Consumer complaint received 2017-12-19
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CT
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:
Hello, My issue is in regard to XXXX XXXX federal student loan department. 

In the end of XXXX XXXX, I 'd requested a six month forbearance ( from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX ), not only because I 'd recently had a child and was still on Maternity leave, but with the stated intention of consolidating my federal student loans with my other lender, XXXX ( which I have since done ). 

XXXX was informed of this during my call to ask for the forbearance. Unfortunately, due to their outsourcing of our calls overseas, I genuinely feel the person I was speaking with did not have the best grasp of what I 'd requested ( although I spoke slowly and stated it on multiple occasions ). After asking for 6 months, to which I was told " Yes, of course '', I 'd put it from my mind, as I was planning to contact XXXX about consolidation at a later point. 

Well, come XXXX XXXX ( the forbearance was supposed to last until XXXX, and my process for the XXXX consolidation was underway at that point ), I 'd received a derogatory mark on my credit report! ( I have an A+, 100 % score for payments, and I can prove that, so it was obviously quite a shock ) After contacting Navient about why I had a " derogatory '' payment, they stated I had only been given a 6 WEEK forbearance, so I was now 90 days late! WHAT??!! Why would I ask for a 6 week forbearance?! And why would I not be informed by all forms of communication if they saw me to be that late on a payment? Especially as I 'm a person who does not miss payments! No red flag there, folks?? 

After speaking with a supervisor, she quite unkindly told me that they had tried to contact me multiple times via phone calls and emails, but I just " blew them off '' ( her words ). 
The ONLY ( and again, I have proof ) calls I 'd received were infrequent calls from the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( I XXXX the number ), but seeing as I have no loans registered with them and never have, and their name has NEVER shown up on my XXXX account, I considered those calls a scam and did not pick up the few I 'd received. 

In addition, XXXXXXXX XXXX " email '' to me was the generic email I receive every month, stating I have a new document online ( again, I have proof ), so I did not consider checking the status of my federal loans. I did not think I had reason since I was supposed to be in forbearance and that 's their default email, no matter if it 's for federal or private. Plus, my private loans are on autopay, so they would n't have been an issue. 

Needless to say, my once really good credit now has *ONE* derogatory mark that should 've been addressed immediately and has been a thorn in my side since, but XXXX denies any wrongdoing ( not informing me there was some kind of an issue on their end via snail mail, a noticeable email, or a real call from their own company ). No amount of pleading, proof of miscommunication on their end or negotiating with these people produced any type of help. 

In the end, I 've been stuck trying to clean up another mess from XXXX, who has never really allocated my loans properly ( that 's a completely different issue! ), rarely answered me in a prompt manner with requests and, lastly, a sad excuse of a company who has repeatedly taken payments from my accounts when instructed to cease. 

I hope their shady practices get called onto the carpet and they have to answer for their abuses of power.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation