Consumer complaint received 2023-06-10
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NY
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Personal information incorrect

Complaint:
Equifax currently lists an incorrect name for me on my credit report. I have had bad customer service, but also Equifax appears to have lost sensitive personal information that I faxed in. Equifax 's dispute resolution process is deceptive because, although I followed the company 's clear instructions, it has not corrected my file. It is also unfair and abusive because it is taking advantage of the power differential between the company and me, and because the company continues to maintain that I have not taken steps that I have already taken. 

On or around XX/XX/XXXX I started a mortgage loan application. My lender pulled my credit report from the 3 major agencies, including Equifax. I was alerted by my lender that they were unable to obtain a my credit report from Equifax and instructed me to call the company. 

On or around XX/XX/XXXX, when I called Equifax, I learned that Equifax incorrectly listed my name on their report, which is what resulted in my lender being unable to access the report. This is concerning because -- although I legally changed my name 5 years ago when I married -- I have taken out several loans since then without a problem, and also have several creditors who furnish my current legal name, and those creditors actively furnish to Equifax and are visible on my credit. Equifax also listed an incorrect address. The customer service representative I spoke with initiated the address change dispute on the phone because he said he could verify the address using furnished data. He then instructed me to go to myEquifax.com to use the online dispute process to dispute my name. Immediately after the call I went to myEquifax and attempted to file a dispute, but was told that I could not initiate a dispute because I had just started one. 

That day I called Equifax again and the customer service representative with whom I spoke informed me that the first dispute that was started on my phone call prevented me from initiating another dispute for 24 hours and that I needed to wait. 

The next day, XX/XX/XXXX, I tried to start a new dispute online to dispute my name. I was able to select my name as the data point that I wished to dispute, fill out a narrative form about the issue, and upload supporting documents. The website stated that a drivers license was sufficient for a name dispute. However, when I attempted to file the dispute I was instructed that the dispute could not be completed online. 

Still on XX/XX/XXXX I called the Equifax customer service center again and explained the situation to a representative. The representative advised me that disputes to my name must be submitted my mail or fax and could not be uploaded on myEquifax 's dispute center. The rep indicated that this was because the documents needed to verify this dispute were sensitive, and so could not be uploaded. This is contrary to what I had been told the day before. This also contradicts the online dispute center itself, which allows users to select their name as the data point that they want to dispute using the online portal. At no point, online, does it indicate I could not use the portal. Additionally, the representative told me I would need to submit both my drivers license and my social security card. This also contradicts what the online dispute center states, as it indicates either of those documents would be sufficient. Additionally, ALL documents related to my credit file are sensitive, so it seems arbitrary to decide that name dispute can not be made online but that other types of disputes can be. I made these points to the representative but did not receive any helpful information. Then my call was dropped. 

I immediately called the customer service center again and repeated this exercise and eventually received the fax number to submit my documents. The representative also instructed me to include a cover letter explaining my dispute, and to fax the letter and supporting documents to the attention of the Dispute Department. 

On Sunday, XX/XX/XXXX, I wrote a cover letter explaining my dispute and made copies of the front and back of my drivers license and of my social security card. I then called the customer service center again to confirm the fax number that I had received was correct, and was told that it was. I wanted to confirm the fax number because I would be sending out sensitive personal information. Specifically, this is the information that someone could use to lift the freeze on my credit file and open new credit accounts in my name. I then faxed the cover letter and supporting documents. I received a confirmation that the fax went through. I have attached the fax confirmation here, which shows the letter and supporting documents. 

Within a day or two I was able to see the dispute on myEquifax 's dispute center. The dispute had confirmation number, XXXX, and a date submitted, which was listed as XX/XX/XXXX. It also listed that the dispute was " Completed '' on XX/XX/XXXX. I did not see a change to my name on my credit file. 

On or around XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter from Equifax. I have included a copy of the letter here. The letter was dated XX/XX/XXXX and had the same dispute confirmation number : XXXX. The letter purports to give the " results '' of the dispute, which are provided on page 3 of the 4 page letter. The letter states, under a section called " The results of our reinvestigation '' that Equifax 's " conclusions are : PLEASE SUBMIT A COPY OF YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, DRIVER 'S LICENSE AND/OR AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT TO UPDATE YOUR NAME. '' This is frustrating because I had submitted those very documents on XX/XX/XXXX, along with my cover letter, to which this XX/XX/XXXX letter from Equifax is a direct follow up. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I called Equifax again and ask why the do not have the supporting documents I had sent. The customer service rep confirmed the dispute using the XXXX confirmation number, but said that they do not have the documents and that I must send them. I explained that I had already sent them and was concerned that Equifax had apparently lost or misplaced them, given their sensitive nature. The rep said that the company 's fax machine was not working at the time that I faxed in my documents. I said that this could not be true since Equifax clearly received my cover letter disputing my name, since in response to the fax they generated a dispute number and send me the XX/XX/XXXX letter. The rep repeated that it was not possible and that I had to send in the requested documents. She said that the fax issued not being able to read incoming faxes. I replied that clearly they could read my cover letter because Equifax was able to identify the specific issue I wished to dispute and was able to read my name and address, which they used to send me the XX/XX/XXXX letter. The rep also confirmed that IU had used the correct fax number. The customer service rep and I went back and forth about this for several minutes -- her claiming that I could not have faxed the dispute and that I had to send in the supporting documents, and my replying that Equifax clearly received my fax with my cover letter and so asking for an explanation as to why the additional pages of the same fax were apparently lost. 

Ultimately it was clear that I was not going to make any progress, so I confirmed the mailing address for the documents and informed the rep that I would be filing a complaint with the CFPB. I plan to mail the documents to Equifax after filing this complaint. 

There are several problems with my experience. 

First, I am spending a significant amount of time addressing a problem I had no role in creating. I did not chose to have Equifax provide credit data for me, and the company is furnished with accurate data about my name ( and address ). 

Second, the myEquifax 's online dispute center clearly indicates that users can open disputes related to their names and can upload supporting documents. 

Third, I was given misinformation by the initial customer service representatives when they also told me I could file my dispute online. 

Fourth, when I did fax my dispute, Equifax lost of misplaced pages from the fax that contain extremely sensitive personal information. Again, it is clear that they received the fax itself since they used the cover letter that I included to generate a dispute and ask me for supporting information. 

Fifth, at each stage, and especially during the XX/XX/XXXX call, the customer service representatives behave as though my experience, the prior information I had been provided, and the steps I took in response to that information, could not be true. The XX/XX/XXXX representative 's repeated response that I could not have faxed the information in on XX/XX/XXXX because the fax wasn't working was inappropriate, given the fact that the reps on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX instructed me to use the fax and the fact that my fax was clearly received. 

Each time I called the customer service center I had to go through a lengthly identification process and automated system before reaching these representatives, which made the entire experience all the more frustrating.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation