Consumer complaint received 2023-01-19
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: FL
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account status incorrect

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX & XX/XX/XXXX I reported to XXXX that I had made payments to them in previous months and they did not properly credit credit my account. Later on they finally gave me a temporary credit and told me to submit documentation, I did and they told me that my account was closed, and I would receive a letter in the mail. It is XXXX and I never received anything. This was for Dispute # XXXX & XXXX. I made a complaint through the CFPB on XX/XX/XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX I received an email from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on behalf of XXXX. I FINALLY RECEIVED THE INVESTIGATION yesterday ( XX/XX/XXXX ) about XXXX  from Executive Office of Customer Advocacy. 
The problem at hand is on XX/XX/XXXX I stated there was a billing error, therefore at that time I put my account in billing error status! ( 15 U.S. Code 1666 ) ( a ) Written notice by obligor to creditor ; time for and contents of notice ; procedure upon receipt of notice by creditor If a creditor, within sixty days after having transmitted to an obligor a statement of the obligors account in connection with an extension of consumer credit, receives at the address disclosed under section 1637 ( b ) ( 10 ) of this title a written notice ( other than notice on a payment stub or other payment medium supplied by the creditor if the creditor so stipulates with the disclosure required under section 1637 ( a ) ( 7 ) of this title ) from the obligor in which the obligor ( 1 ) sets forth or otherwise enables the creditor to identify the name and account number ( if any ) of the obligor, ( 2 ) indicates the obligors belief that the statement contains a billing error and the amount of such billing error, and ( 3 ) sets forth the reasons for the obligors belief ( to the extent applicable ) that the statement contains a billing error, the creditor shall, unless the obligor has, after giving such written notice and before the expiration of the time limits herein specified, agreed that the statement was correct ( A ) not later than thirty days after the receipt of the notice, send a written acknowledgment thereof to the obligor, unless the action required in subparagraph ( B ) is taken within such thirty-day period, and ( B ) not later than two complete billing cycles of the creditor ( in no event later than ninety days ) after the receipt of the notice and prior to taking any action to collect the amount, or any part thereof, indicated by the obligor under paragraph ( 2 ) either ( i ) make appropriate corrections in the account of the obligor, including the crediting of any finance charges on amounts erroneously billed, and transmit to the obligor a notification of such corrections and the creditors explanation of any change in the amount indicated by the obligor under paragraph ( 2 ) and, if any such change is made and the obligor so requests, copies of documentary evidence of the obligors indebtedness ; or ( ii ) send a written explanation or clarification to the obligor, after having conducted an investigation, setting forth to the extent applicable the reasons why the creditor believes the account of the obligor was correctly shown in the statement and, upon request of the obligor, provide copies of documentary evidence of the obligors indebtedness. In the case of a billing error where the obligor alleges that the creditors billing statement reflects goods not delivered to the obligor or his designee in accordance with the agreement made at the time of the transaction, a creditor may not construe such amount to be correctly shown unless he determines that such goods were actually delivered, mailed, or otherwise sent to the obligor and provides the obligor with a statement of such determination. 
After complying with the provisions of this subsection with respect to an alleged billing error, a creditor has no further responsibility under this section if the obligor continues to make substantially the same allegation with respect to such error. 
( b ) Billing error For the purpose of this section, a billing error consists of any of the following : ( 1 ) A reflection on a statement of an extension of credit which was not made to the obligor or, if made, was not in the amount reflected on such statement.

( 2 ) A reflection on a statement of an extension of credit for which the obligor requests additional clarification including documentary evidence thereof.

( 3 ) A reflection on a statement of goods or services not accepted by the obligor or his designee or not delivered to the obligor or his designee in accordance with the agreement made at the time of a transaction.

( 4 ) The creditors failure to reflect properly on a statement a payment made by the obligor or a credit issued to the obligor.

( 5 ) A computation error or similar error of an accounting nature of the creditor on a statement.

( 6 ) Failure to transmit the statement required under section 1637 ( b ) of this title to the last address of the obligor which has been disclosed to the creditor, unless that address was furnished less than twenty days before the end of the billing cycle for which the statement is required.

( 7 ) Any other error described in regulations of the Bureau.

( c ) Action by creditor to collect amount or any part thereof regarded by obligor to be a billing error For the purposes of this section, action to collect the amount, or any part thereof, indicated by an obligor under paragraph ( 2 ) does not include the sending of statements of account, which may include finance charges on amounts in dispute, to the obligor following written notice from the obligor as specified under subsection ( a ), if ( 1 ) the obligors account is not restricted or closed because of the failure of the obligor to pay the amount indicated under paragraph ( 2 ) of subsection ( a ), and ( 2 ) the creditor indicates the payment of such amount is not required pending the creditors compliance with this section.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any action by a creditor to collect any amount which has not been indicated by the obligor to contain a billing error.

( d ) Restricting or closing by creditor of account regarded by obligor to contain a billing error Pursuant to regulations of the Bureau, a creditor operating an open end consumer credit plan may not, prior to the sending of the written explanation or clarification required under paragraph ( B ) ( ii ), restrict or close an account with respect to which the obligor has indicated pursuant to subsection ( a ) that he believes such account to contain a billing error solely because of the obligors failure to pay the amount indicated to be in error. Nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to prohibit a creditor from applying against the credit limit on the obligors account the amount indicated to be in error. 

( e ) Effect of noncompliance with requirements by creditor Any creditor who fails to comply with the requirements of this section or section 1666a of this title forfeits any right to collect from the obligor the amount indicated by the obligor under paragraph ( 2 ) of subsection ( a ) of this section, and any finance charges thereon, except that the amount required to be forfeited under this subsection may not exceed {$50.00}. 
Now the problem at hand is since I did not get notification of the investigation ( which I have stated numerous times ) until yesterday XX/XX/XXXX my account was in billing error status, THEREFORE you can not start collecting until today! 15 U.S. Code 1666b & 15 U.S. Code 1666c 15 U.S. Code 1666b-Timing of payments : ( a ) Time to make payments A creditor may not treat a payment on a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan as late for any purpose, unless the creditor has adopted reasonable procedures designed to ensure that each periodic statement including the information required by section 1637 ( b ) of this title is mailed or delivered to the consumer not later than 21 days before the payment due date.

( b ) Grace period If an open end consumer credit plan provides a time period within which an obligor may repay any portion of the credit extended without incurring an additional finance charge, such additional finance charge may not be imposed with respect to such portion of the credit extended for the billing cycle of which such period is a part, unless a statement which includes the amount upon which the finance charge for the period is based was mailed or delivered to the consumer not later than 21 days before the date specified in the statement by which payment must be made in order to avoid imposition of that finance charge. 
15 U.S. Code 1666c - Prompt and fair crediting of payments : ( a ) In general Payments received from an obligor under an open end consumer credit plan by the creditor shall be posted promptly to the obligors account as specified in regulations of the Bureau. Such regulations shall prevent a finance charge from being imposed on any obligor if the creditor has received the obligors payment in readily identifiable form, by XXXX p.m. on the date on which such payment is due, in the amount, manner, and location indicated by the creditor to avoid the imposition thereof. 

( b ) Application of payments ( 1 ) In general Upon receipt of a payment from a cardholder, the card issuer shall apply amounts in excess of the minimum payment amount first to the card balance bearing the highest rate of interest, and then to each successive balance bearing the next highest rate of interest, until the payment is exhausted.

( 2 ) Clarification relating to certain deferred interest arrangements A creditor shall allocate the entire amount paid by the consumer in excess of the minimum payment amount to a balance on which interest is deferred during the last 2 billing cycles immediately preceding the expiration of the period during which interest is deferred.

( c ) Changes by card issuer If a card issuer makes a material change in the mailing address, office, or procedures for handling cardholder payments, and such change causes a material delay in the crediting of a cardholder payment made during the 60-day period following the date on which such change took effect, the card issuer may not impose any late fee or finance charge for a late payment on the credit card account to which such payment was credited.

So now that I am bringing the billing error to your attention I am again putting this account in billing error status.15 U.S. Code 1666 - Correction of billing errors Per 1026.13 ( b ) ( 2 ) ( c ) Billing error resolution : 2. Correction without investigation. A creditor may correct a billing error in the manner and amount asserted by the consumer without the investigation or the determination normally required. The creditor must comply, however, with all other applicable provisions. If a creditor follows this procedure, no presumption is created that a billing error occurred. 3. Relationship with 1026.12. The consumer 's rights under the billing error provisions in 1026.13 are independent of the provisions set forth in 1026.12 ( b ) and ( c ). ( See comments 12 ( b ) -4, 12 ( b ) ( 3 ) -3, and 12 ( c ) -1. ) ( 1 ) The creditor shall mail or deliver written acknowledgment to the consumer within 30 days of receiving a billing error notice, unless the creditor has complied with the appropriate resolution procedures of paragraphs ( e ) and ( f ) of this section, as applicable, within the 30-day period; and ( 2 ) The creditor shall comply with the appropriate resolution procedures of paragraphs ( e ) and ( f ) of this section, as applicable, within 2 complete billing cycles ( but in no event later than 90 days ) after receiving a billing error notice. I have not received anything yet, and they have reported adverse action on my credit report.

15 U.S. Code 1666a-Regulation of credit reports- ( a ) Reports by creditor on obligors failure to pay amount regarded as billing error After receiving a notice from an obligor as provided in section 1666 ( a ) of this title, a creditor or his agent may not directly or indirectly threaten to report to any person adversely on the obligors credit rating or credit standing because of the obligors failure to pay the amount indicated by the obligor under section 1666 ( a ) ( 2 ) of this title, and such amount may not be reported as delinquent to any third party until the creditor has met the requirements of section 1666 of this title and has allowed the obligor the same number of days ( not less than ten ) thereafter to make payment as is provided under the credit agreement with the obligor for the payment of undisputed amounts.

( b ) Reports by creditor on delinquent amounts in dispute ; notification of obligor of parties notified of delinquency If a creditor receives a further written notice from an obligor that an amount is still in dispute within the time allowed for payment under subsection ( a ) of this section, a creditor may not report to any third party that the amount of the obligor is delinquent because the obligor has failed to pay an amount which he has indicated under section 1666 ( a ) ( 2 ) of this title, unless the creditor also reports that the amount is in dispute and, at the same time, notifies the obligor of the name and address of each party to whom the creditor is reporting information concerning the delinquency. 

( c ) Reports by creditor of subsequent resolution of delinquent amounts A creditor shall report any subsequent resolution of any delinquencies reported pursuant to subsection ( b ) to the parties to whom such delinquencies were initially reported. 

I have never given either Company ( Experian or XXXX ) permission : written, unwritten verbal and nonverbal communications per 15 USC 6802.

15 U.S.C 1681 Section 602 A. States I have the right to privacy.

15 U.S.C 1681 Section 604 A Section 2 ; It also states a consumer reporting agency can not furnish an account without my written instructions Understand! I am not trying to get out of the payments ( because I signed the agreement to do so ) I am just going by the laws and my rights.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation