Byline: Caroline E. Mayer

East Coast residents are finally set to join with the rest of the country and receive free copies of their credit reports annually from each of the three national credit bureaus.

But since the program's West Coast launch last year, complaints to the Federal Trade Commission and consumer advocacy groups indicate that many consumers have had problems getting their reports, especially with the Web site set up for them -- and with imposter sites that lure consumers into giving up their personal information to identity thieves.

Washington Post staff writer Caroline E. Mayer was online Thursday, Sept. 1, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the reports and potential difficulties for consumers. A transcript of the discussion follows.

Read her article about the reports here .

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Caroline E. Mayer: Hello everyone. I know that free credit reports certainly isn't the hot topic of today, and that's understandable as we see more and more of Katrina's wrath.

Even so, I do hope that you all take this opportunity to at least think about ordering a report, if not now sometime in the near future. Now that you can order one for free once a yearfrom each of the three credit bureaus, it's really important to do so--to make sure no one else has taken out accounts in your name as well as make sure your creditors are posting correct info to your accounts. And it's even more important if you're planning to apply for credit in the near future.

As you apply for your reports, I'd love to hear how the process goes--if it's easy, complicated and also how accurate your reports are once you get them. Feel free to write me at mayerc@washpost.com

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Alexandria, VA: I just used the link to the credit report website from washingtonpost.com and printed out my 3 credit reports with no problem! It was quick and easy.

Caroline E. Mayer: That's great news--and a good way to start this chat. I hpoe all of you find it so easy...What do your reports look like? Any errors or also good news on that front? Check them carefully.

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Gaithersburg, MD: Although it is great to receive a copy of your credit report, the fact that it does not contain your score significantly reduces the value. Are there any plans to allow inviduals to recieve their scores for free too?

Caroline E. Mayer: Right now, there are no plans for free credit scores and I wouldn't count on that. The main purpose of the free credit reports to to make sure there are no errors--and although errors could affect a score, scores are a completely separate issue.

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Washington DC: Is a credit report usually the first symptom of identity theft? And in the event of identity theft, would the free report provide enough information to take any action?

Caroline E. Mayer: Sometimes a credit report is the first --and only--indication of identity theft. But sometimes you find out the hard way--when credit is denied (and you haven't checked your report)or when you receive calls from debt collectors for debt you never owed. Better to discover the errors in a credit report first.

Unfortunately, if there are errors, that's just the first step. Then you need to alert both the credit bureau AND creditor (make sure you do both) about the error; you may need to file a police report as well. It's a time-consuming process but there are lots of good organizations that can help guide you on what to do if that occurs. One is Privacy Rights Clearinghouse which you can find on the web.

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Annandale, Va.: I was able to receive both me and my wife's credit reports beginning at 8:01 am EST this morning without any problems (paid $4.95/ea for our scores). However, I decided to get our reports from only one of the three agencies. In four months, I will order from another agency; in another four months I will order from the last agency. This way I will be able to monitor my credit throughout the year for "free" (minus what I pay for my score). Would you say this is good advice?

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to see my score was almost as high as it can go. Then I see that Trans Union uses a scale, which goes up to 950 instead of 850. Is the score I paid for this morning the one that lenders will look at? Seems like I received just the Trans Union Score which is one part of the FICO score calculation. Does this sound about right?

Caroline E. Mayer: Great to hear it was so easy for you. There are lots of people--2,076 to be specific--who have filed complaints with the FTC because it wasn't so simple.

Your strategy--of getting one report from a different credit bureau every three months--is a sound one, recommended by many consumer advocates. It's a way to stay on top of your records and not have to pay for monthly monitoring services.

As for the credit score, this will probably be pretty confusing to people, but it's important nonetheless. There is only one credit bureau--Equifax--which is using the FICO score--that's the one that most lenders use to determine to grant credit. Experian and TransUnion have their own formulas (which explains why TransUnion goes above 850). Experian and TransUnion say their scores help educate consumers about their financial health and can lead them to take corrective steps if needed. But consumer groups question how helpful these scores really are Their advice: buy only one credit score, the one used by lenders, which means Equifax.