Consumer complaint received 2023-11-16
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: GA
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account status incorrect

Complaint:
I filed for Forbarance in XXXX of XXXX due to being laid off in XXXX of XXXX. After speaking with a repesentative they sent me the application which I imeadiatley filled out and sent back to the the mortgage company. The rep advised me that it would take 30 days to process my application and to get me on the forbearance plan, and assured me that once this is done, my credit would not be affected due to being protected by loss mitigation. 30 days went by, no updates or response. I then started calling every other day to inquire about what was taking so long as my account was dwindling and I really needed help with mortgage payments. Everyrtime I called I was getting different information that my application was in progress, or they didn't see my application. This went on for months. I then had to fill out another application in XX/XX/XXXX because they said that the process was taking so long that my application was now inactive and I needed to submit another one. At this time, I am now asking, if I can't make a payment, will my credit be affected because of how long this process is taking. Everytime I called, i was assured my multiple representatives that my credit would not be affected if I could not make a payment because I was under loss mitigation. Because of the long and dragged out process of getting on forbarance i came to a point in may where i could no longer make payments. I called the loss mitigation company twice to talk to two different reps to ask them and confirm that if i didn't make a payment while my application is still in progress that my credit would NOT be affected. They assured me if I could not make a payment i would be protected under loss mitigation and that i wouldn't have to make anymore payments and then when the application was approved i would be protected under the same thing. Fast forward to XXXX, my application after 6 whole months was approved for forbearance due to unemployment for 10 months. I then asked again just to confirm that once I sign the agreement that my credit is protected. they said yes. In XXXX I got my first ding to my credit. I called and asked because i was super confused as to why i got a ding on my credit. The rep then told me completely different information. They said that i am not protected under the application for loss mitigation for not making payments even though previous reps told me otherwise. I immediately told her this needed to be fixed because i was told something completely different. I then emailed the loss proxy email she gave me and expressed my concern and asked them to listen to the muiltiple recordings of their reps telling me inaccurate information at which they basically responded that the mark on my account will still stand regardless which is WRONG. Fast forward to XXXX, and i am still getting dings on my report, at which i call again and I tell a rep that i was told by multiple people the wrong info but that they also told me under loss mitigation and being in active forbarence i would not receive dings to my credit, to which she told me this is true. i email the proxy again, and they STILL do nothing about it. I call multiple times again to the present to try to fix it and multiple reps give me different info that I am protected or I am not protected, or this was a thing they rolled out only for XXXX. if that is the case why am i given improper information across the WHOLE organization and being penalized for it. My credit is something that is important to me and I was only doing what I was told by the representatives. I should not be penalized AT ALL for the lack of training in this org and being mislead multiple times. If this was the case i would've made sure to be in good standing by trying to find a way to make payments for XXXX and XXXX, and would've never attempted to get on forbearance if i know it was going to take that long, OR get my credit shot by the creditors own doing. It is sad to know I needed help and it went to my own demise, due to the lack of support and inaccuracies in the information provided. I also want to note that MULTIPLE TIMES i asked for them to listen to the recordings of ALL conversations and they made no effort to. Whats the point of having call recordings if you dont listen to them and own up to your companies mistakes?

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation