Consumer complaint received 2017-09-13
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Complaint:
OnXX/XX/XXXX after learning about the Equifax security breach, I tried to take the following steps to protect my identity : 1 ) I  requested all three free credit reports, Equifax, XXXX and XXXX as I do every 12 months at XXXX 2 ) I put a freeze on all three. 
3 ) I put fraud alerts on all three. 
This took over 6 hours. I was only able to get credit reports from Equifax and XXXX. XXXX XXXX was not full legible, part of the left side was cut off. XXXX  would not give me my report online, they said I had to request it in writing, this is the same 5 days later. I was able to put a freeze on all three of the above reporting agencies, however, Equifax did not charge me {$10.00} as the other two did. This was on their automated telephone line, despite my giving them my State and Zip Code. Equifax also gave me a time and date stamp generated PIN. The other two allowed me to customize my PIN online. I did not go to Equifax 's website for free credit monitoring, as per news reports that you would not be able to participate in a class action lawsuit if you accepted their one year of free credit monitoring, and that the website, in news reports, could not adequately tell you if your information had been compromised. When I learned through the news that the Equifax PIN was not secure because it was a time and date stamp, I tried to find out how to change it, as Equifax offered this as a remedy in news reports. XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX also tried to get this information and was not able to find out how to change your PIN with Equifax. I was also not charged for the freeze, so I have no idea if my report is frozen. On the XX/XX/XXXX Equifax had not offered to free freezes. So I do not know if my information is secure. How do I change my PIN with Equifax? I believe that in this instance, that credit reports should be available to consumers year round and that freezes and fraud alerts should be customary. 10-15 years from now, hackers can still steal your identity based on what they have already stolen. Why should 3 companies be able to collect your information without your consent and then allow it to be hacked and sold on the black web? I have perfect credit. I have worked on this my entire adulthood. We should have the tools to be protected from identity theft, and instead we are relying on news reports on what to do, not through regulatory agencies. If anything happened to me, I would not have the legal resources to fight it, nor would millions of Americans. We deserve protection and ask Congress and the agencies that regulate credit reporting agencies to protect Americans and give them an avenue for answers and protection. That it will take me weeks to get my credit report from XXXX  is yet another outrageous situation. I have gotten my report online for years without any problem, and now I have to wait. How do I change my PIN with Equifax? How do I know that the freeze is in place? How do I get a corrected credit report from XXXX that I can read? ( The left side is cut off, and it is not an issue with my computer or printing format. ) I also noticed many errors on the Equifax credit report. I will send them ASAP for correction. But given the situation, since I can not reach anyone there to tell me about my PIN, how can I expect any turnaround regarding errors in my credit report? They also refer to me by my childhood nick name, where as every credit card and account I have ever had as an adult is not with that first name. Thank you.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation