Consumer complaint received 2019-09-23
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: GA
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: Difficulty submitting a dispute or getting information about a dispute over the phone

Complaint:
Equifax was notified by telephone in the month of XX/XX/2019 regarding a dispute I filed with XXXX XXXX within the 30 day allotted time frame to submit a dispute. I sent over proof of correspondences, and telephone calls which showed me reaching out to XXXX XXXX, and the delays in the companies response which resulted in the 30 day time frame to investigate which ran over into 45 days or greater. 

During the process, XXXX XXXX broke the law. According to the Fair Debt Collection Practice Act passed by Congress : The debt collected must cease from any actions which means requesting of payment or from putting me into the credit bureau. After 45 days, I finally got a representative on the telephone to tell me that I owed the money according to the companies rebuttal. I stated that I had more documentation to prove my case. At the time, I was instructed to submit the new documentation which I did. After the fact, I called back to make sure the documents were received. Around XX/XX/XXXX the documents were received by XXXX XXXX. Unfortunately, the company placed me into the credit bureau in the middle of the investigation, and never sent me anything in writing as the law states that they were supposed to do. 
In the same month of XX/XX/2019, the company placed me into the credit bureau which was a dishonest act and deprived me of my rights to a fair dispute. 

Upon speaking with the supervisor, I advised her that my dispute was wrongfully handled, and I asked the question of why was I placed into the credit bureau in the middle of the dispute. Her demeanor was rude, and her answer was that, I did not make a payment arrangement within 30 days. I asked her, How was I to make a payment arrangement in the midst of a dispute process.? I also informed her that her company did not respond in the proper time because I could not get the individual handling the dispute to contact me back without having to call her numerous times. 

The supervisor continued to be very intolerable where I saw that I was not getting anywhere with the company so I became frustrated and just agreed to pay {$50.00} a month and supplied my debit card number even though I was treated unfairly and was not given a proper dispute process. 

I submitted documentation of the entire dispute process and telephone records to both XXXX and Equifax where the company reported me to. Equifax and XXXX both informed me over the telephone that the debt was removed from my credit after their investigation. XXXX sent me a letter to prove that it was removed but Equifax told me untruths and later sent me a letter stating it was going to remain on my account which is wrong and being untruthful from was originally stated to me over the telephone by a female customer service representative. 

Last night I went to check my FICO Score and it dropped like 20-30 points and it stated a delinquent account was present. I contacted Equifax three times today, only to be told that at first the system was down. The second call was disconnected, and the third call, I was informed that I had to send in a social security card and drivers license to prove my identity even after correctly answering the security questions. I feel that Equifax denied me answers to my own report by giving me a hard time. In addition, there is dishonesty that where I was informed that the debt was removed from my report which really wasnt. I am being blocked from my own credit report.

When I went to retrieve my free credit report for the year, the company forced me into having to call and request for it to be mailed to me. I am only able to retrieve one of the credit report online out of the three companies. 

I feel these companies are doing things to my credit and are denying me the right to know what is taking place so I receive a hard time.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation