What must a consumer rely on when attempting to obtain a score from a credit reporting agency under this rule?

• A. The consumer's report itself will always include the score
• B. The fee required to obtain the score
• C. The agency's published policy on how to request a score
• D. The agency is not guaranteed to provide the score on request

Answer: (D)

When you request a credit score from a credit reporting agency, there is no obligation for them to provide it. The important point to rely on is that the agency is not guaranteed to give you the score on request. Some agencies may offer a score, sometimes for a fee, but this depends on their policies and may not happen at all. So, you should not assume the score will be provided just because you asked. The other ideas—that the score will always appear in your report, that you can rely on a specific fee, or that the agency’s published process guarantees delivery—do not hold universally.