4 ms·

> Also their scope is limited Is this really true in the US? Increasingly I've been surprised at all the places that want to pull credit. Cellphone companies

• stickfigure 6y ago
  These are examples of things that involve a creditor relationship. You usually postpay your phone and electric bills; even though you prepay your rent, in practice the eviction process is so slow that landlords are effectively on the hook for several months' rent. Most of these have workarounds. You can buy prepaid cell phone plans (usually cheaper and easier than postpaid!). Electric companies will let anyone open up an account with a deposit.
• kelnos 6y ago
  With the exception of the HR department, those other people/groups do have an interest in ensuring that you'll pay your bills on time. If you're on a cellular plan where you get the phone free/cheap and then pay it off over the next year or two, that's a creditor relationship. Postpaid plans mean that you pay your bill at the end of the month, so if you fail to pay, the phone company has lost money on you. Prepaid plans, IIRC, usually don't require a credit check because you pay up-front. Even for the electric company, there are often laws against shutting off your service because of non-payment, since electricity is considered so fundamental to our lives. And again, like cellular can be, it's a post-paid service. Renting an apartment isn't quite so obviously a credit thing, but in many jurisdictions it's difficult and expensive to evict a tenant, even for non-payment.