Consumer complaint received 2019-01-15
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: MI
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: Was not notified of investigation status or results

Complaint:
Chapter XXXX bankruptcy filed XX/XX/XXXX ; converted and discharged Chapter XXXX bankruptcy XX/XX/XXXX. Began attempts to correct inaccuracies XX/XX/XXXX, with all three credit bureaus, by phone and online with submission of documentation. Efforts to correct inaccurate information resulted in accounts containing even worse inaccuracies, finally ending with missing information all together, and the Chapter XXXX filing to be removed from each credit report, which left the more derogatory Chapter XXXX as only listing remaining. Over the next 3 years, many attempts were made to correct the information, delete the entire account as it was reporting inaccurately, etc. All three bureaus received documentation proving the filing, the confirmation hearing, and articles from both XXXX  and Equifax, detailing the exact argument I have continued to dispute. These articles both verify the type of bankruptcy filed is what is important, the discharge date and the bankruptcy type that was discharged have no baring on the case. The case remains the same case according to the bankruptcy filed, as my lawyer also had stated at the time. My bankruptcy filed as a Chapter XXXX, on XX/XX/XXXX, therefore remaining on my credit report for 7 years. After multiple attempts to correct this account, and once the Chapter XXXX information was removed, a date of XX/XX/XXXX as the date the item will be removed began appearing on all three credit reports. Once this date appeared, it was became impossible to dispute. On one occassion, after being spoken to terribly by a representative at XXXX and laughed at, I knew to just hang up and tried Equifax next. The person that answered the phone that day was astounding. I could not believe what she started saying to me, and the names she called me. She did say my lawyer was as stupid as I was, as neither of us knew what bankruptcy I had filed, when trying to tell her what the information on her screen should be reporting. Instead of listening to me, helping me, or telling me what other documentation I might try to submit or what else could be done, she assumed I was just wrong about my own bankruptcy ... ..it was so ridiculous, I was still trying to process how I had just been talked to, much worse than the XXXX XXXX person . That was the last time I tried to correct these reports, or called the bureaus. I did call the Bankruptcy Court, who do have the information correct, and became very angry to learn the credit bureaus do not ever verify these accounts, which happened to be accurate. For years, repeated attempts resulted in verified as accurate, to end with those calls and to discover I had been lied to. This is about the worst account to have on a credit report, and my reports continue to report this account now more than a year past the allowed 7 years. The credit bureaus have actually changed the information reporting to only show the Chapter XXXX discharge, and added when it will be removed, which is now 10 years from the filing date. I do not understand how this has been allowed to continue, I have been unable to do anything further to correct this, and it has caused me tremendous stress and many missed credit opportunities, my 504SBA loan to be denied, which resulted in the loss of an excellent new location I had intended to continue my business. This account no longer has the ability to report, inaccurately or accurately on my credit file any longer. On XX/XX/XXXX, I have sent method of verification letters to each bureau, explaining all this yet again, and that the account must now be removed as it is too old to report. XXXX XXXX and Equifax have returned generic responses explaining nothing, and both have verified the account as accurate, as in past attempts. XXXX  has blocked my disputing any account for some time now, and is the focus of my complaint. They have sent nothing in response to my request, in direct violation of my rights under FCRA ; they did not investigate my dispute, and did not respond with any type of answer within the allowed 15 days from the receipt of my letter. The letters were sent by certified mail, I have proof of the day and time the letter was received, and had requested signature confirmation of this. After all of this, XXXX  has now blatantly and directly violated my rights and I ask the help of the CFPB to have remove these accounts once and for all, so that I can finally be approved for the loan I have been unable to get and go on with my life. If this account is not removed at this point from all three of the credit reports, I intend to sue all three bureaus. I really do not want to pursue that, I just want the account removed, but will have no choice if this doesnt solve the problem. There is no way Im going to let this continue until XX/XX/XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation