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Test Drive and Driver’s license

October 02, 2014 07:50PM
Has anyone had their credit check by a dealer while doing a test drive without authorization? There are some shops I would like to pick up but don't need the credit pulls.

Have PV-500 & UE certified
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More About Car Dealerships
October 02, 2014 07:52PM
Is your state one that shows your Social Security Number on the license?

Without the SSN, they cannot pull credit, AFAIK

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
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October 02, 2014 07:55PM
walesmaven Wrote:
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> Is your state one that shows your Social Security
> Number on the license?
>
> Without the SSN, they cannot pull credit, AFAIK


That used to be true, but now they can just by the simple information on your DL. I heard of it happening before, but wasn't sure.

"TransUnion prefers to get the SSN, because it more reliably helps locate your exact credit file, but it’s not absolutely necessary. The credit report access keys on the license are your name, address, and date of birth, all of which are essentially public information. The driver’s license number itself is not relevant, since the credit bureaus don’t use that as an identifier.

Car dealers commonly ask for and photocopy your driver’s license before they’ll let you take one of their cars out for a test drive, says Charles Cyrill, a spokesman for the National Automobile Dealers Association. If you encounter this situation and are worried that your privacy may be compromised, explicitly tell the salesperson that you are not authorizing use of your license to pull your credit report."


From - consumersreport.org

Have PV-500 & UE certified
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October 02, 2014 08:49PM
Ahhhh. Very good thing to know.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Reply
October 02, 2014 10:13PM
I thought your credit can not be pulled unless you give permission or even have to sign a release.
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October 03, 2014 01:42AM
Credit can and is often pulled without permission. Example the check cashing ones out now.

cjbstar Wrote:
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> I thought your credit can not be pulled unless you
> give permission or even have to sign a release.
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October 03, 2014 01:47AM
It's not supposed to be. I had some yahoo when I was seriously looking at a truck that I was going to pay cash for try to tell me he was required to run my credit in order to sell me the truck.

I did not buy a truck from him.

nor did I let him pull my credit.

Time to build a bigger bridge.
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October 03, 2014 02:35AM
An apartment manager I know asked if I would do checks on prospective tenants. We checked the law up one way and down the other and never could figure out a way that he could farm that work out to me. Apartment law is specific. I was told by a police officer that it is just as strict with gun sales. A gun shop owner or perhaps a secondary agent there has to do the check. They can't send it out to any third party. While it is possible to do a background check, especially of someone who is sitting with your grandma or someone doing some work at your house, for all of the situations you mentioned, it appears that permission must be granted. I'm not sure how checking to see how many felons such as child molesters live in your neighborhood figures in with this policy.

I am not a lawyer. The above is just my opinion based on my best research about the subject.
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October 03, 2014 05:05AM
cjbstar Wrote:
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> I thought your credit can not be pulled unless you
> give permission or even have to sign a release.


There's a huge difference between not supposed to and not having the ability to. Legally you should not have to tell the dealer not to pull your credit, they should ask you if they can before they do. At the same time there are no checks in place so that the credit agency knows you gave authorization. They have the ability to just put in an SSN and get the report.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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October 03, 2014 10:04AM
No one can pull your credit without your permission. Now, understand that your credit card company or your mortgage company has a disclaimer in paperwork you filed when you applied that you didn't read that allows the to pull your credit report. No car dealership should be pulling your credit report without your permission, even with your DL information...you do NOT need a SS# to pull a credit report. It can be done without one.

That doesn't mean some dealerships might not do that, but it is not legal.
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October 03, 2014 11:01AM
RIMS Wrote:
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> No one can pull your credit without your
> permission.

Again, sure they can. Legally they're not supposed to, but they do have the ability to do it.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
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October 03, 2014 04:03PM
If they do it without your permission, you can contact the big three and have the unauthorized pull scrubbed from your credit report. In my case, I filled out a form stating I'd never submitted an application (I hadn't) so never authorized a credit check. These stay on your credit report for two years, but if you contact the big three, they are scrubbed within three months.

I have not had this happen by a dealership, but did have it happen twice on apartment shops, where I had to provide my ID when I signed in before my tour. They pulled my credit AFTER my shop... 2 days after in one case, a week after in the other.

I check my credit once every 1-2 months because I do a lot of shops which require ID and/or credit card to hold a reservation, and I'm just paranoid, I guess.

If you see an unauthorized pull and can trace it back to a recent shop, contact your MSC and let them know. They won't be able to do anything, but the client will be grateful to know.

------------------------------------------------
Plan the work. Work the plan.
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October 03, 2014 05:39PM
dspeakes Wrote:
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> It's not supposed to be. I had some yahoo when I
> was seriously looking at a truck that I was going
> to pay cash for try to tell me he was required to
> run my credit in order to sell me the truck.
>
> I did not buy a truck from him.
>
> nor did I let him pull my credit.

So you planned to go to your bank and bring back actual cash? If not then anything else is a extension of credit until funds are fully cleared. In that case you can allow the identify/fraud check to be processed using a credit check or leave the truck with them for around 10 business days while funding is allowed to fully clear.

Federal laws would require a SSN disclosure for cash over $10k. Your bank handles that if you get a bank check.

If you were selling your truck would you hand over clear title for a piece of paper with writing on it?

My posts are solely based on my opinions and for my entertainment, contact a professional if you need real advice.

When you get in debt you become a slave. - Andrew Jackson
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