

Do you use Experian or ClearScore?

The 2 companies provide credit score checking and other financial services to people in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating their proposed merger to make sure it doesn’t lead to less choice or higher prices for people.

As part of our investigation we want to hear from people who use their services, or have used their services in the past. We want to know:

• Why do you use Experian or ClearScore's services?
• What do you think about the services they provide?
• Whether you've used one, the other, or both (and why).

If you want to help our investigation, please reply to this topic. Please be assured that we take confidentiality seriously.

Edited by admin to remove email address

[julian]

I use Clearscore as it is free for what they do. However, there is no easy way (that I have found out) to download their credit reports. They seem to be mobile oriented.

I have browsed, out of interest not compulsion, some of their offers, but as they appear to want everything down to your inside leg measurement, I have only been their once for each offer type. I did find that on the loan offer, they used my stored details, and a hard search later appeared on my credit report. As I do not need any more financial assistance, I will not try again. Once bitten....

They provide a free credit report from Equifax which can be compared to the Noddle one. They also offer targeted financial products should you want/need to explore.

Recently they have been dumping emails to tempt me into further exploring their products and services, like the other comparison sites. It is proving annoying to have to delete them. Many are focussed on people with limited financial and life skills. How to clear your debts - make a budget. How to save money - take sandwiches to work. How to accumulate a deposit - get a bar job/ take in a lodger/ grow your own veg. Perhaps I am just too old.

[CMA Comms]

Thanks very much for your comment Julian, that's really helpful for our work.

[nightwatch]

I too use clearscore as it is free, credit report is not very clear, score goes up and down but with no reason explained for it,
like Julian they target email me with offers for credit cards loans ect, but they are of no use to me, they are aimed at repairing your credit score so the APR is way over the top.
not something I am interested in.mainly used to see who is checking me out.

[julian]

I don't know if this is good or bad, but if Clearscore currently use Equifax and will merge with Experian, will that effectively merge Equifax and Experian, or are they intending to swap feeds? Will 3 become 2 ? ie Experian/Equifax and Noddle.

I don't like the dog adverts, but perhaps they are aimed at that demographic. He seems to be using the app to check on score to use the services provided (ad man's dream), whereas I like Nightwatch use it to monitor watch the watchers. Should they decide to stop the "free life-time access" for those who do not provide them with income, that would be a loss.

[Never-In-Doubt]

This is really quite worrying - I mean, how on earth can Clearscore merge with Experian when it provides data gleamed from Equifax in it's current carnation?

So at the moment we can use:

• MSE Credit Club - Experian Data
• ClearScore - Equifax Data
• Noddle - Call Credit Data

Thus, upon this merger then what? Will the data supplied to ClearScore come from Experian? If so then I wholeheartedly oppose it as a huge mistake - at the moment these are the main 3 free credit reporting companies that are trusted so why would we want to lose access to the second worse CRA's data - Experian is by the far the worst cowboy act, followed by Equifax. Both think they are above the law. Both refuse to acknowledge their legal obligations and both are funded by banks so they are not neutral to consumers in any sense.

We promote full usage of the free CRA reports -> https://all-about-debt.co.uk/credit-fraud-agencies but really, this is the worst thing I have read in a long time. And I have a lot of experience in dealing with the amateurs at Experian, first hand! Only when I threatened them with libel did they remove the unlawful data they were processing.

I hope this does not go ahead.

[CMA Comms]

Thanks to everyone for sharing your views on this thread - they've been really useful for our work!

To give you an update on where we are with our investigation, we've now provisionally found that Experian's proposed takeover of ClearScore is likely to weaken competition and have a negative effect on the services offered to customers. You can read more on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/m...tion-in-sector

We're now asking for people's views on our provisional findings - if you'd like to share your thoughts with us, please continue to post on this thread or email: Experian.Clearscore@cma.gov.uk

Thanks again!

[realfedup]

i have signed up for MSE and Noddle - now Karma, i understand.

Why
6 years was up for my last default and i wanted to see what info was out there about me

Surprises
No link to maiden name, as this information was provided to Experian 10+ years ago - thought they would have kept the information

However
New subscription i did not include information my former name or AKA (thought it would come up automatically)

Outcome
Fair to medium (ish) credit score due to lack of credit history,

Latest
On checking MSE offers - due to lack of credit history only high interest cards ie Aqua/Chrome/Vanquis. Barclaycard and Cap 1 no acceptance rate %