Consumer complaint received 2018-05-22
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: VA
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account information incorrect

Complaint:
XXXX incorrectly reported to at least 3 credit bureaus ( XXXX, XXXX  and Equifax ) that I owe XXXX {$240.00} on an account that was closed in spring XX/XX/XXXX. I  owe XXXX nothing, and disputed that balance to XXXX and to each of the credit bureaus. The credit bureaus have failed to correct my credit history, so I continued to try to resolve the issue with XXXX. Most recently, today on XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with a XXXX Customer Service Representative named XXXX, who looked through my account notes and confirmed that 1 ) I requested account closure as early as XX/XX/XXXX, and 2 ) XXXX did not actually close my account until XX/XX/XXXX. He also confirmed that XXXX had incorrectly billed me {$10.00} more per month than what I had signed up for. That billing discrepancy was the original basis for my desire to cancel my XXXX service : XXXX had falsely represented my monthly service would be {$49.00} per month, but instead charged me {$59.00}. My exasperation with XXXX 's billing practices in violation of my contract precipitated my request to close the account. XXXX then dragged its feet on account closure so it could keep piling on charges and fees for 3 more months. I paid the legitimate balance in XX/XX/XXXX, but refused to pay any more of XXXX 's illegitimate charges. Finally on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX discontinued my service. None of the remaining charges on my account are legitimate. Today the first Customer Service Representative, XXXX, said he was unable to reverse any of the charges. I asked to speak with someone who could, so he connected me to his supervisor, XXXX XXXX. She reviewed my account and the months of notes, and concluded that my account should be credited {$110.00}. She said the corrected balance would be reported to the credit bureaus. However she said XXXX would continue to charge me a purported {$130.00} " early termination fee. '' She said it was pursuant to my contract, which I disputed, particularly since I never received a written contract. I explained that even if I was under such a contract, XXXX had breached the contract by ADMITTEDLY overcharging me every month, so I should not be charged a fee for getting out of a fraudulent contract and billing scheme. XXXX and the credit bureaus should not be permitted to extort such illegitimate payments from me or any other consumer. I discovered this credit reporting issue while applying for a mortgage. My first loan application was rejected due to this erroneous information the credit bureaus accepted without question from XXXX. I will have to pay a significantly higher interest rate to secure a mortgage. I have also been turned down for 2 credit cards since the credit bureaus accepted this false information and added it to my credit history. This erroneous credit blemish also harms my ability to apply for jobs and rental housing. This extortion by XXXX, XXXX and Equifax on behalf of XXXX is therefore costing me a lot of money and reputational damage.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief