Consumer complaint received 2021-06-28
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: MD
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report
Sub-issue: Reporting company used your report improperly

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I saw an ad on the XXXX XXXX website to refinance your car using XXXX. I contacted the website on the online form to have an agent give me a call. On their FAQ section on their website it says they first do a 'soft ' credit pull to see if you get pre-approved. And if you are pre-approved, someone will call to show you different rates they may be able to get you. Then, you fill out an application and the agent sends it off to the lender to see if you are approved. That would obviously cause a hard inquiry where you may lose points on your credit score. 
I ended up looking at the reviews on the XXXX XXXX XXXX and other websites for XXXX and I wasn't impressed by what I saw. One of the main complaints on the XXXX website was that XXXX was doing multiple unauthorized 'hard ' credit inquiries on people 's accounts before the loan process had even begun. 
About 30 minutes after I filled out the form requesting a representative to contact me, XXXX XXXX texted me saying that he would like me to call him. So I wrote back to the text message : No thank you. He emailed me and I said I was not interested and please do no credit inquiries. 
He replied that he would 'close my account '. I was unaware that I had opened an account ... .but I figured that would be the end of it. I have the email saved where he says : " Dear XXXX, Using the info provided, we researched potential loan options and it appears we can not improve on the current loan you have this time. ****Prior to sending an application to a lender, XXXX  performs a soft-credit pull analysis. Using that information, we take great care to only send completed credit applications on to lenders when there is a high likelihood that we will be successful in finding a better payment and/or a better interest rate. *** However, it is possible that lenders will consider risk factors that are not available to us when using a soft credit pull. In those times, we may not get the approval we are looking for. '' As you can see from this email they sent me ( if you read carefully ), someone SENT A COMPLETED CREDIT APPLICATION off to a company without my consent. 
Still, I figured it was just a formality and they hadn't really sent anything off to a lender-maybe this was just the generic response they send to people. 

The next evening, XX/XX/XXXX, I was alerted that someone had viewed my credit report causing me to lose a couple points. The reason I am upset is because I found this recommendation on XXXX XXXX, so obviously I am trying to raise my credit score and get lower rates on my car loan, and these people are helping themselves to points off of my score! 
I called experian ( the credit reporting agency ) and the woman who answered spoke very little English and was most unhelpful and rude. She told me I had no choice but to wait two years for it to come off. I tried to explain to her, my worry is that this is the first of multiple inquiries like I had seen other people complain about on the XXXX XXXX XXXX  website.

My score is not high enough to withstand multiple inquiries as it is, and I don't feel I should have this done to me when I did not ask for it. 
I attempted to call the office where the inquiry was listed : Known only as XXXX XXXX. I looked this company up and it is known as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The number they ask you to call is mainly a debt collection line and I am having trouble connecting with someone who can help with this false credit inquiry. I sent a handwritten letter off in the mail explaining the situation. I do not want to be signed up for anything against my will or without my permission. 
I believe XXXX  is using some VERY shady business practices to lure customers, and I believe they get a commission of some sort which goes by how many lenders they can send people 's information to. 
I believe XXXX  is unwilling to help. I asked them to please send me everything in writing as I can not record phone calls and I simply do not trust them with my information at all! I would beware of this company and look into them because they are using some shady practices. 
They 'closed ' my supposed 'account ' XX/XX/XXXX and then somehow, the following evening of XX/XX/XXXX they have banks/companies checking my credit score!? It makes no sense and it is concerning.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation