Consumer complaint received 2020-04-30
Company: Mercedes Benz Financial Services
State: IL
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:
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC ( MBFS ) has knowingly reported to credited agencies, including XXXX, erroneous information about my payment and credit history, including a negative payment rating. Although I made full and complete payment and MBFS had at that time on XX/XX/2020 agreed I was in compliance with their payment demands and not untimely with my payments and MBFS would not make any negative report to any credit reporting agency, MBFS did, without my knowledge, falsely report negative payment and credit history concerning my account. 
When I discovered my credit score dropping in XX/XX/2020 I requested a free report from XXXX. I discovered the false reporting by MBFS. 
On or about XX/XX/2020, I filed a dispute with XXXX and contacted MBFS disputing its negative payment rating. During that communication with MBFS, representative XXXX XXXX admitted MBFS erroneously reported negative history concerning my account to credit reporting agencies and volunteered that MBFS was aware that it had made the error with my account and the accounts of other customers. 
I advised Ms. XXXX I had filed a dispute with XXXX. I requested MBFS immediately cause its negative report to be removed from credit reporting agencies. I also asked Ms. XXXX to email me, as we spoke, written confirmation from MBFS documenting MBFS 's error and correction of its erroneous reporting to credit agencies. Though she had previously sent me emails, Mr. XXXX said she could not send me an email. Ms. XXXX offered to cause the letter I requested to be sent by email and US Mail  that day, after our call. I trusted MBFS would do as it said. MBFS did not.

I allowed a number of business days to pass while awaiting MBFS 's written communication and for XXXX to resolve the dispute. Believing I had waited ample time for MBFS 's letter to have arrived, still not having received it, I again contacted MBFS on or about XX/XX/XXXX. On that date, Ms. XXXX had no explanation for why I had not received the letter in any form. She repeatedly advised me to contact XXXX   to resolve MBFS 's erroneous reporting. I advised Ms. XXXX that XXXX still reflected the dispute as under investigation. 
I again requested the written confirmation from MBFS as detailed above. Ms. XXXX required I hold for many minutes while she told me she was communicating with some other ( credit? ) department at MBFS.  She returned to the line, telling me she could not reach anyone in that department. She offered to call me back before the end of the business day to advise me when I would receive the written confirmation. When she called later that day, she advised she had still not been successful in communicating with MBFS credit department, that she ( or her supervisor, later identified as XXXX XXXX ) had marked the matter urgent, and that Ms. XXXX would contact me the following day to update me on when I would receive the written confirmation. I accepted her offer ; I asked that, in the event I was unable to pick up her calls, she should leave me a detailed voicemail. Thereafter, I received no call or message from Ms. XXXX or anyone else from MBFS. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I opened an email communication from XXXX reporting the results of its investigation and communication with MBFS. XXXX  advised the negative payment rating by MBFS will remain because MBFS continued to erroneously advise XXXX the negative payment rating was accurate. XXXX XXXX   conclusion stated : " The company that reported the information has certified to XXXX  that the information is accurate. This item was not changed as a result of our processing of your dispute. Please review your report for the details. '' Nonetheless, MFBS knew at the time it originally reported the negative payment rating and at the time it responded to my dispute via XXXX that the negative payment rating was inaccurate and made due to MBFS 's error.

I called MBFS again. I spoke with representative XXXX/XXXX  and explained the situation. I again requested the written communication documenting MBFS 's error and correction be sent to me as we spoke and that MBFS immediately report accurate information to credit reporting agencies. After asking that I hold, the representative connected me to her supervisor XXXX XXXX. I asked that Mr. XXXX email me while we spoke the written confirmation of MBFS 's error. He did so. That letter is attached to this complaint. He agreed MBFS made an error and that it should not have ever reported a negative payment rating to credit reporting agencies. I asked that he have the negative flag removed immediately. He said he was not authorized by MBFS to communicate with credit reporting agencies, that was some other department 's responsibility. He told me he had to contact still another MBFS employee, whom he would have call me. I have still not received any additional communication from MBFS. 
I again contacted XXXX. I submitted to XXXXXXXX the MBFS XX/XX/2020 XXXX XXXX emailed to me, dated XX/XX/2020, stating, " Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA LLC ( MBFS ) is in receipt of your dispute. We have completed our investigation and determined an error was made in reporting your credit history. We have submitted an update to the following credit bureau ( s ) : XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX 
The details of the update we submitted are as follows : Removal of negative payment rating As this update may not show immediately, please keep this letter for your records. 
We understand the importance of accurate reporting, and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience experienced as a result of this error. Should you need additional assistance, please contact Client Services at ( XXXX ) XXXX. 
Sincerely, Credit Dispute Specialist Mercedes-Benz Financial Services '' I then called XXXX In short, Representative XXXX told me there was nothing he could do ; MBFS continued to report to XXXX during its investigation that the negative payment rating was accurate. I asked XXXX what I could do to correct my credit, in light of the fact that MBFS continues to make false reports concerning my account and credit history. XXXX told me all he could " recommend '' was for me to contact MBFS. I repeated to him that I had done so ; MBFS had consistently admitted its error to me, yet continued to this day to make false reports to the credit reporting agencies. After more insistence and inquiries from me, XXXX commented the FTC governs/regulates these situations. The FTC website directed me to the CFPB.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation