Consumer complaint received 2023-07-24
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: OH
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:
I opened a XXXX XXXX account ( by XXXX ) on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX. My customer # was XXXX and the last four digits of my account # were XXXX. My first order # ( XXXX ) was in the amount of XXXX minus a {$30.00} down payment, so the amount financed on credit was {$100.00} including taxes. From that first order, I returned a XXXX long sleeve shirt ( Item # XXXX ) because it was too big. I returned it in XXXX but was not credited until after the billing statement for XXXX came out. So, I was then charged my first bill for the month of XXXX and paid extra making a payment of {$36.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. When my XXXX statement came out, it said I had an outstanding balance of {$100.00} ( because the return hadnt been credited yet, so I was charged interest on the {$30.00} XXXX Shirt ). The minimum amount due was {$19.00} but I made a payment of {$36.00} as I wanted to pay extra to show good character and creditworthiness. I should have had an outstanding balance of {$37.00} on my XXXX statement, but XXXX failed to credit me for the interest charged on the XXXX shirt I returned and also the taxes they charged on the {$30.00} shirt. 

So, on my XXXX of XXXX Statement, it showed I owed {$71.00}, including the {$1.00} I was charged on the wrong amount. The minimum due was {$19.00} but I went ahead and made a payment of {$25.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. That would have left my true balance of approximately {$12.00} but most likely LESS than that due to the overcharging in interest for the returned shirt and the overcharging of taxes on the returned shirt. SO, my last payment was made on XX/XX/XXXX, leaving somewhere between roughly $ XXXX {$12.00} in total to have my account paid in full. Due to a lawsuit, I was never informed of, I was sued by XXXX 4 years after I surrendered a vehicle and then another 5 years later ( in XXXX ) they began to garnish my wages, so I filed for XXXX  XXXX bankruptcy on XX/XX/XXXX. I let my attorney know that I wanted to KEEP my XXXX account and I actually made several attempts to pay the remaining balance. But instead of accepting my {$10.00} payment or however much it truly was, XXXX started reporting as of XX/XX/XXXX, on my XXXX credit report in XXXX  XXXX bankruptcy, wage earner plan, account closed, and it was showing up as the only DEROGATORY, on my entire XXXX credit report. 

Then comes my Equifax credit report which Shows nothing but the account open date ( XX/XX/XXXX ) which is incorrect. It was opened XX/XX/XXXX. It also shows the account as closed and under remarks says, XXXX  XXXX bankruptcy. Neither my XXXX or Equifax credit reports show any, or they have missed payment history and the balances reported are completely incorrect. My XXXX credit report shows the date opened as XX/XX/XXXX, which I incorrect. It also says, debt discharged through bankruptcy XXXX  XXXX, XXXX, or XXXX It fails to show the original balance, Monthly payment, and past due amount. It also shows for the month of XXXX that I missed a payment which is completely false and is negatively affecting my credit score. I never missed a payment to XXXX, always paid extra, and have tried contacting several people about how to get this resolved. I tried tirelessly to pay the approximately {$10.00} I Owed, but was either transferred to a different representative, hung up on, told to write and mail a letter ( which I did on XX/XX/XXXX ). I did EVERYTHING in my power to get this derogatory mark off my credit which I had been trying very hard to fix. All of my efforts were for nothing. I continued to get lied to and was always given the runaround. So eventually I began disputing the information with all three credit bureaus MULTIPLE times as the results were always in the favor of XXXX. I even submitted all my evidence with my disputes. My federal bankruptcy papers clearly state that no creditor is allowed to collect money from me while I am in bankruptcy proceedings or after a debt is discharged. Although XXXX was not listed on my bankruptcy or discharged, they were reporting my account as discharged in bankruptcy. However, on XX/XX/XXXX of XXXX, XXXX agreed that if I paid the remaining balance of my account in the amount of {$14.00} they would remove all derogatory information from my credit reports. So, I made a {$14.00} payment right then and there. So that proved that the account was in fact, not included in bankruptcy because they are not legally allowed to accept payment for a debt discharged in XXXX  XXXX bankruptcy according to my federal court documents. XXXX accepted a payment from me and told me to give it approximately 30 days for the changes to be reflected on my credit reports. 
After 30 days, there were no positive changes made to what XXXX was reporting. They agreed to report the account as Paid in full, closed by customer and with all positive payment history. Instead, they reported even more negative false information. My XXXX credit report currently as of XX/XX/XXXX has XXXX reporting account opened XX/XX/XXXX ( false-it was opened XX/XX/XXXX ), Discharged through XXXX XXXX bankruptcy ( even tho I paid every single penny I owed to them ), and for the month of XX/XX/XXXX under payment history it says, Charged off ( which is also falsely reported information ). My Equifax credit report has XXXX reporting my account opened XX/XX/XXXX and it says included in bankruptcy which are both incorrect. My XXXX credit report has XXXX reporting the original balance as {$100.00}, account opened XX/XX/XXXX and status as, unrated or bankruptcy, which once again is incorrect. 
I have contacted XXXX via phone and letters. I have filed multiple disputes with each credit bureau including all my evidence, but nothing has ever been corrected and Im always left frustrated and feeling defeated. I did the right thing and paid that creditor off when legally I didnt even have to, and this is what I get in return. This company conducts unfair and illegal business practices and needs to be looked into. I have all the evidence to back up this letter, including recorded phone calls to XXXX customer service where I was completed lied to. 

I apologize for such a lengthy letter, but I wanted to give you every detail of what XXXX has put me through. It has cause severe XXXX, frustration, and the feeling of hopelessness. I have spent days and days of my life trying to get this corrected. I do not want anyone else to have to go through what I have with this company that I paid in full. I wish I would have submitted a complaint to the consumer financial protection bureau sooner, but I have 100 % complete faith that you will look into this complaint and make this company right its wrongdoings. 

Thank you so much to whoever has taken the time to read this. I truly appreciate it. 

XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation