Consumer complaint received 2020-09-30
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: TX
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit repair services
Issue: Problem with customer service

Complaint:
Experian credit reporting agency is misrepresenting it's experian boost feature. The company asks you to allow them to connect to your bank account to monitor your bill payments, including utility bills to confirm you are paying your bills in a timely manner.

I am including from their website information on how the Experian boost feature works. 
================================================================= Experian Boost works simply, and we walk you through the steps one-by-one when you start your boost : Agree to give Experian read-only access to your bank account payment history.

Connect the bank or credit card account you use to pay your utility bills, so we can verify your electronic payment records.

Using world-class encryption to keep your data secure, we'll look for  at least three months of payments within six months for each bill.

Then, we show you what we found, so you can verify it's right and add it to your Experian credit file for a boost.

And that's it! A couple things to keep in mind though : Experian can access up to 24 months of data to add to your credit file, as determined by your bank or credit card provider. If you miss a payment, that negative data wont be added to your credit fileand you can disconnect your added bills at any time. 

================================================================== I have allowed them to connect to my XXXX XXXX XXXX   Account for over 8 months, I have also manually entered on their website payment information after they claim to not see my payments. For months they told me they saw only one of my payments, when I entered them manually my credit rating improved from poor to the fair level. However, I have payments I make monthly that I have informed them about, though they should be able to see these payments themselves. One particular payment is my electric utility bill through  XXXX XXXX XXXX. I make timely payments every monthly for almost 2 years ... They are asking to see 3 months consecutive payments which I have shown them 5 consecutive payments today, with in one instance two payments being made in one month, ( I paid ahead of schedule ), they have used that to say my payment was not  in consecutive months. Because of their refusal to acknowledge my other payments which there are 3, they are keeping me at a lower credit rating. Just adding those two would likely raise my credit rating to a " good '' credit status. It appears they are attempting to entice consumers to apply for credit cards with entities they have relationships specifically those who charge high interest and/or fees.

================================================================ They include this messaging -Having less than 5 open accounts can make you look somewhat riskier. 
Open up a new credit card to build out your file. 
+================================================================ Continuing to hold me at a fair credit level prevents me from improving my credit in order to make needed purchases, obtain a mortgage, lower interest rates, etc. 

I am a senior citizen, XXXX male who has had issues with credit reporting agencies all of my life, beginning in my youth when I should have had an excellent start because of my saving, work ethic, and following the footsteps of my parents who had excellent credit. However, I was unable to obtain credit until I was well into my XXXX XXXX. This is one other way in my opinion that systemic XXXX impacts the lives of XXXX people. I hope we are now beginning to change these dynamics.

that has hindered my financial status, this one I am now reporting is devastating as I attempt to do something to enhance my life. I hope that there is follow up on what experian is doing to harm people it claims it is serving.

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