How to prevent dealers from pulling credit without freezing reports

[aubie1kenobie2]

I have an approved AL from DCU and am shopping for a used car now. Can the dealers pull my cedit report without my permission? Also, can they pull it using just my driver's license (no SSN provided)? Just getting paranoid, lol. I don't want their financing. Don't want to get unauthorized pulls, but not too excited about freezing my credit reports either.

[Remember0]

In theory, no, dealers can't pull without your permission. BUT (and this is a big but) they want to sell a car and get commission by arranging financing for you through their lenders. There are countless stories of them being trigger happy and asking questions later. Also in the final steps they arguably do have permissible purpose (risk of your DCU check bouncing/verifying your identity).

Also they can in theory pull with only your name and address. Though from what I hear they often have a hard time pulling without SSN (their software might require SSN). Still assume that name + address is enough to pull. Also your state's DMV might require SSN (depends on state, not all do) for the dealer to process the registration.

The only safe way to do this is to freeze all three. Think of it as the cost of being inquiry free (<$60 for three freeze and unfreezes).

Also note that many dealers are tricky. They refuse to let you drive off without pulling under the pretense that they take a risk (check from DCU bounces or loan does not fill). Mostly BS. Others say the Patriot Act requires them to pull. Again BS. They just want to pull to arrange financing for you and make money. The only real way to avoid this are to 1) buy private party or 2) freeze imo.

[RushXTC]

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@aubie1kenobie2 wrote:

I have an approved AL from DCU and am shopping for a used car now. Can the dealers pull my cedit report without my permission? Also, can they pull it using just my driver's license (no SSN provided)? Just getting paranoid, lol. I don't want their financing. Don't want to get unauthorized pulls, but not too excited about freezing my credit reports either.

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They will always have you fill out the information form, DON'T! This is for approval to run your credit.

While I was out car shopping, I went to a major dodge dealership here in Los Angeles, The chick ran my credit and approved me for a 2014 Dodge Challenger SXT Lease and I didn't like the term/payment so I denied the offer and left.

@I received a paper in my e-mail about an offer from that dealership for a 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T for $26,500 so I went back in and asked if they can approve me through Chrysler financial using my old credit report (a week prior to this visit only) and they said "Sure just fill out this sheet so we can look you up" and I took his word for it, They wanted to approve me for the purchase @ $600 monthly payments so I denied and left. Next day I get an alert that my credit was ran again, I was about to go up there and yell at the dude, But thought that wouldn't make a difference anyways and just ignored it.

So even if they tell you they won't run your credit, Don't take their word. You already have the approved loan you need/want so just go straight to the cars, Screw the financing part of the deal. As the above poster said, They'll try to get you a "Better" deal, But that usually takes 4-5 pulls. or if you have my luck, 15.

[Creditaddict]

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@aubie1kenobie2 wrote:

I have an approved AL from DCU and am shopping for a used car now. Can the dealers pull my cedit report without my permission? Also, can they pull it using just my driver's license (no SSN provided)? Just getting paranoid, lol. I don't want their financing. Don't want to get unauthorized pulls, but not too excited about freezing my credit reports either.

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I would not worry about it this month... we see a lot of stories about it but if you are goiung to repudable dealerships I just don't feel like that's the goal they are out to do is pull your credit... they are more intersted in selling the car.

you don't need to fill anything out until you are ready to buy and since you have a pre-approval with DCU unless they are offering 0% through manufacture (you are buying used so doubtful) you do not need to fill out and they don't need to have you fill out a credit app. (If they use credit app for dmv or something just simply write in your own writing this is for DMV purposes only and NO CREDIT PULL TO BE DONE and sign. they pull your credit anyway and you can have it deleted.

I have helped friends buy cars that either were paying cash or using a credit union they set up ahead of time shopping and had no issues with getting dealership not to pull credit.

Freezing your credit reports is beyond the needed!

[aubie1kenobie2]

Bought the car a couple of days ago and did exactly that --- wrote that NO CREDIT PULL, FOR DMV PURPOSES ONLY. But this morning I got an alert from EQ that they pulled my credit. Grrrr! How do I get this off? It is labeled as "Toyota Financial Services". 

[black_citi]

Lol, I don't think its much you can do about that pull. When you walk into a dealership you are on their turf lol. They pretty much can do whatever they want and get away with it unfortunately. If its just one pull I wouldn't worry too much about it. If its 5 or 6 then we may have a problem lol.

[DaveSignal]

When I was car shopping I tried one credit union who gave me 3%, then tried NFCU who gave me 2%, then the first CU matched the 2%, and then I tried dealer financing and was approved for 0%.

So the dealer might be able to get you a better rate.

[RushXTC]

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@aubie1kenobie2 wrote:

Bought the car a couple of days ago and did exactly that --- wrote that NO CREDIT PULL, FOR DMV PURPOSES ONLY. But this morning I got an alert from EQ that they pulled my credit. Grrrr! How do I get this off? It is labeled as "Toyota Financial Services". 

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That doesn't work. Not when the form you wrote it on is the permission to pull your credit in the first place -_-.

[Remember0]

Have a copy of that paper? If not, try to get it. Don't mention anything to them about the stink you're going to throw.

If you really want this inquiry to go off, make a big, huge stink. Talk to the dealership's GM and tell him to remove it (tell him it violates FCRA and the dealership is liable for 1k). If that doesn't work, write and call Toyota Financial. Then if it still doesn't go off, do a BBB+CFPB complaint against the dealership and Toyota. At this point, I'm pretty sure it'll come off. But if it still doesn't, then contact your state's AG/DMV. And finally, if you really dislike this, try and see if any attorney will take your case on contigency.

If you wrote that on there clearly, I disagree with Rush. I think you have a valid case. As an example if you sign a casino marker and write void, and the casino gives you the chips, you're well within your right to have your bank reject that marker. Heck you wrote void. Any reasonable person wouldn't pull or think they were authorized to pull.

The key to this: get a copy of that paper. THEN throw a stink. Make sure all your complaints are in writing and note how this hurts your ability to qualify for future credit.

[IamB2]

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@aubie1kenobie2 wrote:

I have an approved AL from DCU and am shopping for a used car now. Can the dealers pull my cedit report without my permission? Also, can they pull it using just my driver's license (no SSN provided)? Just getting paranoid, lol. I don't want their financing. Don't want to get unauthorized pulls, but not too excited about freezing my credit reports either.

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I just bought a 2014 Corolla and I was dealing with a similar situation. I had a pre-approved financing and they were trying to get me to fill this form. I told them no, until after I made a deal on the price. Then I told them what my terms were, and they stated that they will make it happen with an even lower rate, which I was open to and then, and ONLY then did I sign that form which includes my Social Security Number.

But in theory, they don't and they shouldn't.