Consumer complaint received 2020-07-01
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NJ
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:
As a consumer who is constantly mindful of my credit and payment for debts owed, I am deeply troubled by a communication dispute that has unfairly damaged my credit standing by nearly 70 points for the next seven ( 7 ) years. I have a loan with XXXX XXXX XXXX that began In XXXX of XXXX when I purchased a XXXX Jeep from a used car dealer. Two months later, in XXXX of XXXX, I signed up for XXXX XXXX XXXX 's auto-pay service, to assure prompt payments. Even though I had auto-pay, each month I received unnecessary mail from XXXX XXXX about the bill, advertising material, and offers. A year later, in XX/XX/XXXX, I called XXXX XXXX asking to GO PAPERLESS. They said they don't have Paperless. I replied that I don't need paper bills or offers from the company since I'm on auto-pay. The representative responded that they could stop communication, but I never had any understanding that I would never be notified under any circumstances. 

Late last summer ( XXXX ), I misplaced my ATM card at home. I phoned the bank asking to put a hold on it until I found it. XXXX insisted that the card be canceled. Though I found the card the next morning, the card was canceled. It was an otherwise minor event but could haunt me for the next 7 years. THIS IS GROSSLY UNFAIR. 

In XXXX of XXXX, when my ATM number didn't allow the payment to be pulled from my bank account, XXXX XXXX did nothing, and in XXXX they reported me as 30 days delinquent. This caused my CREDIT SCORE TO PLUMMET BY 70 POINTS. I found out from a credit reporting service I subscribe to and I quickly called XXXX XXXX and promptly paid them, as I have each month of the loan. Because the auto-pay was set up over a year back, I thought it pulled directly from my bank account, not through my ATM card. 


When I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX, asking that they reverse the 30 days late on my credit reports, because they never notified me that the auto-payment did not pull from my bank account, they replied that on XX/XX/XXXX, I had requested a " Cease and Desist '' order, which I had never heard of. They can see that I'd never missed a payment, which is proof of the fact that it happened in error. After some online research, I learned that this " cease & desist, '' is usually used when a customer has a dispute with a company and the customer feels legally abused. In this case, why would someone with no problems with a company ask for a Cease & Desist order? I only wanted to go PAPERLESS and it has caused tremendous difficulty. 

Over the past 7 months, I have constantly reached out to XXXX XXXX and to the 3 bureaus, only to be rebuffed by XXXX and given the " party line '' that I asked for no contact ( which I DID NOT ). This is a HUGE misunderstanding and the company 's policy should immediately be changed. Paperless and Never Contact me, are two grossly different requests. They must be decoupled in the XXXX XXXX rules & regs. This is a disservice to the company 's customers. Asking to be paperless is recommended in most company 's rules. A rule stating if you want to be paperless, the only option you have is to never be contacted under any circumstances is frankly asinine. What conscious corporation doesn't have a paperless option? 

Collaterally, I just re-signed up for automatic payment today, and their automated telephone payment services instructions state that you are signing up for notices and disclosures, which goes against their avowed " Cease & Desist '' rule, which I never asked for. 

I am asking once again, in the spirit of goodwill, for a customer who never missed a payment, please remove this 'error in communication caused, ' blemish from my credit report with the three bureaus. 

Certainly, Senator XXXX XXXX 's vision for Consumer Protection did not have this kind of outcome in mind. Rather than protect this consumer, XXXX XXXX is harming me, for no clear reason. XXXX XXXX employees are only following the Company 's rules, but these rules need immediate decoupling. WHY DON'T THEY OFFER PAPERLESS?! 

This is an ongoing nightmare. PLEASE HELP me TO GET THIS UNDESERVED NEGATIVE MARK OFF MY CREDIT REPORT. 

Thank you, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX cc : Senator XXXX XXXX Mr. XXXX XXXX, CEO XXXX XXXX XXXX New Jersey Senator XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation