Batteries.com letter

[MdCaterer]

I got one also and am wondering if that is how my credit card got compromised earlier this year Luckily the credit card company caught the charges before they got too out of hand. I think it must be the real thing.

[jnorth1007]

I got the letter also. I also had the credit card I used with them compromised. Luckily the CC company caught it and just credited it back to me. Now I know how it must have happened. I went ahead and signed up for the Free 2 years of Experian Triple Alert credit monitoring. Experian didn't ask me for any of my credit card info. The letter gives you a code to enter so you go straight to the free portion of thier credit monitoring site. I figure it is worth it to take advantage of it since they were the ones who compromised my info and nearly cost me a fortune. The charges made on my card were made by someone in Mambai. That is what made me think it had to be through there. Especially since I had paid the card off in January and didn't use it since. I definitely think this is legitimate. Obviously it is those of us who have purchased through them. I am also calling the credit card company on Monday to give them the information so they can add it to the fraud investigation for the charges.

[bartleby1]

Hmmmm... I didn't get a letter yet, but last month we had fraud charges on our credit card which I have used there in the past. Wonder if that is the link?

[MamaO]

I just got back from a long weekend away and also got the letter. I'm going to start by calling batteries.com but the card I think I used was already canceled in late December after my wallet was stolen.
I probably won't use the Triple Alert product they're offering since my previous situation resulted in identity theft so I now have much more extensive monitoring anyway.
Just an FYI to anyone who places the fraud alert on their credit files. When I placed the alerts on my files, it sounded like they could at most cause a little inconvenience because I would have to personally verify any attempt to open credit in my name. It didn't work that way the first time I tried to open a new account - I was not contacted to verify anything and was just flat out denied the credit. I suspected why I was denied so I contacted them and was told that it doesn't have to be a credit freeze - a fraud alert can result in denial as well.
Although an inconvenience, it gave me great peace of mind to know that the system worked! I'll need to keep those alerts on my credit files forever, but now I know not to try opening accounts online or by sending something in the mail. When I apply for credit, I need to actually speak to someone so I can let them know about the alerts why they're there. It makes it far more likely that the request for credit will go through.
I hope everyone affected by this can get it straightened out easily.

[LauraLea]

Just a heads up.

I have dealt with Experian before. Google them. They go by many different names, incuding freecreditreport.com. They are not the most reputable company. I check my credit card accounts on line everyday and am right on top of anything that looks suspicious. In the case with Experian, my credit card company contacted me before the charges even posted to my account. They even provided me with a phone number to contact them, apparently they were quite familiar with some of their shenanigans.

This is also the company that Disney provided to stockholders when information was compromised. I chose not to use it because of my last dealings with them.

Your experience may be different, but google them and decide before you sign up for any of their services.

Laura

[jnorth1007]

I am not sure I understand what you mean about Experian. My understanding is that Batteries.com is paying for us to have a 2 year free membership to the Triple Alert service. From what I have read this service will simply monitor my credit reports and notify me of changes when they occur so that I can decide if something on them is being done by someone other than myself. I didn't read anything about them putting a credit freeze or alert on my credit report and I don't see how they could do something that isn't on the up and up. They won't be charging me and don't even have any of my financial information to do so. If for some reason they fall down on their end then the worst that happens is that I don't know about changes. I also have Suze Orman myfico so I check my reports and scores every three months anyway and sometimes use annualcreditreport.com to check my equifax report each month since that one falls through the cracks on the one free a year thing. If there is something I am missing in this scenario please let me know. I accepted the Triple Alert simply because it was an extra layer of protection for free from a company who had compromised my information. If there is something Experian can/will do that will make things worse I would like to be prepared and possibly just cancel the service. I just don't see where they can scam/cause issues with this service. Thanks for your help!

[m 'n c]

Weird. I ordered from them a few months back but didn't receive a letter. I wonder if it was for a time period before my order.

Janet - I have been using Experian Triple Advantage for the past few months after that AT&T/Collections Agency issue and haven't had any issues with Experian or that service. If it is free for 2 years I would go ahead and sign up with it because you get a free credit report with your score each month. It normally costs $16/month. I am cancelling it because I feel enough time has passed and if the collection agency was going to report it they would have already and I need to cut my budget a little.