Consumer complaint received 2023-03-20
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: MD
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
Hello- I am rebuilding my credit and I have been paying off everything listed as valid and outstanding on my credit file, I started in XXXX. I have paid off, the remaining, four of the five charge off accounts under my credit report. The 5th item will be paid off over the summer.

However, I noticed that my credit score continues to decrease because of these items still listed as. My credit score on : XX/XX/XXXX decrease to XXXX, then increase on XX/XX/XXXX to XXXX after I paid off a charge off ; then decrease to XXXX after I paid off a charge off and then it decreased on XX/XX/XXXX to XXXX stating that five items were decreasing my credit score. Something is amiss and there is a problem with this.

But four of five items have been resolved. Below is the history of those items being paid in full. 

1. XXXX XXXX XXXX account XXXX was paid off on XX/XX/XXXX but still is reflected on my account, the phone number to reach the merchant is on the receipt. They advised that no one from XXXX reached out to them regarding my dispute on my file but they state that it was reported to all three credit bureau as Paid Off on XX/XX/XXXX, Yet, it still shows on my report as one month late. 

2. XXXX account XXXX was paid off on XX/XX/XXXX but still reflected on my account, the phone to reach the merchant is listed on the receipt. The merchant advised that no one from XXXX reached out to them regarding my dispute on my file but they state that it was reported to all three credit bureau as Paid Off on XX/XX/XXXX, yet it still shows on my report as one month late. 

3. XXXX and XXXX account XXXX was paid off on XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted the receipt and again, the merchant contact information is listed on the receipt. 

4. XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) account XXXX was paid off on XX/XX/XXXX, the merchant contact information is listed on the receipt, yet still listed as not paid off. 

These four items still show on my report as negative reporting, when they are paid off in full by me and prior to were closed accounts. I have disputed these with the credit bureaus, especially the two oldest that were paid off years ago, but each time my score decreases and I am not getting the help needed from the credit bureaus. These are the only items listed as negative on my file, when it should not. I do not have any credit cards, or store credit cards, and I have not had an inquiry into my credit since XXXX so I am baffled. 

I have been corresponding with member services with XXXX and they provided a member support number and I got in touch with XXXX this morning ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and I was advised to get help fixing my credit report I would need to see a License Credit Advisor and I am not sure why I would need to work with a LCA to help me with my errors on my credit file. 

I am older, and my credit is finally being repaired, because I am finally in a financial position to do something about it. I have taken the time to go back to school get my XXXX XXXX in XXXX  and now I am currently in XXXX XXXX for XXXX so that i can be in an even better financial position. But right now, I want to clean up my credit as I am responsible for these items and had every intention to pay them but again, a credit report does not tell the true store of a consumer ( case in point, I XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, had XXXX ( two ) XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX ) but the file does not care about any personal issues that may hinder a consumers from paying back their bills.

But at this time, my credit is not being reported correctly with all three bureaus. I have tried to work with both XXXX and XXXX, but each time I speak to one of the customer service reps, I think there is a language barrier because my credit scores decreases or they tell me that they can not help me. 

Now I am in a real pickle because I have a private entity ( or entities ) monitoring my credit report but they are not doing their job and its frustrating because as a consumer, you are at the mercy of these companies that have all of your PII but as a consumer, again, " we '' are wrong, never the credit bureaus. I have even filed a complaint with the XXXX XXXX XXXX against XXXX, three weeks ago and XXXX has yet to respond to that case. 

So I am both frustrated and perplex about how this system is designed and how unprofessional the agencies are, I even pay for a membership with XXXX to monitor my credit and to provide a Boost, and I should not have to do that but I figured it would help. 

I just need help in ensuring that what is being reported on my credit file is correct, I need for the agencies to update my credit files to remove the four items mentioned above. I need for the credit bureaus to stop this predatory behavior of sending consumers unsolicited emails about paying a fee to join their services or obtaining a credit card, etc.

Thank you for your time and your help. Hopefully, sometime in the near future the government will take a closer look at all of the credit bureaus and bring that very important part of a consumers life, under the umbrella of the government an not as private entities and at the very least, have the customer service located domestically that offer real help instead of reading a script. The credit reporting system need fixing and so does my credit report with all three agencies Not sure why there is a need for three reporting agencies and they all should be pretty much the same reporting.

Thank you. 
XXXX XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation