Credit Reports: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Credit reports play a surprisingly large role in our lives, but even more surprising is how often they contain critical mistakes. John Oliver helps credit agencies see why this is a problem.
Connect with Last Week Tonight online...
Subscribe to the Last Week Tonight KZbin channel for more almost news as it almost happens: / lastweektonight
Find Last Week Tonight on Facebook like your mom would:
/ lastweektonight
Follow us on Twitter for news about jokes and jokes about news:
/ lastweektonight
Visit our official site for all that other stuff at once:
www.hbo.com/las...

[@moonmoonbirdcpt]

I know someone on his credit report said that he owes money from foot amputations from hospitals 3 times and he still have both his legs, either he the same healing power as Wolverine from the X-men or Deadpool or he loves to get his foot cut off once every once a while and have new ones put back on.

[@jhonviel7381]

+moonmoonbirdcpt lol

[@jayit6851]

+moonmoonbirdcpt How can anyone even look at that an believe it XD. "You've had 3 feet amputated. I'm sorry sir but we're going to have to deny you the loans for these sick shoes."

[@connorring3479]

I'm sorry but your grammar is horrible

[@kikipepper]

+moonmoonbirdcpt LOL Yes, everything you said was true. THUMBS UP

[@liljohnny7441]

Caitlyn Jenners hands are as big as her shoulders... I mean dick

[@Hurric4ne_]

fun fact: the sentence under the link when you google the three companies: - Equifacks: "Please do not mistake us for Equifax. Those fuckers are evil." - Experianne: "We are Experianne. Please do not mistake us for Experian. What they do is unforgivable." - Tramsonion: "We are not affiliated with TransUnion. We are not monsters." Well done John Oliver, well done :D

[@Avatarbee]

Equifacks is the most evil from the three since it tricks you into thinking that it has clickable links.

[@gunmunz]

Also if you go to them Equifacks: We also blind small animals with cosmetics. We do not sell cosmetics. We just blind animals. Experianne: We don't know how we make money from this-probably targeted advertising or something. But you know what they say-"Do what you love and the money will follow" Tramsonion: You can wash your steak down with a glass of dolphin tears. *To be clear*-these tears are cried by actual dolphins as they watch us carve up the carcases of their orcra friends

[@Souleater787]

It's sad that there isn't a more humane way to receive dolphin tears. Sigh.. well, at least they ship in bulk.

[@mikegebauer8986]

Hurric4ne x

[@CollinMcLean]

John Oliver... Is a freaking genius!

[@DjVortex-w]

"I have a lot of debt, and I need a job to pay it off." "Sorry, you can't have a job here because you have so much debt." Makes complete sense.

[@damo3923]

Catch-22

[@AleksandrKramarenko]

+WarpRulez It's amazingly stupid. How can such a system be allowed to exist? It's counter productive to everyone except the companies that manage that system and make money off it. Wow...

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

So very true.

[@aspeck1915]

Literally

[@phzoro371]

+WarpRulez well that's the circular logic american goverment is famous for... Just like paid maternity leave.. We can't give it because it would be at the detriment of mother.. And the merry go round goes on.. Maybe that's what ME3's original ending was telling us....

[@LFPGaming]

im amazed that even 8years later, all 3 of those sites are still up and running. you're doing God's work Mr Oliver.

[@johnstover9083]

background check company reported back to my prospective employer that the school I attended didn't exist, and they rejected me. I spent 45 seconds on Google and found the school had changed its name.... I had the privilege of telling the employer that I couldn't work for such a sloppy and incompetent company.

[@asher6657]

actually, it is the background check company that is sloppy and incompetent. You cannot expect a company to verify the background check company. A better move would be to email the company and point out the mistake. ijs.

[@NickyShearer]

@@asher6657 no it is the employer who is incompetent - they used an external background check and rejected immediately without first querying the discrepancy via the applicant. Common sense tells you no background check is ever 100% accurate.

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

John stover, the background check was fine, you cant call them sloppy for not checking past names

[@Kas_Styles]

The fact that they didn't use multiple sources. In the cybersecurity community (I'm in it) we have a phrase that goes "Trust but VERIFY."

[@honuswagner9348]

If you went to a school that changed its name, that means you went to a crappy school LOL

[@tifforo1]

I see no reason why false reports about someone should not be considered defamation.

[@roberto3151991]

Ditto

[@thomaswallen296]

+tifforo1 Let me phrase this differently. You don't see why printing and distributing false information about individuals which directly costs them opportunities and employment should be considered defamation?

[@bobbyarliss]

+tifforo1 Good luck suing one of these companies. Let me know how it turns out.

[@cassiuskurei]

+bobbyarliss Well considering they said in the video that GIS alone has been sued for 13 million so far, I'm guessing it turns out quite well for some

[@MsRandomPro]

+tifforo1 Agreed.

[@dsagent]

When I was 18 years old my credit report said I was a 54 year old man living in Brooklyn. It took my mom and myself several years to get it fixed. So happy to see an episode like this come out.

[@GlassesnMouthplates]

"Can you please prove that you're not dead?" "I'm standing right in front of you." "Sorry, the records still say that you're deceased." "Helloo, can you hear me talking?" "Can you please sign this form so we can undergo more record checking to see if you're actually dead or not?"

[@paulmahoney7619]

"I'm sorry, we can't accept signatures from the deceased."

[@ninjapanda6204]

More like, "But Im right here!" "Ok, so this is just fraud to put a charge on a dead lady's account"

[@ignignoktthemooninite3679]

@@paulmahoney7619 not funny. Unfunny fail

[@OrigamiMarie]

It's like somebody got a Dead Parrot sketch backwards.

[@JulianCommodus]

@@OrigamiMarie "I'm of the living. Non-deceased. Still within my mortal coil. I still draw breath. St. Peter cannot give entry or denial. The ghost is still in my current possession, for I have not given it up. I have no agricultural property, because I haven't bought the farm. The ground I currently stand on is at level and not six feet under. I'M ALIVE!" "It says you're deceased." "... are you sure it's me you should be checking for a pulse?"

[@MaxArceus]

I don't live in the US, but seeing all these videos you make... JUST HOW SHITTY OF A COUNTRY IS THE US!?!?!? Who the hell came up with all such ridiculous systems?!?!

[@Ris3451]

Nobody, the system just is. It revolves around productivity with little common sense or accountability. But when a system is so arrogant to even deny any way for people affected from its mistakes to at least fix them, then it becomes this abomination.

[@jackportugal2009]

Obama

[@PBDNR]

+Edgar Fernandez no it was the hacker 4 chan

[@MaxArceus]

***** Mistyping doesn't make a person a dumbass.

[@SSJ22Terris]

+MaxArceus No one person, just a lot of people over a long period of time. And to answer your other question. VERY SHITTY!

[@chelsearudisill7312]

I have over 200+ medical debts in collections. Over $250k in medical debt at the age of 25. My credit report is horrible over something I couldn't control. I do have health insurance, but like most others, I'm underinsured. They profit off of denying care, it's an incentive built into our shameful, disgusting healthcare system.

[@crashandburnbirner]

dat obama care tho

[@kimplin]

A shame it doesnt work as intended. Hard when Congress is led by an opposing political party who scream communism at the mention of universal healthcare.

[@crashandburnbirner]

kimplin Well that opposition party had nothing to do with the shaping of the program...

[@kimplin]

***** They did however get a say at what did and did not get to make it in the bill. Republicans carved up that bill like a turkey dinner. Its a shell of its original draft. For example, many states are allowed to op out of the increased budgets for medicare and medicaid associated with the bill. And many of the states did. Like my shitty state of Florida.

[@roguem5]

Chelsea, a few suggestions for you: 1) Check the law in the state where you incurred the medical debt. Some states require items be removed from credit files after three years, some five, some six. Federal is seven. The legal terms you might want to look for include "collection efforts" (which keeping an item on a credit report can be considered to be) and "filing suit". The second one is especially important if your state/the state of debt origin has a lower limit. If a collector comes calling after those dates have passed, you have grounds for a lawsuit. Most lawyers who take on collection violations accept cases on a "win payment" basis, meaning you don't pay until you win/settle. 2) If the debts are still within the collection period allowed by law, contact the financial aid office of the hospital/medical provider. Yes, they will want a *lot* of very personal details. They will require you to obtain signed affadavits (most banks have a notary public who will witness your signature; if you have an account with the bank, they don't generally charge for the service). These can range from proof of residency to proof of income to proof of assets. They may include the forms they want notarized, or they may simply provide you a list; if it's a list, then you can create the affadavits in any word program. They start out: "I, _(your name)_, the undersigned, do hereby swear and affirm that the following statements are true to the best of my knowledge, under *penalty of perjury*." Then you type whatever it is they want you to swear to: that you are a student with no income, or income below the poverty level; that you had no insurance at the time of service (required in many FL hospitals for any amount of charity aid); that your assets are less than $10,000 (or the amount in your state for declaring yourself legally indigent before a court of law). 3) Check your policy limits and liabilities with the medical insurer and check your EOBs. Insurance companies are notorious (especially BCBS, Cigna, and UHC) for paying out at a lower rate and chucking everything to your deductible. Make sure of what your limits are, and if you have lifetime limits. Verify whether your insurance company is putting more towards your deductible and OOP than they can per your policy. For example: Say your deductible is $2000 per annum and you have a 20% out-of-pocket expense. Assuming that the number you provided of $250K is for one year (yes, that's possible), you would have a max expense on that plan of $52K. If you have a family plan, it could be more. But the amount you gave reflects an after-insurance amount, meaning that they've written more to your OOP and deductible than you would be liable for on the example plan. Insurance companies do this *all the time*, because most people don't pay attention when they have a lingering illness until it gets out of control. (Please note that deductibles and OOP percentages reset in January of each year, unless otherwise stated in your policy. So if you're diagnosed in December and begin treatment then, you would be liable for the full deductible/OOP if reached in December, and again in January if treatment continued.) Unfortunately, where this example would cease to apply is if your insurance plan has a "lifetime maximum" benefit for a service. Say you were being treated for cancer, and your policy had a lifetime maximum benefit of $1M. If the cancer is advanced or aggressive, then the treatment if going to be aggressive and it's going to be expensive. Exceeding that lifetime limit is easy with certain medical conditions. It would also cease to apply in cases of out-of-network providers. This generally rears its head when you have anesthesia or surgery at an in-network hospital and one or more of the providers attending you is not in-network. Many O-O-N providers using I-N facilities will agree to write off any portion that would have been covered by the insurance had they been I-N, since it's not your choice in many cases who does your anesthesia, or who might assist your doctor in your operation. It's always worth the time to pick up the phone and potentially reduce a $1200 ded/OOP bill for O-O-N expenses to $150 co-pay/ded that would have applied if they'd been I-N. (Co-pays do count toward your OOP expenses on your insurance plan. Keep that in mind when computing what your max should have been, because the insurance companies will fudge that and not include regular physician's visit co-pays in your annual OOP amount.) 3-B) Whenever you are able to get a provider to agree to a lesser amount due to an error, *especially in issues of network coverage*, make certain that the credit report (if the item is already on your file) is updated to reflect the change in the *original* amount owed. Because it should never have been the larger amount, and if they just credit off a large amount of the debt "originally" owed on the credit file, that can reflect negatively on you. This means that you can be denied credit, housing, employment, etc. because of something over which you truly had no control: an insurance fuck-up or a network provider issue. They cannot just issue an "update" in their normal monthly report to the bureaus. They have to write out an individual correction for your file (in the old days it was done by hand, but I imagine a lot of places do this electronically now as well) because it has to change the entire entry. 4) Whatever you work out with a medical provider, *get it in writing*.I really can't stress that enough. If for no other reason than that the person you're working out the financial issue with leaves the employ of the medical provider, that written agreement will serve to prove you had an existing arrangement with an authorized employee of their firm. I can also tell you, from experience, that larger medical providers (especially hospitals) have a tendency to turn over outstanding accounts to collection agencies en masse, whether they have approved charity benefits or payment plans. The corporate office doesn't care about the effort you went to to work out the financial issue. They only care that the account may not show as zeroed in their system. Sometimes that's an issue with the computers not talking to one another quickly enough; sometimes it's operator error; sometimes it's deliberate. Whatever the case, the written documentation showing whatever arrangements were mutually agreed to by both you and the medical provider will either resolve the issue directly, or - if the provider doesn't want to honor them - serve as evidence in a court of law where you can petition a judge for resolution. Always consult an attorney before taking any legal action, though. And definitely look for an attorney whose field of expertise is, in this case, collection law. And above all, make sure that all entries on your credit file are actually for you. Despite having had huge amounts of medical treatments, that doesn't mean every provider listed on your file is someone who's done medical work for you or has a balance for you in their system. Case in point: I once lived in a town where there was only one other person with the same first and last name as me. I went to have an MRI done and was told I owed a balance in the tens of thousands for a hospitalization the previous month. It took a bit to clear it up, but thankfully, despite sharing a name, the other individual and I did not share a blood type.

[@banesbox]

I've been using cash since 1995 when I turned 18 to pay for everything I have ever bought and owned. I've always worked hard & saved for everything. Now that my kids are old enough to drive, I can't even cosign for a used car for them because I have no credit at all and own everything I have. Seems like I'm being punished now because I didn't play their monopoly game.

[@hermionegardener3796]

Same for me. They hate you. To them, you are what they call a Deadbeat.

[@Spagapolis]

You're exactly right. That's precisely what is happening. Ugh

[@DearxMyxSongs]

You’re exactly right. And yet! Dave Ramsey’s program to get you out of debt is literally to just pay in cash and tell debtors to fuck off, this is all you can afford to pay them. I kid you not. I went to a highschool that literally taught the Dave Ramsey method for our finance class…

[@jacoblusk1055]

That’s good. That’s called capitalism you moron

[@synocrat601]

You either want to access the system and need to build credit.... Or wipe your hands off it completely and totally.

[@avamasquerade]

I'm going to start a debt collection company, track down and buy my own debt back for pennies on the dollar, and then immediately forgive my debt. Problem solved.

[@Vickyandaiden]

Oh thats a really good idea!!!

[@shaec3405]

That's actually an amazing fucking idea

[@sarahamira5732]

Holy shit what the fuck- ... I

[@nerminsnowhuseinbasic9340]

Amazing idea

[@paintedhorse6880]

Y-you may have actually just...fucking beat the system...what the fuck?

[@FW7737]

And now millions of people will rush to check their credit reports... just to find out that free credit report doesn't even give you the fucking score.

[@CarlyleA999]

The score is not relevant, the legitimacy is what is relevant.

[@Robstafarian]

+EYM Why would a credit report give you a credit score? That is like asking to see your medical chart because you want to know whether your liver leveled up and got +3 Agility.

[@FW7737]

***** Report if of course essential, but numbers are easier to compare :)

[@FW7737]

***** +1 for liver joke))) However you build a chart of medical tests and that could very much reflect your agility.

[@Robstafarian]

EYM Credit scores are the results of formulas which are protected as trade secrets. Why should anyone trust math they cannot check?

[@joseg1274]

I trust you

[@joseg1274]

W

[@rafaelalegre3039]

L

[@joseg1274]

+Rafael Alegre M

[@lajohnny96]

O

[@joseg1274]

+Johnny Lingo N

[@MiketheNerdRanger]

Man watching this show makes you realize how much America doesn't work.

[@LiveNiceness14]

Mike, TheAnimated it’s not like cooperate greed would likely cause the end of the world as we know it or anything?

[@avedic]

Or......that it works *_perfectly_* for the very lobbyists, and others like them, who engineered the best possible outcome.....for themselves.

[@ricochet4674]

that moment when the citizen and consumer are synonyms

[@harshkkumar]

Mike, TheAnimated and how much their websites work. 4 years and they all work 😂

[@mikotomisaka8714]

more like how much EVERYWHERE doesn't work. Between Modi, Brexit and all the other crap, it's not just America. Humans are just shit.

[@SteveIsMe1291]

Being denied a job because your credit history is in shambles thanks to student loans is the BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD. -_-

[@hypernovaneedsachillpill7088]

go to college to get a job be denied a job because you went to college-

[@TheQuashingoftheTub]

@@hypernovaneedsachillpill7088 Get a degree, get rejected because they don't want to pay a college student more.

[@stephanierhodes2313]

My school advertised job placement. Then I graduated and found I had to find a job on my own. Every place I contacted said I needed experience. I asked how do I get hired then if I went to school for this and they said I needed to go thru the school which did not offer that.

[@merissaj4518]

I was turned down for a Mastercard and when I called BMO they said it was because of outstanding debt with CIBC. I informed her that I have never banked with them, so she ran the check again and said that I was qualified. Nice to know they take ^such^ care and attention to detail with something so important.

[@GottaWannaDance]

??

[@cgreen399]

It’s funny that employers considers credit scores in hiring, but it’s mostly always presidents, CEOs and company directors that are always on the news in hand cuffs for some ponzi, extortion or fraud thing. So how are they not vetted in the same way?

[@paulhenderson3632]

Highlight this shit... Their perfect credit maintained by Corruption

[@codacreator6162]

They are. But like everything else, with enough money, you can just buy a good score.

[@KuariThunderclaw]

Easy. Because credit scores are all about can you pay off your bills, debts and credit cards in a reliable fashion (which is why medical debts are the most common reason for bad scores because those will always screw up someone poor). When you have money, those things are never problems, and when it is? You just offload it on one of your companies and that company is what takes the hit, not you.

[@spongeintheshoe]

Because they're the ones doing the vetting?

[@FloppyDorito]

Good point but the real reason is because C Level positions are pretty much purely based off of connections with a little bit of an education background.

[@spookiewon]

I received a notice from a hospital that they were reporting to my credit report that I had unpaid bills there after I was treated there for a work related injury. Most of them were for a child. I have no children. The names weren't even similar to mine.

[@adrb142]

I was declared dead by the social security administration almost two years ago and still don’t have my credit scores fixed.

[@alfredoalcantar8691]

Aaron Brown so new new person

[@luvmibratt]

Did you ever get it cleared up?

[@starRushi]

Rip man

[@adrb142]

@@luvmibratt I haven't. kinda gave up after a while of trying for almost two years. I had it fixed once but then it happened again.

[@escabasket153]

You need to fix it or you won’t be paying into your social security. Funny enough, I know someone with your same name, but I don’t think he’s dead.

[@dVector13]

the level of hatred for the poor by the well off is actually kind of impressive

[@exantiuse497]

It isn't the truly rich that hate the poor though. To them, the poor are mainly a vessel to direct the hatred of the middle-class, which should hate the rich instead. If you meant the middle-class with "well off" then I do agree, they have been brainwashed by the decades of propaganda from mainstream media

[@zarinaromanets7290]

Oh it's not hate, we make them money by paying to exist. They're corralling us to make sure none of the money we make them escapes. 👍

[@PinkManGuy]

@@exantiuse497 Holy fuck, the middle class is so far up its own fucking ass that they're coming out of their own mouths and going right back up their fucking ass for lap two. Always have to make it about themselves. God damn.

[@dannyf1168]

*in america

[@JonO387]

No one cares.

[@blackasthesky]

In Germany we have the SCHUFA and we have these same problems. It's one private company that has access to people's private financial information and makes a lot of errors when processing these. People being declared dead, people being mixed up, etc.

[@sumitrapandit1879]

"I clearly cannot manage this company's money well" *everyone cheers and applauds*

[@G0DofRock]

Wouldn't you want to hire someone with more debt and a lower credit score? I mean, they are probably going to be working harder and longer hours to manage their debts.

[@furmal86]

+ChronicCuber and mostly why does it even matter what his/her credit report is. look at person resume experience education and find out about his personality during an interview. what ever his debt is shouldn't be companies concern. its a private matter.

[@sabbur15]

+ChronicCuber Lower credit score is generally (not always) a sign of person that is not fiscally responsible. Which tends to be people who are not responsible in general. So unless there is identity left in play, lower credit score means irresponsible person. Responsible people pay their bills.

[@AramisNailz]

+sabbur15 I would argue that responsible people wouldn't have anything on their credit in the first place since if one was truly responsible, They would live within their means and not put themselves into a position where they require a loan/credit in the first place.

[@Dota2funny]

what no? low equals dumb bad manageable skills etc

[@Anglynn74]

+Nailz Responsible people can get laid off, like those who were laid off after the market crash. Being laid off can affect your credit, especially when you have no job to pay your mortgage and utilities-it hits your credit report. once on your report, when you go to look for work, you're turned down. Just because someone's credit is bad doesn't mean they weren't responsible, the big banks are but hey they never got into trouble now did they.

[@redbarnblankets2072]

Used to work for GIS ... so many horror stories .. including their treatment of women in the workplace.

[@miguelsilva9118]

(Must resist the temptation to make the obvious joke)

[@TheCalico69]

@@miguelsilva9118Being a dude on the operations side is just as bad. All the "pretty" ladies willing to F*@# their way to a promotion make it hard for employees trying to make it on merit.

[@Sharpshooter649]

All companies do that

[@rochester212]

Oh, is that why they call the US "The land of the free"? There is no law and criminals are let loose to run for president(unless they black)?

[@orangelake2268]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! BFFFAAAAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[@michaelb2362]

These actually just keep getting better and better. Thank you for being the John Oliver that you are, John Oliver.

[@OGimouse1]

My cat literally chose this by pawing at my screen lol

[@immortalsun]

Aww.

[@joshuarood2342]

My bird has done the same thing

[@0salum0]

Cool

[@zb3495]

Is her name Judy thomas?

[@adrielsebastian5216]

The 4th (or 5th) C therefore, is Cat

[@rationalmuscle]

God I love this show... especially their "fuck you" approach to their story villains. The 3 companies at the end are sheer brilliance!

[@HotStrange]

I fucking love John Oliver but every time I watch his show I come away thinking "wow. the world sucks. our country sucks. there is no hope". But I love it.

[@MrKasnif]

+Dylon Merrell I feel the same way.

[@thepolishnz]

just america

[@jessicascoullar3737]

WNo it sucks everywhere. The trick is to be a realistic optimist. If you work it out please let the rest of us know.

[@obiwankenobi661]

+Jessica Scoullar actually it doesnt suck everywhere.. do you really think the rest of the world has these kinds of problems? those are 3rd world country problems..

[@jessicascoullar3737]

Obi Wan Kenobi most of the world is third world. The countries that aren’t usually have benefited from the policies that have made at least some other part of the world or group worse off. Those who are not have to fight to keep corruption out and it sneaks back in whenever we lower our guard. In first world countries we are living in a very lucky bubble of peace and prosperity where we expect to receive justice and that our government works for the people and is not corrupt. A brief look at history will show this is not the normal state of affairs and won’t just remain this way without working on keeping it.

[@Airehcaz]

A few years ago I was in an accident; while unconscious the emergency responders made the decision to call mercy flight, and sent me on a helicopter ride to the hospital. The bill from my 18 minute flight alone (which I could not refuse to take) cost me over 18,000 dollars. Add in the hospital bills and time off work, and I was totally under my head in debt. Now my credit is destroyed and I can't get a car unless I want to pay 18% APR They way the system is set up, once you get in financial trouble it's incredibly hard to get ahead again. It's total bullshit.

[@crashandburnbirner]

well better get a used car then

[@3gunslingers]

How does universal healthcare sounds now ;)

[@crashandburnbirner]

Keyboard runner As it is currently? Shitty and not well planed out.

[@3gunslingers]

***** I mean a health care system with European standards.

[@crashandburnbirner]

Keyboard runner Ok, but in the USA there are huge flaws.

[@vrASMR180]

IMO the biggest scam concerning your credit report is in how it effects your car insurance premium. Had an ex GF go thru a long unemployment and her credit was hit hard. When she moved to another city and attempted to switch to a new insurance company they ran her credit and due to her score her monthly premium was INSANE. Like.....completely unrealistic. First off, no way in hell there are any studies that show a correlation between bad drivers and their bad credit. Secondly, even if that study does exist it should be null and void if the person applying has a perfect driving record. Lastly, how convenient that a REQUIRED insurance (you can't drive without insurance...) can cite bad credit and charge you whatever the F they want... Shocked that John Oliver didn't touch on this. Only because it's such a day to day thing for basically everyone.

[@SallyLamperti]

Jason Wilson I had no clue about this. Thank you So Much for this info

[@RyanSchack]

Please PLEASE do a piece on Insurance companies. My house was on fire in September, and we haven't even gotten the final number on how much money we have to rebuild the house. Insurance companies have some of the lowest customer approval ratings in the country, and never advertise how much they do for their customers, they advertise how cheap they are. More people need to know how awful these companies are.

[@slav7221]

John Oliver exists as the Reality Smack to the face of the bs that happens everyday that we don’t notice

[@vitsavicky]

This is why I love John Oliver and his team. They don't just talk. They are actively trying to change what they see as wrong. That being said, I love the talk as well. ;)

[@starlessmystery6429]

John you missed the really big issue with these credit reporting agencies. I asked an official at one who gave them the authority to snoop around in everyone’s financial information anyways and turns out, they have none. After evading my question for nearly an hour and threatening to sue them he said I had been removed from their database. 🤯. I of course said “what? You mean I don’t have to be in your system?!!!!!!!” And he said , no. This all started with me filing a claim because of the equifax breach. They waited a month and sent me an email saying I could have a month free of their credit monitoring service. A federal judge last year ordered them to pay their victims all at least 125 dollars which is what I filed for even though they do owe me more because my identity was stolen as a result of that breach. I have all of the police reports and letters from various companies proving this happened. I didn’t want to fill out their complicated form so I just decided to just ask for the 125. They sent me this email saying if I didn’t have a paid credit monitoring service at the time I filed, all they are required to give me is a free month of their service and after that I will pay for it monthly. I not politely told them where to shove their service

[@QueenRexy]

On one hand, having good credit can show you're responsible. But on the other hand, if someone has a bad credit score, they're likely in debt and should be more desperate to keep that job than someone with cash saved up, who pays off every bill on time or ahead of time.

[@tinaelevation9868]

Exactly.

[@Alidaramms1]

But then in one hand, a person with a lot of personal problems can't focus well on jobs.

[@potatopower5253]

+Alida Cuevas Why do you have 3 hands

[@brendaschouten-beckett6448]

Especially if their personal problems are caused by the job.

[@scythian2138]

There were three fingers, not three hands...

[@PilsnerGrip]

America: Of course every company of every service and product I use can keep track of every fucking thing I do all the fucking time! WHAT? A CARD THAT I WOULD CARRY AROUND TO IDENTIFY HOW I AM??? BIG BROTHER!! UNACCEPTABLE!!

[@brandonferguson8021]

lmaol

[@dbh1cibai]

+David Grohl That is exactly what it came to my mind when I saw the video. I posted it, and then I found you did it before.

[@eruno_]

so true

[@choforogabriel]

+David Grohl I HATE the idea of an ID card that is mandatory to have. HATE IT, if the US ever did that I would be one of the first to leave. The difference is shopping at stores that track you is optional. Go to mom and pop shops and pay in cash..fuck big brother

[@dbh1cibai]

+Christopher Gabriel Here in Spain (and all over Europe) we all have ID cards and I have never heard anyone, of any ideology, complaining about it. The ability for administration (police etc.) and for individuals (when signing a contract for example) to be sure of who that person actually is is essential. Every time I tell someone that there in the states you don't have ID cards they don't even understand how can that be possible.

[@paulzuk1468]

A number compiled by a faceless corporation can make or break your life? Yeah, turns out we are already living in a cyberpunk dystopia. Except without all the cool cyberpunk stuff, just the shit

[@yunogasai7632]

that actually sounds really accurate and disturbing lol

[@leonardorossi998]

Well, in a cyberpunk setting you would be able to survive at the edge of society. This is more like Brazil

[@MarlonBitoy]

Paul Zuk We live In a society

[@bobjoe109]

You think that's bad? Have you heard of China's social credit score system they're coming up with? Now that's horrifying.

[@hildaalone2232]

@@MarlonBitoy Bottom text

[@littleblueclovers]

I’ve always been scared of using a credit card and always used a debit card instead. Now, when I want to get a job and apartment, I’m in a rough spot because I have no record which automatically makes me suspicious. I just didn’t like credit cards...

[@dns1music127]

littleblueclovers It sucks, I went through the same situation in getting denied apartments, but I was able to get a temporary job lol.

[@MajorasWrath1]

Get a tiny credit card. Age matters more than amount. I only have one credit card for $500. You can get one as small as $200.

[@JediOfTheRepublic]

K A , you can build credit while paying it off every month, dumb dumb.

[@traditionalnative]

I'm literally in the same position. I can't get a credit card because I have no credit, which you need a credit card to build! It's so backwards. It's like the first job paradox where you need employment history to get a job, but need a job to get employment history. Both are just fucking stupid. I've paid everything cash, never taken a loan, and never got anything on a payment system. I've paid everything I've ever owned in full, including two cars, my last worth 10-14k on the private market, but I paid the full 4500 in cash, at that price because few people in my city can drive a manual apparently. I've paid my rent every time on time, just not on leases. I've paid every phone, computer, literally anything, in full. I have never bought something I didn't have the money and savings to buy the full price of the moment of purchase. Yet I have no credit history because none of that counts to the credit bureaus. I don't see how that's fair at all. I've more than proved I am extremely financially responsible and pay everything like rent etc on time, and don't borrow money. I have better financial history than a lot of my friends who do have credit. Just wild how this system works. Edited bc of spelling mistake.

[@charlotteryan3303]

When I saw this episode I laughed.... I was an idiot! I avoided anything and everything that might negatively affect my credit rating (no credit cards, no loans, no monthly payment contracts like phone bills etc). I paid with the money I actually had and avoided situations where I might ever potentially default on. I thought it was a smart move! Besides, how does managing your money (living within your means) aka not putting yourself in risk = 'poor' credit rating?? Well, when I finally decided to apply for a credit card I was denied because I didn't have a credit history! Jeez... how can I break this vicious cycle IF they won't give me a credit card to MANAGE to CREATE a credit history??

[@dscbrown1067]

I'm in the same position

[@linstitubeur2175]

Mattus Apparatus that’s a stupid system

[@chalkwalk]

@Mattus Apparatus Dont put people who fail to put themselves at risk with leveraged money on the same financial footing as ex felons. Just dont do it. Thats my idea. How about everyone starts out with a low risk factor if they havent risked and go from there. Instead of just assuming that people who have never been in debt are automatically worse. I know there isnt a financial incentive to treat human beings with a modicum of decency, but that isnt a reason not to do it.

[@hansisbrucker813]

@Mattus Apparatus how is taking a loan ever the more responsible thing to do than saving an using your own money? Maybe it is because I am from Europe, but this baffles me. Here we learn that borrowing money is something you only do when you absolutely have no other option.

[@hansisbrucker813]

@Mattus Apparatus But you don't buy a house with a credit-card. Mortgage would be one of those needed loans. Your groceries shouldn't be. P.S. I have a mortgage

[@DEO777]

There's a way to hack your credit score if you already have a bad score, you simply need to keep making it worse until it gets down to zero and then rolls back over to 999.

[@gigabic7487]

legit

[@deamon6681]

+Gigabic I'm sure there is some system out in the world where the coder made a mistake and that would actually be posssible. But that would most likely be the bonuspoint-system of a ucranian harwarestore.... (i.e. not usefull to you).

[@SomeoneCommenting]

+Duh Enlightened One Just for the laughs, do you think that it is possible to make it zero? What the heck would you have to do? LOL

[@genjii931]

That's referred to as a "Herman Cain".

[@JoshuaFrick3]

+SomeoneCommenting Zero credit scores are not only possible, but the only type of credit score that makes sense. To attain a zero credit score you have to pay off all of your debt and not have any account activity for a few years. I wanna say that's 2-3 years, but it could be longer. Select companies will still approve you for a home or car loan with a zero credit score (and employment verification & bank statements, obviously).

[@Gigaheart]

The problem is that these companies exist at ALL. These companies don't need to keep this data or run these checks. Frankly, it should be consider breach of privacy and a giant security risk. Not to mention all of these mistakes and inaccurate data. These companies should be abolished and made illegal.

[@shadowspire]

I remember when my dad passed away, We had Same first name, same first letter for the middle name(different middle name), and Same lat name. When I got the death certificate, I realized that they had made it out tome because of the middle initial. I was a pain trying contact a county registrar to correct it. I can imagine how much harder it is if you hadn't noticed an error right away and just keep living without knowing.

[@Krauerking]

Does nobody else remember when experian accidentally let out thousands of people's data including social security numbers, ID numbers, and more? Because I unfortunately have to keep being aware of that.

[@sydniusalminia5364]

John Oliver and his team are my heroes

[@dewzahundred]

Thank to John, I now have new opinion to argue with people.

[@Nitromethanification]

accurate a f

[@firmi_2119]

This is basically the Social Credit system - capitalism edition.

[@acompton3561]

2006 - "Strapped for cash and in college? Go to Chase.com and find out how you can get a student loan." 2008 - Graduate college. “Sorry we’re not hiring due to the financial crisis.” 2010 - “Sorry, can’t hire you due to lack of experience.” 2015 - “Sorry, you must not be responsible because you haven’t paid off all your student loans”….

[@PTSDSquirrel]

+A Compton welcome to the debt slave plan, to own YOU. And there is nothing you can do about it. Not unless the poor rise up and kill/imprison the 1%

[@harryking3215]

How many websites has Jon Oliver bought?

[@benthekingofking]

too much

[@Timon-IrishFolk]

Benoit Ducloy Too many

[@justanotherhappyhumanist8832]

They don't work anymore though, sadly.

[@CRiley-zx1ws]

I wish he kept them going though... Most of the stuff linked to older episodes are gone by now.

[@Empty_Carbon]

But that the best part. With his decent credit score you would think he wouldn't spending HBOs money on numerous websites

[@DarrellGrainger]

My horror story was when I was getting calls about credit card debt. At one point they were claiming my minimum payment was more than the limit on the card. I worked at a university and did not have an office on campus. So I often was not on campus when I was calling the company. The general scenario was the company would want to confirm my identity. They would ask 3 questions in a very monotone way. After answering the question and with no indication my answers were wrong, they would start to be quite hostile to me. After days of trying to get this straightened out, I called the company from a phone in a shared office space on campus. This time the person started asking me the 3 questions. One question was where did I currently work. I gave the name of the university. They asked if I was at work right now. I said I was. It was at that point they said they weren't at liberty to say anything else but HIGHLY recommended I get a copy of my credit report. When I got a copy of my credit report it was totally wrong. It said I was married; I was not. It said I worked at the police department; I did not. The best was that I was a professional truck driver and I had a credit card which was delinquent. The card was issued when I was 3 years old. When I pointed this out to Equifax, they told me I had to prove I wasn't issued a credit card from a fuel company when I was 3 years old. It took me years to get everything straightened out. Actually, there were some things I never got fixed but I learned they would roll off my credit report over time... and they have. Things are better now. When I had all this trouble, you had to pay a LOT to get a copy of your credit report. Now I can get a free copy once a year but it takes a while. I can buy a copy right away. Actually, you have to sign up for a monthly service, get your free credit report then call a toll-free number and have them cancel the service before you get charged for the second month. It is still just as hard to get them to correct things on your credit report. My solution was to work with my bank. My bank values their internal credit history more than credit bureau companies. I need a credit card for work and ordering things online. My bank does not care what the credit bureau says. For everything else, I use cash.

[@OtakuD50]

8:31 What's Cracked's Daniel O'Brien doing there?

[@liizzset]

lol

[@leecairnduff8021]

OMG

[@DahaktheDragon]

+OtakuD50 It looked a little like him. Then again if any one was going to play a office fairy it would be him. lol

[@MrAwawe]

cracked is awful

[@evanhubler8431]

Omg I thought the same thing

[@diogoalmeidavisuals]

Making the world a better place one episode at a time!

[@Rainbowthewindsage]

My great grandfather was once mistaken for dead and when he went to travel years later they tried to flag him as suspicious because of it. It got resolved, but apparently they tried to ask him for a letter from his parents to prove he wasn't dead. He was eighty something at the time.

[@SionYawn]

In the trans community, a lot of us have this issue when we legally change our names. Credit reporting companies can't always figure out how to change the name associated with a person and then they end up giving you a brand new credit score, which means no credit, which, as you covered, means it's hard to rent an apartment or buy a phone. EDIT: And it's hard for other reasons to get jobs or rent apartments when you're trans, so the credit score thing is just icing on a terrible cake

[@SionYawn]

Lol I'm sorry, you're right--MOST cis people need court-ordered legal name changes and have their credit histories erased, too. This obviously impacts every person the same way. *sarcasm*

[@angelfaye101]

Did they make an educational video on EVERYTHING in the 1950s?! wow

[@ghost_anna_reads787]

Yep, even on how to wash you hands AND how to properly eat you school lunch.

[@asher6657]

Those videos are the proud parents of youtube. now there are millions of videos on how to cut your toenails and how to peel garlic.

[@firudu]

"was that a fairy?" "we are an equal opportunity employer" that was legitimately funny.

[@prettypic444]

here's a fun idea: let's make these credit companies pay 0.1% of their annual profits to every person who receives an erroneous credit report. I wonder how long it'll take them to get their act together

[@modelmajorpita]

TramsOnion also sells dolphin tears, which pair nicely with the steaks. "To be clear: These are tears cried by actual dolphins that are forced to watch as we carve steaks from the carcasses of their dead orca friends."

[@enhydralutra]

The university that I went to lost a whole bunch paperwork when they went digital with their records (no, I'm not old, that university was just that far behind the times). Turns out a university employee stole the records and sold them online, but instead of telling us what happened, they decided to keep quiet about it. A few years later I was buying a new car and turns out someone declared me dead to try to get life insurance benefits. So I couldn't get the car without a co-signer, I couldn't get insurance without a co-signer, and I likely had lost out on a couple of job opportunities. Took me a year to get it all sorted out, and I had no legal recourse with that fucking university.

[@madhippy3]

+Lutra Nereis Any lawsuit on the University or Student?

[@warman13x]

Holy shit. That's absolutely awful. I'm really sorry to hear that. This whole video now has me wanting to obsessively check my credit score and my background. Hopefully I won't find out that I've actually been dead for three years....

[@fahdh]

Class action lawsuit maybe? Talk to lawyers about your situation, some might be willing to take on your case.

[@RobSpartanR16]

+Lutra Nereis Woowh Dude, thats just insane!

[@Stamps600]

+thetruefinale Have to prove a university employee stole them and sold them online. My guess the people selling and buying stolen information aren't using traceable payment options.

[@carolchen2320]

"It's 11pm, I better go to bed" *sees John Oliver upload "Nevermind then"

[@MrGustavoavillelaz]

+Carol Chen Literally me hahahha

[@laxmitty21]

Well for me it is 2am and I need to be up at 4 tomorrow for school.

[@BoarhideGaming]

+cehonor "literally you?" I have a real hard time imagining that this is indeed *literally you*.

[@MrGustavoavillelaz]

BoarhideGaming surprisingly enough...it is!! #toughlife

[@BoarhideGaming]

cehonor Im not sure you fully realize the definition of "literally"

[@HappyfoxBiz]

"I'm very sorry for your loss" "how dare they give you information about my mothers death!" "no, apparently you are dead, once again, I'm very sorry for your loss"

[@sethwooten5678]

Need a job? too bad. Need a place to live? Nope. Want a car? Get the f*#k out! Do you want a gun? Here you go. Wouldn't want to infringe on your rights

[@GmanMoose]

+Seth Wooten Oh damn I don't think I've ever seen a statement better reflect what 'Merika is all about. Well done sir.

[@brandonferguson8021]

+Noneofyour Business yea. you can have a shit ton of money, but have a terrible credit score, right ?

[@ihurricane7]

okay fine, I'll go to sleep AFTER I watch this last video from John Oliver

[@supersammy00]

+ihurricane7 I think you summed up what every person is doing right now.

[@Red-lo5xn]

I love that all 3 of these sites are still up

[@jeffehdad]

His success gives me hope. I fuckin love this guy.

[@thecrazychikz3]

Credit is so annoying. I want to start my credit with a credit car but banks don't want to approve me for a credit card because I have no credit history!!!!????

[@justmemadison]

Check Visa and Master Card online...you can probably get a credit card with a low credit limit and a mid-range interest rate, but it's a start. After you have that for more than 6 months (using it and making payments) you can try for something else and start building from there. It doesn't come easy or fast - it takes some effort to always stay on track, but if you do your credit will open doors for you in the future.

[@RedSkyHorizon]

Accumulating debt will increase your credit score. Back in 2008 I had $75,000 on credit cards, a mortgage and a car on hire purchase with a minimum repayment each month of $1,600. My credit score was like 995 but my life sucked. I struggled daily. Ended up selling my house and clearing my debt. Lucky for me I had a house to sell. Now I rent but debt free with probably a shitty credit score. Life is good. :)

[@jumpman366]

how the fuck was your score 995 ? lmfao

[@jumpman366]

+Alejandra Don't know what you did but you gotta apply for cards that you know you have a solid chance getting accepted by. Start with Capital One

[@QueenRexy]

Yeah, his credit score was not 995. He likely entered his information into a credit checking website and they inflate scores by hundreds to convince people to get loans. FICO credit scores only go up to 850. That guy has no idea what he's talking about.

[@SteveBodi]

Apple uses Hireright. I applied for a job which I ended up not getting. Hireright was supposed to contact the 9 references i provided. When I didnt get the job I contacted my references and none of them were ever contacted. I called Hireright and asked why my references were never contacted. They told me I had never provided them. When I told them I had through their automated online system and I had received a phone call from them to verify that they had gotten all my information and during that call I had asked if they had my references and they said yes, they hung up on me.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

Assholes.

[@jrcanuck1]

The whole credit score approach should be reviewed in Canada and the USA. Let’s make these companies be accountable and much more transparent. Read below to see just how incredibly corrupt this credit score scam is: I discovered several years ago that my credit score wasn't what I thought it was at all. The only way that I could see and monitor my score was to pay either Equifax or Transunion a monthly fee. So I reluctantly started paying Transunion and I then saw that my score was much lower than I had anticipated. One of the reasons stated was that my bank, RBC, had complained of me paying late. This surprised me, so I called the RBC bank head office and they looked into it and came back and told me that my record with them was clean and that they could not find any credit complaints. So I called Transunion, which always means being put on hold for very long periods of time. I told them what RBC had said, expecting them to investigate and improve and change my score. Instead they could do nothing about it as they can only “monitor and advise”. They said that I could pay an extra fee and they would send my complaint to a central group for an investigation. I did that and several weeks later, I was simply advised that my claim was rejected without explanation! I asked Transunion why there was no explanation and they said that they have no idea and their only job is to monitor and advise, which they clearly were doing a terrible job of carrying out. Unfortunately I had to continue paying Transunion each month after that in order to see my score and hopefully slowly see it improve. It has been a very long road, despite paying all of my bills each month on time. At one point my score that had been steadily improving to a score of 711 and then it suddenly dropped several points to 698. Even in the online report, it showed that all of my bills were paid on time etc... So I called Transunion to complain and they had no explanation. The fellow simply said, these things happen some time, as they have a complex formula and things would even out in the long run... We then sold our house for a very good profit and I completely paid off all of our loans. I waited for the better part of a month, expecting a jump in credit and it merely went up to a score of 717. Then shortly after, I happened to find out that I was able to see my credit score via my online RBC bank account online. To my surprise it was also via Transunion. I expected to see the exact same score as I had been viewing on my online Transunion account. To my shock, the score was at 811, much higher than I saw at the TransUnion site! I waited several days, to see if perhaps the RBC score was just an advanced score, already reflecting my loan payments; but when I looked again the Transunion score had not changed, So I called Transunion and was told that they are 2 different models. He asked me which model RBC had. I said that it clearly stated that I could see my credit score, not which model. He replied that they have several models and they are complex. So I asked, “well, which score is correct?” He then told me that the RBC model was less efficient than their’s, even though they are both TransUnion! I asked again, so which is correct? He said “the RBC one is not a true credit score”! I replied that”I bet that RBC would be shocked to hear that, when they are telling customers that their’s is your actual credit score!” I then told him that the whole credit score system was a scam. I cancelled my account at that moment. What a complete rip-off! I have since retired and when I looked online via the RBC bank, my score has dropped several points once again without an explanation. I owe nothing. I pay all of my bills on time each month. I have a steady and very reasonable monthly pension payment. I pay most of my bills via my credit card, in order to gain points; but I make sure that my credit card bills are completely paid off each month. So I am still establishing plenty of credit. We have a lot more savings in our bank account now than we ever have before. How in the world can our credit score be dropping by several points? Why do these credit score companies make or break us without any accountability or responsibility? Why don’t we insist on getting fair impartial hearings when we have disputes? This is fairly critical to the average citizen’s financial security! Also, why don’t we get to score the companies performances, including these credit score companies. There should be financial repercussions for companies who are scored badly by the citizens and it should be scored on ethics, Customer Service, financial viability etc...

[@StarvingPoet]

thanks for calling out the bullshit of judging this for employment, and coming from someone with good credit

[@mentalbadgers4217]

I was expecting a Bill Cosby joke, but alright, Neil Patrick Harris. He is good too.

[@rancidmarshmallow4468]

+Mental Badgers yea, me too...

[@johnchappel353]

Wonder how long before one of these companies complain about this show ? Just Googled "John Oliver Credit Report Complaints" - "About 190,000 results (in 0.24 seconds)" Go John

[@firrigagamer8281]

1,890,000 (in 0.50 seconds) now.

[@VB-lz5cx]

9,530,000 results

[@luizfernandodonascimento3413]

07:15 “so I was like there's no way" 😂😂😂 no shit! And then "you can't get anything when you're deceased" hahahaha. Her face laughing is the best!

[@thomasdoncieu]

if I had a penny for every time John Oliver said "to be fair", I'd still be broke because of my gambling addiction

[@likira111]

Underrated.

[@JabesMcJabesface]

I was turned down for a job until I asked why, and thankfully they shared that the check had shown I was guilty of multiple homicides (2 in north carolina that we talked about), I argued with the company about this quite a bit until finally I said they should either be calling the police since they found more OR there was a mistake. They threatened to call the police until I re-explained that A) they could if they really believed that and B) when the police then came back saying I was not that person, since that person was not missing and was in prison, did I get the job?

[@NjniaVanDerWald]

indubitable ~ unquestionable, not to be doubted you're welcome!

[@thebasscrss]

i've got to wonder how many people were laughing by the end of this and then went " i should check my credit score"

[@annyyanez3220]

I want to check mine but then I remembered I don't even one since I barely became an adult lol

[@thebasscrss]

ah ha ditto

[@Charlotte4Short]

Note to self: don't name your daughter Judy Thomas.

[@guard13007]

+Silver Pin Especially if your last name isn't Thomas, because people fuck up so bad if your kid's last name is different from yours.

[@mozarth]

Well, I don't have a child and I never had utilities on my name. Surprisingly the city's utility company put a derogatory mark on my name for 275 dollars as an "unpaid child support". Weird stuff.

[@kolive81]

I did it. I requested my credit report. It shows one prior address with an incorrect street number and 5-digit zip code which makes it an invalid USPS address. This is something that is easily verified (many vendors provide USPS address verification and standardization software). Once validated they could either omit or indicate the source as well as a note that it is not a valid address. Amazingly, I have received some (junk) mail with that erroneous address and now I know why.

[@bluebutterflyofdoom]

In my early twenties, despite passing the teller test with flying colors, I was declined a job because my credit wasn't good enough. I didn't have much credit at the time, but did have some medical bills. I thought it was kinda silly and insulting to insinuate that I wasn't qualified because of my credit. In following jobs, I received commendations for my accuracy in financial transactions.

[@WALOWALOWALOWALOWALOWALOWALOW]

If anything I'd hire someone with more debt, they'd be more willing to work their asses off to pay off their debt.

[@jaridkeen123]

I love how he fucks with them to make a point.

[@captainzib]

Okay, that GIS video... Why would Snow White trust anyone with an apple on their desk?

[@swr1240]

Who else didn't notice the checkered shirt until he said it...and now can't stop looking at it?

[@AMcGrath82]

How long is it going to be before these companies are held accountable for their negligence?

[@stevencage89]

Do you Americans have any idea how lucky you are to have John Oliver in your lives?

[@justinwolfe5035]

Hell yea

[@seansuarez772]

I do

[@evilspyke3571]

oh yea. I watch these videos, laugh a little, then carry on. hes such a huge impact, how many things have been changed because of John Oliver? really? tell me! TELL ME! I NEED TO KNOW!!! oh nothing? Trump 2016.

[@Valiant_Requiem]

+Evil Spyke www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-oliver-real-life-wins_us_55c8e128e4b0f73b20ba171e I'll just leave that there.

[@soorma01]

+Evil Spyke His job is to bring out the problems to the surface. He is doing that. People like u do nothing to solve them & vote for Drumpf- thats your problem.

[@kvothe2144]

General Information Services or GIS! I DIED I FUCKING DIED! LOL

[@nestorsdragon8057]

Credit is actually only there to make up for the wage system being inadequate

[@hollyann5717]

Two years ago I checked my credit report. It had several loans on it that I did not take out. I believe it was two vehicle loans and one mortgage loan. I paid cash for my car and never had a loan on it or any vehicle and I never owned a home. I called several numbers. It was difficult to find someone to handle that. In fact, I never did reach anyone who could help. Everyone kept sending me to different people or giving me numbers to call. A week or two later I checked it again and my credit report was completely wiped. I had no credit score and no info about any loan or payment activity. I guess it's better in a way than having a hundred thousand in debt but it's just as difficult to get a line of credit when you have no score as opposed to a bad score 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@darthhideous8]

At first I laughed but then I realised how sad it really is.

[@FunnyOrDie]

This report fails to investigate the fact that Helen McGill @7:03 is CLEARLY A GHOST.

[@MayurDoifode]

It says, "she was shocked" not SHOT! I was confused as well. After all, it's America.

[@JanPospisilArt]

Growing up watching American movies, I never understood what credit was. The notion of a number estimating your worthiness is a bit baffling to this day.

[@domdidomdom]

+JanPospisil42 Brave new world

[@FelisImpurrator]

"too much... credence" That pause. You can just tell he was about to say "credit". Dammit, John, you should have taken the easy win.

[@carolchen2320]

Every Sunday, John Oliver make me angry about something I did not even know existed. Thanks John, you are a real ray of sunshine (JK, I love him so much)

[@edaurdosamuel8025]

14:50 "And he does so well and he is so likeable while he does it. He is so good!" -John Oliver 2k 16

[@yattaguru]

Legacy so ingrained in the way that we think we no longer need chains to be slaves -- "Brother Ali"

[@joshuajohnson3713]

That's deep bro.

[@jfbrko290]

0:50 well... OF COURSE that 4th C was actually just implied to be part of the 1st C back then. back then, being a darker color meant your character was already shot in the eyes of the system.

[@Johnny-rx4hs]

All of this bureaucratic chaos reminds me of the movie Brazil. In the beginning of the movie a man is arrested and dies in custody because of a typo.

[@hedgehog3180]

Phil Lewis This has more or less happened several times in the US. People are regularly in jail for years without recieving trial and many die while in there, mostly due to abuse by jail guards.

[@mlpfanboy1701]

Phil Lewis at that point I would haunt whoever made the error till THEY died.

[@ShakeItLittleTina]

14:48 Anyone else expecting a "Janice from accounting"?

[@aikifox85]

Even if your debt is actually your own, you need to generate income to pay those debts. Good luck finding that income when you can't get hired to a job to make the money to pay your debts! :D

[@justAguyDs]

lol. or how about homeless people needing a job to get a home but needing a home to get a job

[@aliyigit8978]

+aikifox85 it's same contradiction like you need experience to get a job but you can't get a job becuse you are inexperienced :D

[@aikifox85]

+justAguyDs Yeah, pretty much. Though, in some instances, homeless persons needing an address for applications, mail, etc. may be able to use the address of a shelter (I actually work at a shelter and have seen this in practice).

[@justAguyDs]

+aikifox85 wow. cool to know.

[@sinw88]

+aikifox85 yeah shouldnt they put people who are in debt as priority so they can pay their debts?