Costco Identity Protection Review – Is Complete ID Any Good?

costco complete id logoComplete ID monitors a very comprehensive set of identity factors across a complete range of defense points. The company is based in Austin, Texas and their goal is to remain on course with evolving technologies and all types of threats to offer the best protection for identity theft . Complete ID offers personal identity status monitoring, fraud detection as well as recovery and insurance in the case of identity abuse or breach.

The Complete ID service is geared towards families and consumers who are seeking basic protection. In this Costco Complete ID Review , we’ll see how their services compare to other companies in the same field.

What Features Does Complete ID Offer?

Complete ID offers numerous features designed to track and notify you of suspicious activity. These features include:

  • Annual 3B Credit Reports, Scores and Monitoring – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion bureaus all monitored for inquiries, delinquencies and more.
  • Credit Score Updates – A tool that graphs your 3B score annually as well as your TransUnion score each month
  • Internet Surveillance – Monitors and notifies you if your information is found being illegally traded or sold online and provides a clear course of action if it is. Data that can be monitored includes: 3 e-mail addresses, social security number, three phone numbers, ten credit/debit cards, five bank accounts, drivers license number, passport, five store/membership cards and two medical ID numbers
  • Mail change alerts – Monitors the USPS, notifies you if your mail has been redirected and provides clear instructions on what action to take next
  • Neighborhood watch – Reports on sex offenders living in or moving into your area. Also, alerts you if a sex offender fraudulently attempts to register using your address
  • Bank Account Takeover Watch – Monitors whether your bank account has been opened using your personal information and notifies you if any changes are made to the account
  • Credit Card, Checking and Savings Account Alerts – Notifies you if your personal information has been used to open a new account along with instructions of what to do next
  • Criminal Records Monitoring – Notifies you if there is a match for any criminal activity with your name and birth
  • Arrest Alerts – Notifies you if any criminal offenses were reported by law enforcement that matches your name or date of birth
  • Payday Loan Monitoring – Notifies you if a payday loan has been opened in your name and provides instructions on what to do next
  • SSN Monitoring – Notifies you of all current and new names or aliases associated with your SSN
  • Child Protection – Checks for fraudulent names, aliases or addresses associated with your child’s name
  • Lost Wallet Replacement Assistance – Specialists work on your behalf to terminate and re-issue wallet contents
  • Identity Recovery and Insurance – In the case of identity abuse or breach, a specialist will help you resolve the issue. Membership insures you for associated costs for up to $1 million with $0 deductible

The Good

Affordable Pricing

The service is just as complete and secure as most who offer similar features. Complete ID uses state-of-the-art tools and monitors your identity to provide identity theft services  at a very affordable price. The service is fairly inexpensive for those who are Costco members, and you can still enroll if you are not.

Complete Identity Protection

Allows you to keep an eye on and protect identity data such as credit and non-credit data factors that consumers simply are unable to monitor entirely on their own without support.

Easy to Understand and Manage

Complete ID aims to take the stress and legwork out of identity protection. Rather than have the consumer worry about each potential vulnerability individually, Complete ID gives a complete overview. If there is a change in status of any kind, that person will be notified immediately and assisted with what type of action to take next.

Protection from Identity Abuse or Breach

If this occurs, the consumer only needs to make one call, and they will be supported throughout the entire process and resolution of the issue regardless of whether or not the threat turns out to be real. There is an expert support team available at any time to address concerns of any nature.

Many Useful Features

Beyond simply being notified in identity theft situations, Complete ID offers a multitude of other features that their customers may find useful. The Child Protection option can be particularly useful as many younger children simply aren’t able to monitor the avenues in which they may fall prey to certain types of identity theft on their own. The Neighborhood Watch feature is also something not offered by every other company and can help to keep you aware of registered sex offenders in your area.

The Bad

Negative Customer Feedback

Numerous customers have complained about difficulty with the customer service departments and company in general. They have cited issues such as having trouble canceling service, reduction in their credit scores after subscribing to the service and being displeased overall with the assistance they were offered by the company.

Limitations on Service

Many competitors offer identity theft software  such as anti-virus or junk mail reduction services because of the high number of instances where people are targeted on the web with identity theft tactics. Complete ID does offer the monitoring of up to 3 e-mail addresses, but it is unclear to what extent.

Credit Report Limitations

Some competitors offer monthly reports for all three credit bureaus, but Complete ID only provides a monthly report for TransUnion. Though they do provide a tool that graphs the customer’s 3B scores annually, it is not quite as in-depth as what is offered by some other companies.

Limited Options

Since there is only one package offered, the consumer is unable to customize and choose features most relevant to them. Other companies offer more flexibility and allow customers to pay for features they want and not have to pay for the ones they don’t.

How Much Does Complete ID Cost?

The pricing for Complete ID depends on whether or not you are a Costco member and which type of member you are. If you are not a member, you are still able to enroll, but the monthly cost for the Complete ID services are approximately two times more. There does not appear to be a difference in services offered regardless of what type of Costco membership you have. The prices are the only thing that varies.

  • For Costco Wholesale Executive Members, the base price for Complete ID services is $8.99 per month with the option to add Child Protection for an additional $2.99 per month.
  • For Costco Wholesale Gold Star Members, the base price for Complete ID services is $13.99 per month and adding Child Protection costs an additional $3.99 per month.
  • For those who are not members, enrollment for the same services costs $19.99 per month. You will be required to enter your personal information including your SSN to do so.

Is Costco Complete ID Worth It?

Given the fact that the Costco Complete ID services are extremely affordable for those who are members, the risk seems to be minimal while the benefit and features offered could potentially be well worth it if you do fall victim to any type of identity theft. Costco is a well-known and fairly trusted name with a reputation to uphold so customers can at least take some comfort in knowing this compared to an identity theft protection company  that is much less known.

There are quite a few complaints about the customer service aspect of Costco Complete ID which is a bit troubling. Many of the customers noted that they had issues with the portal and had trouble logging in or getting it to work properly and that they received very little help when they contacted the company for assistance.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. Costco Complete ID likely is not the best option on the market when it comes to identity theft protection services , but the reputation and available features are good enough to warrant giving it a chance especially if you are already a member.


Company Contact Information

Web Site: http://www.completeid.com

Phone: 1-855-591-0202

Summary
Reviewer
ID Theft Authority

 

Review Date
Reviewed Item
Costco ID Protect
Author Rating
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Costco Identity Protection