I have a subscription with Experian, and there is information on my report which seems inappropriate and counterintuitive. Background : Until last week, I had an open, non-mortgage loan with the Federal Government, and this loan was listed on my credit report as an item that was hurting my credit score. I have since paid off [ early ] the entire loan, and this has finally been recognized on my credit report, as my score went up slightly. However, I still have the same number of negative items ( 3 ) on my credit report. XXXX items have n't changed for a long time, but now there is a new " negative '' item that is hurting my score - " NOT having an open, non-mortgage loan! '' So, now my score is apparently negatively impacted by NOT having an open, non-mortgage loan. Until last week, HAVING such an open loan was the negative item. I contacted Experian about this, asking how having such a loan could be negative while now I have a negative item by not having such a loan. Experian replied by saying that it 's not a credit bureau but, rather, an online provider of reports, scores, and credit monitoring. I replied to them with a screenshot of their home page, which contains a link to purchase a " XXXX-Credit Bureau report '' ( since Experian is apparently not a Credit Bureau, I imagine that the report on Experian 's home page pertains to XXXX other agencies. In this era, so many decisions - some moderately important, some critically important - hinge on one 's credit report/score, and I feel that, as a consumer, I should be entitled to know the extent to which items on my credit report are either increasing or decreasing that very crucial metric, known as the credit score. Instead, I receive a suggestion to contact a credit counseling agency. I have no idea how an arbitrary credit counseling service would be able to explain Experian 's methodology to me, let alone why having an open, non-mortgage loan would have a negative impact while, now, NOT having an open, non-mortgage loan would have a negative impact. Why ca n't consumers know how the credit score is calculated when this score can literally shape a person 's life. 

Regards, XXXX XXXX