I did a car sales shop back in February for Best Mark. The guidelines stated that I was supposed to ask about a car but not to give my SSN to do a soft inquiry on my credit. When I went to do the shop, the associate seemed adamant about getting my info to do an inquiry, and said that was the only way to tell me what cars he could offer even after I repeatedly said I was only looking at general cars and prices. Because this was only the second shop I had ever done and I didn't want to screw it up or ruin the shop, I gave him the information. I explained this in my report, however Best Mark never said anything about it. (In hindsight, I should have contacted the scheduler about the issue, but this was before I found the forum or knew half of what I know now.)

Fast forward to today, I noticed that this shows up on my credit. Is there anything I can do about it at this point? My credit is already not the best since I haven't established any real lines of credit. I haven't done any shops for them since then, but the car shops are a pain anyway.Should I just make this part of the learning curve, or should I press the issue with Best Mark? What should do if this happens in the future? I appreciate your input.

I do a lot of car shops. I don't give my social security number for any shop, no matter how aggressive the salesman is.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

I do a lot of car shops. I don't give my social security number for any shop, no matter how aggressive the salesman is.

If I ever do them again, I will make sure not to! I was just overwhelmed by the whole situation at the time. I have never shopped for a car in real life, yet alone trying to remember guidelines while doing it. And I stressed myself out for $17... I'm glad I found this forum.

@jdickersonshops wrote:

I did a car sales shop back in February for Best Mark. The guidelines stated that I was supposed to ask about a car but not to give my SSN to do a soft inquiry on my credit. I gave him the information. I explained this in my report, however Best Mark never said anything about it.

Fast forward to today, I noticed that this shows up on my credit. Is there anything I can do about it at this point? My credit is already not the best since I haven't established any real lines of credit. Should I just make this part of the learning curve, or should I press the issue with Best Mark? What should do if this happens in the future?

I do a lot of car and motorcycle shops because I enjoy them. The reason BM told you not to give out your SSN was because if they do a credit inquiry, it does go on your credit. BM did not mention anything after you filed your report because whether the car company does a credit inquiry or not really does not affect your shop. Their SSN warning was merely to try to protect you from taking a credit hit.

No, at this point there is nothing you can do. The car company did a credit check and it is on your credit. This is part of your learning curve. There is no issue to press with BM. Once you gave your SSN and the salesman pulled your credit, it was a done deal. Don't let it happen again. Be assertive. Tell the salesperson NO. You aren't ready to have a credit check run, and you are not going to provide your SSN. You are really interested in his cars, but you haven't made a final decision yet and you don't plan to do any credit work until you do make the final decision.

Are you talking about the $14, $17 or $21 luxury car sales shop because none of them required you to get specific car pricing data. All you need is the sales rep's card and get out of there as fast as you can. The goal of any of these ultra low paying car shops is to see if the dealer has breathing, living human beings, nothing more!

I don't think Best Mark or the client can do anything at this point because you did provide your SSN, even though it was under duress. The inquiry can't be rescinded because it's over and done. If you do more car shops, you can inform the salesjerk that he/she doesn't need your SSN to answer your question. If they persist, say you'd prefer to deal with someone who is better informed.

I'm not sure how long inquiries remain on your credit report. If you noticed a drop in score, you can put a letter of explanation on file with the credit reporting agencies explaining what happened.

Sorry it happened to you., but glad you submitted this post because it's a good head-up for the rest of us.

@jdickersonshops wrote:

When I went to do the shop, the associate seemed adamant about getting my info to do an inquiry, and said that was the only way to tell me what cars he could offer even after I repeatedly said I was only looking at general cars and prices.

Unless it is a requirement of the MSC/Client to discuss credit - and it sounds like it wasn't - you simply could have said, "look, I don't believe in financing cars. I've always paid cash. Let's find me some cars and give me some prices. Or should I simply go to your competitor down the road? I know that they would be plenty happy to receive my cash. What would you manager think if she/he knew you didn't want to sell me a car?"

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2016 10:51PM by Rousseau.

@GuyFawkes wrote:

Are you talking about the $14, $17 or $21 luxury car sales shop because none of them required you to get specific car pricing data. All you need is the sales rep's card and get out of there as fast as you can. The goal of any of these ultra low paying car shops is to see if the dealer has breathing, living human beings, nothing more!

It was the $17 one. As I said before, I had not visited a dealership period, let alone for a shop. I believe I let him take the reigns as far as what the visit would entail. I had to evaluate his presentation and made sure he hit his marks, I believe.

I have learned a lot from reading the forums as well as doing other shops, so I wouldn't do it that way if I were to do it again. I would walk about before I gave him the info. I was just curious as to what the forum "vets" though about the situation.

@ChrisCooper wrote:

I'm not sure how long inquiries remain on your credit report. If you noticed a drop in score, you can put a letter of explanation on file with the credit reporting agencies explaining what happened.

That may be worth looking into. Thanks

It is a learning experience, but if you can't be firm and say "NO" when asked for your SSN on a shop then you should avoid car shops, cell phone shops where a contract might be involved, auto insurance inquiries etc. When cornered on a shop I indicate that I do NOT want them pulling my credit until we have agreed to a deal and I will give them my credit score and they can base their pricing on that. I offer them the wiggle room that if indeed my credit score does not come back as represented or better they will be free to walk away from the deal. If they don't agree I do what I can with the remainder of the shop, report it and report what they refused to do without a credit check.

If you're going to get stressed out, do it for a $75 car shop!

I don't even give my SSN when I do bank shops.

@jdickersonshops wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

I do a lot of car shops. I don't give my social security number for any shop, no matter how aggressive the salesman is.

If I ever do them again, I will make sure not to! I was just overwhelmed by the whole situation at the time. I have never shopped for a car in real life, yet alone trying to remember guidelines while doing it. And I stressed myself out for $17... I'm glad I found this forum.

I thought about doing those, but I think i would stand out as the shopper. I look my age, and I don't know much about cars. I feel like I'd be a dead giveaway.

@HonnyBrown wrote:

If you're going to get stressed out, do it for a $75 car shop!

I don't even give my SSN when I do bank shops.

@jdickersonshops wrote:

@HonnyBrown wrote:

I do a lot of car shops. I don't give my social security number for any shop, no matter how aggressive the salesman is.

If I ever do them again, I will make sure not to! I was just overwhelmed by the whole situation at the time. I have never shopped for a car in real life, yet alone trying to remember guidelines while doing it. And I stressed myself out for $17... I'm glad I found this forum.

OP - having this show up on your credit report doesn't necessarily mean your credit score goes down. It most cases I believe it's a "soft" hit and will go away in a short time. Have you seen a decline in your credit score?

Inquires soft or hard take two years to go off your credit report. One or two will not hurt your score. It is when you have several however there is an exception and that would be several inquires within a short time period if you were shopping for a car then several lenders would pull a report.

I don't care for this MSC so I no longer shop for them, I totally understand the "if I don't do this they may not pay me thing"......I NEVER give out my ssn # and now you know...in the future NOPE

@nanabelle wrote:

I don't care for this MSC so I no longer shop for them, I totally understand the "if I don't do this they may not pay me thing"......I NEVER give out my ssn # and now you know...in the future NOPE

I bet the shopper felt humiliated, all the emotional duress, stress and time wasted for $17 tiny dollars. This salesperson had no right to demand any SSN information and yet they did. Most of us did one or two before we decided they were the most insulting gigs ever. I stopped doing shops for them, seem's I was one of the few dummies because of all the offers of tiny bonuses they offer. There were shops on their board that had not been shopped for months, no amount of Travel Pay motivated shoppers to drive for this cheap company.

I worked as a car salesman for a short while.... There are a couple of things that you can say that will end all questions about your credit: 1) (Likely the best for most folks) "I already have my financing secured though my bank. I'm not worried about financing." 2) This works best if you are a little older. "I don't plan to finance at all. I'm paying cash." With either of these scenarios, the salesman no longer needs your SSN for anything and you can set whatever price range on vehicles that might be necessary for the shop - most customers know what they can/are willing to spend. Especially with the second scenario, you can easily say, "Money is not the question. I just want to make sure that we find the right car for me." Note: If you are ever purchasing a car, your negotiations are much easier if you are either paying cash or already have your financing. You'll actually know how much you are paying!

The only thing you can do is work on building your credit. Since you weren't supposed to give your SS number, Bestmark has no responsibility....Get a store credit card, maybe a gas station. Use it once a month, pay it off....after a while, apply for a major credit card...and again, use it once a month for items you would normally buy and pay it off immediately.

I wonder what would happen if you gave a fake SS number just to shut them up?

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2016 08:25PM by jmitw.

The trick was so the sales associate could work into the "what do you want your monthly payment to be?" scam. They then play with the numbers to get you into more car than you can afford for a term longer than the car will have any value at a higher interest rate than you deserve.

It can be a little intimidating in the beginning. Just know if the guidelines state you do not have to give your SSN or your real name or your real contact information you should stand your ground. If the associate refused to provide service, so be it. Write up your report with an explanation of what happened. Just this morning I had a mortgage shop with guidelines stating not to give my SSN. The mortgage banker actually got a little pissy with me and I thought she was just going to refuse to give me anything. She seemed to reconsider. It's anyone's guess whether she realized I might be a shopper or I might just be a real prospect shopping around. I was prepared to walk out the door with just the five minute interaction.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/16/2016 10:10PM by LisaSTL.

"Soft inquiries typically occur when a person or company checks your credit report as part of a background check. Examples include employer background checks, getting pre-approved for credit card offers and checking your own credit score. Unlike hard inquiries, a soft inquiry may occur without your permission. However, they won't affect your credit score. Soft inquiries may or may not be recorded in your credit report, depending on the credit bureau." CREDIT KARMA

The only time you EVER have to give your REAL personal information is if you are taking a test drive, and that ONLY requires a driver's license. And you better be earning more than $15 a shop for that!!!

I do a lot of car shops for different companies and I never take a test drive or give them any of my personal information. Go to gmail and set up a fake name account to use as an email address (if you have to correspond with them, per the shop) and also use google voice to get a phone number that will link to that email address (and more). Then just leave a generic "you've reached # 123-4567, please leave a message" that way you can link other fake gmail accounts to it if you have a few different identities. I have 4 gmail addressed hooked to one google voicemail. All are free. I check them after shops when I have to wait for feedback for a shop. Otherwise I just delete the emails.

And, live and learn. I made the same mistake years ago. Now I go in with a fake name, matching email address and fake number but I hardly ever give them out - I tell them I'm not comfortable giving out my personal information until I make a final decision. Most are understanding. The ones that are not will still not lose a sale over it.

Also, just tell them you have excellent credit and be confident about it. If needed, check the credit union web pages where you live and find the lowest rate - tell them you're a member and you've already been approved at that rate. They'll either try to match it or not. That is, if this is a shop that you have to get an offer from. Otherwise just ask to sit in the car (which does NOT require a DL) and let them tell you about it before asking for their card and leaving.

They'll ask 10 different ways for a DL but just say no. Legally, you do not have to hand it over to copy unless you are taking a test drive.

Good Luck!

I agree car shops are a pain in the butt. Because the sales people are so anxious to make a sale, they make multiple follow up calls. I have never given my SS number either. But you made a mistake, and as you saw it gave a hit to your credit rating. I think I might contact the dealership and ask to speak to a manager. Tell them you were looking at cars, dealt with ****** sales person and you clearly told him/her you were not ready to buy and you did not want a credit check run until you were ready to make a purchase. DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MYSTERY SHOPPING. But I would let that manager know that I will not be purchasing a car now or later from that dealership because their sales person applied so much pressure!

@res820 wrote:

I agree car shops are a pain in the butt. Because the sales people are so anxious to make a sale, they make multiple follow up calls. I have never given my SS number either. But you made a mistake, and as you saw it gave a hit to your credit rating. I think I might contact the dealership and ask to speak to a manager. Tell them you were looking at cars, dealt with ****** sales person and you clearly told him/her you were not ready to buy and you did not want a credit check run until you were ready to make a purchase. DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MYSTERY SHOPPING. But I would let that manager know that I will not be purchasing a car now or later from that dealership because their sales person applied so much pressure!

I don't see anything from the OP that this "gave to a hit to your credit rating." Yes, this soft inquiry will show when you pull your own credit report but should not affect you negatively if you are applying for a loan or a credit card. The important thing is your credit score and I don't see where that was impacted. I agree not to give the dealer your SSN but I don't see this one instance to be of any concern.

[money.usnews.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2016 02:48AM by kenasch.

It was a hard check, a few do not affect your score. Each reporting company rates and retains credit check activity differently. It is a minor impact on your score.

I've been selling cars for 14 years. I've heard of places like the one you dealt with, never understood how they get away with treating people so badly.

You can make your case to the major credit reporting bureaus...not sure where your 'hard inquiry' was, but you can contact TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. I would say something like the salesperson was overzealous and you did not give permission for the credit check to occur. Could they please remove the inquiry? It doesn't hurt to ask and it has worked for me and my wife in the past, albeit not everytime. Good luck!

I had this happen on a cell phone shop. The salesman was a pain right off the bat.... Told me he could not show me any phones or help me, without finding out what I qualified for (cell phone shop from hell). I was worried my shop would be denied because I refused a credit report.

Catch 22. The guidelines said if the store asks you to run a credit report, you must accept.... (I knew I should have cancelled) but sure enough, he ran my report and it REMAINS on my credit report for OVER a year now! Not happy about that...

@FLguy65 wrote:

You can make your case to the major credit reporting bureaus...not sure where your 'hard inquiry' was, but you can contact TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. I would say something like the salesperson was overzealous and you did not give permission for the credit check to occur. Could they please remove the inquiry? It doesn't hurt to ask and it has worked for me and my wife in the past, albeit not everytime. Good luck!

I would never lie about someone pulling my credit without my permission. The OP clearly gave permission. They also most likely provided additional information, as well as signed something. He is an adult and made a adult decision, he can learn from it but has to live with it. Your lie is also an accusation that the company broke the law.

As far as providing a fake SSN, that is illegal.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2016 09:28PM by isaiah58.

@jmitw wrote:

The only thing you can do is work on building your credit. Since you weren't supposed to give your SS number, Bestmark has no responsibility....Get a store credit card, maybe a gas station. Use it once a month, pay it off....after a while, apply for a major credit card...and again, use it once a month for items you would normally buy and pay it off immediately.

I wonder what would happen if you gave a fake SS number just to shut them up?

What would happen is they would find out the SSN does not match the person's name on your driver's license. The shop would be over at that point....

@LisaSTL wrote:

The trick was so the sales associate could work into the "what do you want your monthly payment to be?" scam. They then play with the numbers to get you into more car than you can afford for a term longer than the car will have any value at a higher interest rate than you deserve.

The manufacturer's of the cars know it is possible car dealers do this. If it goes into the report, they are informed who is playing that game.

________________________________________
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.

I assumed this was a soft inquiry, because that's what he said. But other things I've had soft inquiries done for do not even show up. It's water under the bridge now.

I thank everyone for the advice. I am my own business and have to learn as I go. I don't really rely on my credit for my needs, but I guess it would be a good practice to build it up. I do have a Tesla shop coming up and I'm definitely not giving them my SSN for a credit check, I'm sure that would out me as the shopper immediately LOL.