Why do credit bureau fees vary so much? What confuses the public most is actually the opaque charging mechanism! In recent years, as the demand for relationship investigation, whereabouts monitoring, affair evidence search, person search and business verification has continued to rise, issues such as “credit reporting agency fees”, “credit reporting agency prices”, “credit reporting agency charging standards” and “how to calculate credit reporting fees” have also become the most frequently searched keywords by many people before entrusting them. However, when they really start to compare various companies, many people quickly fall into another bigger confusion: Why are there huge differences in quotations for seemingly similar cases? Some operators offer prices on the low side, which makes people wonder if there are hidden fees; some operators offer prices on the high side, which makes people worry about whether they are beyond a reasonable range. For people who are coming into contact with credit information services for the first time, if the charging logic of the credit information agency is not transparent enough, it will really make it difficult for people to clearly judge what they are paying for.
The Taiwan Detective Association pointed out that it is difficult to have a fixed answer to the charging standards of credit reporting agencies.
In response to the charging issue that has long been of concern to the outside world, the Taiwan Detective Professional Association pointed out that credit reporting services are essentially highly customized professional work. Unlike general retail goods or standard service industries, there is no single pricing model that can fully apply to all cases. Because the background, goals, difficulty, execution time and resources required for each commission are different, the cost will naturally vary. For example, some cases may focus on one-time information verification, while others may involve long-term evidence collection, cross-regional execution, manpower dispatch, transportation costs, and may even include subsequent data collection and connection with legal services. These conditions will directly affect the final quotation. Therefore, the so-called charging standards of credit reporting agencies cannot be completely explained with a fixed price list. Instead, we must go back to the real needs of customers and the content of the actual case to make a relatively reasonable assessment.
(Photo/Provided by Rieter International Credit Information Co., Ltd.)
Xie Zhibo said bluntly in an interview: The key to calculating credit reporting fees lies in the case conditions and execution plan
Regarding the most common question asked by people, “How to calculate the credit reporting fee?”, Xie Zhibo, CEO of Rieter International Credit Reporting Co., Ltd., said in an interview that what really affects the price of a credit reporting agency is the comprehensive judgment of the overall case conditions. He pointed out that the outside world often thinks that the fees charged by credit reporting agencies should be just like general commodities, with a fixed quotation list, but in fact, credit reporting cases are closer to project-based services. From early consultation, case assessment, risk interpretation, execution method planning, to subsequent evidence collection and return, data collection and results delivery, every link will affect the cost structure. Xie Zhibo also reminded that when comparing the fees of credit bureaus, some people tend to only look at the superficial amount, but ignore whether the project service content is complete. A solution that seems cheap may not be really cost-effective; a seemingly high price may not be unreasonable. The key still lies in whether the business owner is willing to clearly explain the cost items, service scope, case closing criteria and possible additional status, so that the client knows what kind of services and costs correspond to each expenditure.
Transparent fees are more important than low prices, and reasonable quotations are the first step to building market trust.
At the end of the interview, Xie Zhibo also further emphasized that in the face of market expectations for credit agency prices and charges to be transparent, the truly sound industry development direction is not to blindly lower prices to attract consumers to entrust them, but to let the public clearly understand the logic behind charges. In particular, the credit reporting industry itself is a special service that relies heavily on trust. Prices can be discussed and plans can be adjusted, but the basis for charging must not be vague.
The Taiwan Association of Detective Professionals also calls on the public to judge whether the charging standards of credit reporting agencies are reasonable. In addition to comparing figures, they should also pay attention to whether the industry is willing to clearly explain the scope of execution, service content, cost sources and related risks. After all, for the client, what really matters is not just whether it is cheap, but whether every expense spent can correspond to professional services that can be seen and explained clearly. When the market begins to value transparency and integrity, the credit reporting industry will have the opportunity to move to a more mature and trustworthy next step.
During the interview, the reporter could clearly feel that whether it was the Taiwan Detective Association’s analysis of the current industry situation or Xie Zhibo’s observations based on front-line practical experience, they all point to the same core: how to calculate credit reporting fees is never a question that can be explained in one sentence. The nature of the cases is different, the difficulty of execution is different, and the manpower input is different. Naturally, the prices of credit reporting agencies cannot be exactly the same. Because of this, what really deserves public attention is not just the number on the quotation, but whether the industry is willing to publicly explain the charging logic behind it. When the market begins to move from “computing low prices” to “seeing transparency,” this may be the core key to the maturity of Taiwan’s credit reporting industry.
Source: KOCPC Chinese