Consumer complaint received 2023-06-09
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: FL
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:
To best explain the errors listed on my credit report regarding my student loans, I will provide the relevant information and actions taken in chronological order. As of XXXX through XXXX, I tried everything humanly possible to address the late payment errors displayed on my credit report by my student loan provider ; XXXX. For some context to has this issue arose, My first communication with XXXX was back in XXXX when I just finished graduation, this was in respect to the structure of my payment plan, inquiring of all the options available for repayment, and making sure both parties were on the same page ( Myself & XXXX ). After numerous conversations, they informed me of a long term solution that was reasonable and affordable for me to service the debt ; but in hindsight I was strongly misled with their guidance... 

I enrolled in the long term payment plan, and provided them my banking information to make the payments ( account number, routing number, bank details, etc. ) I strictly remember asking the representatives over the phone to please verify that my banking information was linked correctly AND to please enroll me in auto pay so that I don't have any missed/late payments reflected on my account. In summary, my account was setup correctly on my end and ready to make monthly payments. 

Out of the blue, I receive notice on my credit report in XXXX of XXXX that I was " 90 days '' past due on student loans. Immediately, I logged into my student loan portal to see if this information was reflected on their end, and sure enough it wasn't. I then proceeded to call another XXXX repressive to assist with the error, and clarified the discrepancy that appeared on my credit report. I was told " not to worry '' as their system takes time to reflect posted payments. I took that advice at face value and continued to monitor the account. 

Fast forward to XXXX, XXXX claims that I'm on pace with my payments under their terms ; this is displayed in the XXXX credit report that I uploaded for further context. However, I notice that the " 90 days '' past due error was still listed on my credit report back from XXXX of XXXX. I reach out to customer service to PLEASE clarify why my account was still displaying a late payment from XXXX, and they provided the same answer as before, stating it was a system error and to please allow some time to make the adjustment. 

Fast forward to early XXXX, not only did they not correct the " 90 days '' past due payment from XXXX of XXXX, they erronously added XXXX more months of late payments arbitrarily. The exact months are XXXX of XXXX stating " 90 days '' past due, then " 120 days '' past due in XXXX of XXXX, and " 150 days '' past due in XXXX. No matter how proactive I was in trying to resolve these errors, they only got worse when Covid arose... It was near impossible to get in contact with my provider during the onset of Covid, and there wasn't any clarity towards finding a solution. I'm now 6 years into this issue, and have severely felt the impact of these mistakes on my credit score. These errors have prevented me from accessing financing and credit solutions that I've urgently been seeking for the betterment of myself and my family. 

I was advised to reach out CFPB from a family member who experienced a similar issue, as dealing with late payments isn't something I'm familiar with. As a licensed XXXX XXXX, I can't comprehend my credit score with all things considered... I have a 13 % credit utilization ratio, haven't missed ONE payment on any of my credit cards or auto loans, and have zero collections notices. I graciously ask the credit bureaus to please look under the hood regarding these late payment errors on my student loans, as they've held me back from improving my financial situation drastically, and without merit... 

ANY assistance towards resolving this issue would be greatly appreciated. I put immense effort into making sure my payment history, amount of debt, length of credit history, amount of new credit, and credit mix is in exceptional standing ; this is all depicted in my most recent credit report which is uploaded for reference. If there's any additional questions or requests to resolve this issue, I'll more than happily provide it in a timely manner.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief