every loan shark on the planet descends on you like a flock of vultures!

A rather unsettling, yet apt description. I wonder if they do those appalling deals purely because they know how important it is for people to build up their credit scores.

It's not something you even think about much unless you're in the situation of requiring a loan, but recently someone pointed out to me that a mistake by our old phone and internet provider that took us months to sort and at one point ended up with me getting a letter from debt collectors for a debt I didn't have (I was actually due a refund) would go against my credit score. Not something that bothers me at the moment, but it could if I face the same situation as yourself. I believe I'd probably need to pay money to see my credit score and get that mistake removed as well, despite it being the company's mess up, not mine.