Experian Business Accounts

This number is mainly meant to be used for businesses who need to report customer credit activity for Experian. However, the average person can try it if they're willing to provide some personal details. 

When calling, you're taken to the first automated menu, where you have to indicate if you're calling about a personal or business account. Given that I don't have a business account, I chose personal and was immediately asked to enter my Social Security Number. I declined to do so three times, and after the third time, I was told that I'd need to enter my SSN to get personalized assistance.

I again declined, and I was taken to a menu where I could explain what my reason was for calling. So, I said I was calling to get my credit score, and the system told me that I had two options from this menu. I could either ask for the instructions on how to get my credit score, or I could ask for the website that could tell me the instructions.

I asked for the instructions, and the system began going through each level of the instructions to tell me exactly what I needed to do in order to receive my score. After thoroughly explaining each step, the system gave me the option to either continue to the next step, return to the previous step, repeat the instructions I'd just heard or return to the main menu. The system took me through a complete 7-step process, fully explaining each step before asking if I was ready to move on to the next one.

Overall, I thought Experian did a fine job of setting up this number. It's a little odd that they have this choice available for customers to call in and get help, given that this number is clearly marketed as a business number and not meant for the average person, but unless someone chooses to provide their personal information, a caller will never talk to anyone but the automated system. That means there's no worries about a backup, and it's easy to provide genuine assistance to anyone who calls.

Making sure personal information is protected is a must for this kind of phone number. If a business is calling to report credit activity to Experian, it's of the utmost importance for that data to not fall into the wrong hands. Setting up an identification choke point so early in the call makes it very difficult for information to end up with someone who shouldn't have it. 

The lack of ability to speak to a representative means I can't provide a complete picture of this number's effectiveness. But given Experian's commitment to data security and thorough menu, I'd use this number as a backup. It's not meant for everyday people, and there are better options available for getting help from Experian. But in a pinch, it can provide assistance if necessary.