Credit Checks (to rent, credit score, employment)

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by bayarea-girl

Atlantagreg, are you serious even for a job? That is crazy. Like I mentioned before this type of thing doesn't happen in CA. They might check your background if you are working with money which I totally understand (or if you are working for a government entity). But your credit too. This is ridiculous. Please some one tell me what the deal is. I will make it a point to contact the politicians in GA (don't know what good that will do but I will make it a point).

Oh, it's almost common for most companies now to check your credit score if you apply for a job here now. Not places like fast food of course, or maybe even many lower pay retail type jobs - but ANY white collar professional level position - oh yeah - that credit score gets popped up before you can think of it. The "theory" is that if your score is too low, you must be unreliable with money, have bad finances, and therefore a greater risk to steal (yes, really, that's the mentality).

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Oh, it's almost common for most companies now to check your credit score if you apply for a job here now. Not places like fast food of course, or maybe even many lower pay retail type jobs - but ANY white collar professional level position - oh yeah - that credit score gets popped up before you can think of it. The "theory" is that if your score is too low, you must be unreliable with money, have bad finances, and therefore a greater risk to steal (yes, really, that's the mentality).

That is soooo ridiculous, and I agree, it should be against the law!

I have bad credit mostly from times when I had a low paying job and some financial crisis hit (car repair, medical) that caused me to get behind. I am not a thief!! Sheesh! I did some severe damage to my credit when I was out of work and only had enough money to feed the kids and pay the rent/utilities. This practice is out of hand, I agree!

[bayarea-girl]

Rainyday, in most parts of the US you don't need a soc. sec.# to turn on services, that is why I think your situation sucks. If you are applying for a car loan, or house loan, or opening a bank account, seeking credit cards, then sure run my credit.

Atlantagreg, This is a complete violation of ones personal private information. CA is a very wealthy state, has the 9th largest economy in the world (not state). We just don't have those kinds of issues. Thank goodness I'll be working for myself because I would politely tell people that they are entitled to review my employment history, verify references, do a background check, but that is all that is needed (people don't need to review how many times we've been married, what assets we have, and or what type of debt we may or may not have. Unfortunately my husband will have to deal with this type of thing when he starts looking for a job. Thanks for the heads up so at least he'll be prepared. Gosh what is next a health screening?

When the dot.com bubble burst we knew a lot of instantly wealthy folks become instantly broke & they lost their homes. How is the foreclosure process and the debt most people are in (most people are paying for gas on their credit cards) affecting this type of GA thinking/scrutiny?

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by bayarea-girl

Atlantagreg, This is a complete violation of ones personal private information. Thank goodness I'll be working for myself because I would politely tell people that they are entitled to review my employment history, verify references, do a background check, but that is all that is needed (people don't need to review how many times we've been married, what assets we have, and or what type of debt we may or may not have. Unfortunately my husband will have to deal with this type of thing when he starts looking for a job. Thanks for the heads up so at least he'll be prepared. Gosh what is next a health screening?

I don't know about health screenings, but drug testing is becoming more and more commonplace. They make you pee in a bottle before they'll hire you. LOL.

You know the funniest thing about all of this? Southerners are FAMOUS for their, "no one is gonna tell me what to do" attitude. I mean, when they wanted to put coded fingerprints on our driver's licenses you'd have thought the world was coming to an end. We won't even go into what happened when they changed the state flag a few years ago. So, one would THINK that requiring people to undergo tests and credit screenings for a job would be met by natives here with massive protests, outrage, lawsuits, and "big brother" commentaries. No such thing. No one seems to care much. They roll over and put up with it.

Even everyday companies now when you call want to ask you for the last 4 digits of your social security number to "Identify you". I inform them I don't give that info out and they don't need it, and give them my account number, saying that's all they need. The robots that work for them unravel once they have to deviate from their scripted computer screens, and are shocked that someone isn't willing to give out their most personal info to find out something basic about an account.

As long as people put up with it, it'll just get worse and more widespread. Hence - WRITE LETTERS.

[bayarea-girl]

Atlantagreg, drug tests too. OMG, how funny is that. So what happens when people have a certain illness and have to take drugs for it, then the drug, then the condition gets detected? I'm all for checking out employees but most employers are not the FBI.

I'm relocating to the state so more info on subjects is so appreciate (I lived in GA 7 years ago for work - where I didn't have to go threw). Do tell about the finger prints on the Driver's License and about the flag.

But I'm going to look into what groups that can put this on a ballot.

[Merin]

I work a white collar position and my credit was not checked, but I was drug tested. My husband did have his credit checked but he is a high level manager in finance. My guess is, if you plan to work with money, you are going to have your credit checked.

[tdatl]

Originally Posted by JuniusBugg

Yeah, I noticed that too. I moved here a few weeks ago.

My understanding of credit is that a series of inquiries within a short amount of time is viewed as one inquiry (ie, perhaps shopping for the best rate for a loan, or relocating such as this).

this is true only in the case of inquiries for auto loans & mortgages, and then only if they're coded as such. But every inquiry for utilities hurts since they're not consolidated -- same as applying for a credit card in terms of effect on your score.

I think this is pretty much par for the course everywhere nowadays, though. Georgia is the third state I've lived in in the last 8 yrs., and I had pretty much every utility provider pull my credit in all three. Maybe CA has laws prohibiting it, but I imagine that would make them the exception.

As far as employers pulling, I think in many cases the employer doesn't care, but they outsource payroll & benefits, and those companies just automatically pull credit on everyone. I noticed a company pulled an employment-related inquiry on me when I moved here for my job. I asked my employer why they checked my credit, and she said they didn't. I ended up calling the number of the puller (Kroll Data Services) and found out it was requested by our payroll processor. It may be for proof of identity/eligibility to work in the US, something like that.... but the good news -- employment-related inquiries do NOT count against your credit score.

[LoufromNewYork]

I think the answer was already given. Credit ratings are used because they help get money (deposits/surcharges) from prospective users and allows them to decline service to people they fear won't pay.

Back in NY, you could sign up by just calling. I was able to get light/gas/cable all setup over the phone while I was at work. Down here, they nickle and dime you.

It's a shame that they realize that so many people here don't have the greatest credit scores and use that to get money from them. I mean what is the other option.. going without heat in the winter?

[Prinny]

Originally Posted by fierce_flawless

That is soooo ridiculous, and I agree, it should be against the law!

I have bad credit mostly from times when I had a low paying job and some financial crisis hit (car repair, medical) that caused me to get behind. I am not a thief!! Sheesh! I did some severe damage to my credit when I was out of work and only had enough money to feed the kids and pay the rent/utilities. This practice is out of hand, I agree!

I feel bad for anyone who has had bad financial times but you are respinsible for paying your bills! If you don't it falls on all consumers for those who do not and that is the injustice and that should be against the law! I don't like my prices going up because other people don't pay their bills.

[bayarea-girl]

Prinny, your price for any utility shouldn't go up because someone didn't pay their bill. Companies as big as utility companies have insurance for that sort of thing & or they can just write it off. Should someone fall behind I'm sure if they want that service again they will have to pay it in full and an additional deposit is asked for by the company they shorted. Pulling credit as it is done in GA is a scam.