"Well, I married my dream girl.
(I married my dream girl.)
But she didn't tell me.
Her credit was bad.
So now instead of living in a pleasant suburb.
We're living in the basement at her Mom and Dad's.
No we can't get a loan, for a respectable home.
Just because my girl defaulted on some old credit card.
If we'd gone to freecreditreport.com...
I'd be a happy bachelor with a dog and a yard."
I'm sure most of you (who watch TV) will recognize this little ditty.
It's one of those clever Freecreditreport.com jingles.
It's catchy, but I am not too keen on the sentiment.
True enough, in this age of identity theft, seemingly limitless credit and a "gotta have it" culture, getting up to snuff with regards to one's credit rating/history is important.
But where the ad gurus at freecreditreport.com went wrong, was to tie a credit rating into date-worthiness. Which is not to downplay finances in relationships, many a domestic disputes are rooted in the family's bottom line. But to say I should've pulled her credit before marrying her is just asinine.
I used to work in mortgage where there were guidelines that dictated who was eligible for what loan, and credit score played a very large role in that determination. But it was not the ONLY factor. Just as there are many factors that play into the dating/marrying game.
Now I am single, and I'll admit, I have dismissed a lady based upon one (usually annoying) trait/habit. But I didn't pay someone to dig-up some information on the lady, which is effectively what a credit report does. I put in the leg work of actually spending time with her.
And something tells me that a discussion that starts with: "Honey, what do you think about pulling our credit before we get engaged…" ends very well.
Not only is it lazy to pass the responsibility of learning about your mate to someone/thing else, but it removes the human factor. And that's the fun part of dating.
Maybe the next step after pulling credit on your date is to exchange resumes. While that may sound funny, think about the recent popularity of online dating, services like eHarmony (of which I am a free member, which doesn't get you any dates, for the record) pretty much ask you to fill-out a dating resume and then turns to an algorithm to make love happen.
This "computer love" movement is interesting. As it is, I sit in a coffee shop, laptop open and IM with my friends as opposed to chatting-up the cute girl in the corner.
The fine art or face-to-face human interaction is being traded for a firewalled exchange of texts. With an occasional photo tossed-in to spice things up a bit.
That being said, freecreditreport.com isn't the anti-christ. Anyone who would pull credit on a significant other and allow the score to affect their relationship is. OK, maybe not the anti-christ, but a moron for sure.
Long story short, turn-off the laptop every now and again. Ignore the text messages and just go out into the world and interact.
And now I am going to do just that.
3 comments:
Yes, it is just a commercial, but I am sure you apply your logic to real situations... sooooo.... I had to chime in.
"I'd be a happy bachelor with a dog and a yard."
That infers he is not happy, and that where he is now is the extreme opposite of where he wants to be. Not only that, but simple communication would have "fixed" the problem (for the author). It is not up to you or I to dictate what he wants because we have our own wants/needs that won't apply elsewhere.
This simply was a breach of trust by her, not some pettiness from him. She should have come clean about her credit beforehand. Don't you think they talked about their future and what happens after getting married? Withholding information is just as bad as a lie.
Before you make any life-changing decisions, you better do your homework. If having a dog and a yard is your goal, then you need to make decisions to facilitate that. To do that, you better know more than the first name of your potential spouse. Apply this scenario to a conversation after their first night of sex... "Oh, by the way, I also have herpes..." (only her herpes stays active for 7 years HA!).
Trust is the yardstick you measure belief with, and she increased that yardstick significantly. That alone would make me question the relationship.
Here's a question about that ad: Why are they living with HER parents? The freecreditreport.com guy is apparently a loser if he lives with his in laws and whines about it. If it wasn't for her folks, they'd be living on the streets. If He is judging his wife by her credit, maybe SHE should judge him by his inability to earn a decent living (Mr. Pirate Hat Guy) and dump his sorry butt! LOL!
i hardly think a man who can't hold a job at a touristy restaurant, can only get a Geo Metro with his own credit, and now works at a renaissance fair has the right to be lecturing his wife on the principles of good credit, let alone wishing he hadn't married her.
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