Consumer complaint received 2019-03-21
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NY
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Unable to get your credit report or credit score
Sub-issue: Other problem getting your report or credit score

Complaint:
Withholding personal information, some backstory is needed. I am a XXXX XXXX set to graduate XXXX, XXXX. For the past two years my Federal Student Aid, as with all other students receiving Federal Student, required a credit check to be granted. For domestic students, that credit check is done through Equifax. Now, in my final Spring XXXX semester, when the credit check was initiated my University was notified of a " freeze '' on my credit check and that I needed to contact the Federal Student Aid help line. This was on XX/XX/2019. After finally talking to a customer representative they were finally able to tell me that the freeze was not on their end, but on Equifax 's end of things. So, I was instructed to contact them. 

At sometime just after noon, on XX/XX/2019 I finally was able to talk to an Equifax representative after jumping through many automated phone systems. After answering many questions regarding my SSN, name, address, previous addresses, date of birth, and then confirming all of that information, the customer service rep told me that the information I had provided was incorrect and they could not help me access my credit file. I was confused and asked if we could go over everything, so we did. Admittedly, I was somewhat frustrated and this came across in my presentation. The customer service rep. felt similarly and at the end of the conversation hung up saying, " Have a good day Mr . XXXX! '' *click*. But, here 's the thing, I'm not Mr. XXXX. Not at all, not one bit. 

So I called back to this particular number, got a different representative who then went through the exact same process of asking me for my information and searching for me, yet again finding nothing. So, she recommended that I fax or mail in a copy of my Social Security Card and my Drivers License. I confirmed their fax number and their PO Box down in XXXX, GA and that very same day, right around XXXX, faxed them my information. 

I was told it would take 4-5 days for the fax to be accounted for and my file to be corrected. I called on XX/XX/XXXX, but was told the wait time is actually 5-7 days. So, I called on XX/XX/XXXX, went through the whole process of answering the very same information questions and yet again, they had no information on me. I was told to yet again, fax and mail in my information. So I did, I faxed in my information. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I called, went through the same process and yet again was told, " we don't have a credit file on you. It takes 13-14 business days for us to add it to your file. '' So, onXX/XX/19 I faxed using a digital faxing service and a physical faxing service the same documents. 

On XX/XX/19 I called Equifax again, went through the information questioning process and received the same answer. No file existed for me. So I asked to speak to a supervisor. After a long hold, I spoke to a supervisor who had me go through the same information questioning process and told me the same thing, no file. After some questioning I find out that there is a form to fill out if you're mailing in your information. So, I print that out, fill it out, package it up with a color photo copy of my Drivers License and SSCard. Mail it in and also yet again fax my information in with this new form. 
*Side note, since the first conversation I have been faxing a cover letter that the first service rep told me to include stating my name, SSN, why I was sending it in, to which department I was sending it and that I was trying to update my credit file. 

On XX/XX/19 I contacted my Credit Union and Cornerstone ( the lending company who handles student loans in the US ) and asked them if they were correctly reporting to the three credit bureaus. My Credit Union assured me that I was but still started an investigation regarding my request. On XX/XX/19 I received confirmation in the mail that they are correctly reporting to all three bureaus. Cornerstone explained to me that they directly report by taking information of students and directly placing it into a digital system log which is accessed by the lenders. So, they are also doing things correctly. 

With the knowledge from the last call that mailing it in would take 3-4 weeks for the information to get through, I called on XX/XX/19 to see if Equifax had a credit file on me. I went through the whole information questioning process and still, no credit file. 

Along the way, I have contacted both XXXX and XXXX. They both have fully correct credit files on me and have been very helpful. 

In closing, I am submitting this complain in an effort to get this problem with Equifax corrected. I just want them to have a ( correct ) credit file on me.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief