Rental car inquiries

[Anonymous]

I am so frustrated. I just noticed that when I rented a car  a while back that they ran my credit. Now I know inquiries only last one year, and that they are not that detrimental, but every point counts. Does anyone know how much aof a ding a car rental inquiry can have. I mean after all, I did not take on debt or anything, or apply for a Hertz or Avis credit card. I just was renting a car while my other car was in the shop.

Thanks

Stephen

[CreditBob]

This is the first time that I have ever heard of this. Here is what you can do. Look at the inquiry section of your credit report because there are soft pulls and hard pulls from your report. Another way it is looked at "inquiries only seen by you (being the consumer)". Just take the time & look into it.

[Anonymous]

You have to use a Credit Card to reserve and pay for the purchase.

If you use your debit card or pay cash they will do a hard pull on your credit.

Inquiries on average take 0 to 5 points off your score.

Message Edited by 1111mel on 06-27-2008 08:51 PM

[RobertEG]

Review your rental contract.  A hard pull cannot be done unless you have authorized it.  If you did not authorize it, then it was illegal.

[Anonymous]

This is very common-

Do a search on myFICO on the topic.

[felixfly2000]

Before I had any CC's, I had to rent cars at Hertz and Thrifty. They informed me that to use my debit card, that it would require a hard pull of my credit. Personally never understood what this proved, but I needed the car, so I said go ahead. They are due to fall off in Aug of this year. By the way, I will never rent from either of these agency again. Not sure of the cost point ways as I wasn't monitor my credit scores back then, but this did drive me to get CC's.

[Anonymous]

OMG imagine paying more for your mortgage because you were out of town and rented a car. That just isn't right.

[Anonymous]

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RobertEG wrote:

Review your rental contract.  A hard pull cannot be done unless you have authorized it.  If you did not authorize it, then it was illegal.

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This is a common misconception.

If PP exists, there is nothing in the FCRA that stipulates that consumers must be informed ahead of time or must authorize the pull.  When renting a car with a debit card, PP does exist.

Message Edited by cheddar on 07-01-2008 01:32 PM

[RobertEG]

Cheddar, what does the acronym "PP" mean?  Is this a hidden section of the FCRA that permits hard pulls without prior consumer consent?  I am humbly ignorant or a "PP" exception.

Interesting rub of the law...

Message Edited by RobertEG on 07-01-2008 03:13 PM

[Anonymous]

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RobertEG wrote:

Cheddar, what does the acronym "PP" mean?  Is this a hidden section of the FCRA that permits hard pulls without prior consumer consent?  I am humbly ignorant or a "PP" exception.

Interesting rub of the law...

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PP = permissible purpose, the phrase used in the FCRA to describe the legal permissibility to pull a consumer's report(s)

Only in cases of employment inquiries does the FCRA require explicit permission from the consumer before the entity pulling the report has PP.  In all other cases, once PP exists, a report may be pulled without any explicit consent from the consumer.