Consumer complaint received 2018-08-20
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: TX
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Unable to get your credit report or credit score
Sub-issue: Other problem getting your report or credit score

Complaint:
My complaint is regarding the online system Equifax uses to handle credit report disputes. The system is consistently unavailable for various reasons. The system is arduous and strenuous to log into, and the system requires validation using the exact information you are disputing to corroborate your identity. 

I originally submitted a credit dispute online with Equifax on XX/XX/2018. I have attempted to gain access to the dispute for updates over 25 times each with varying success. 

The system has been down for maintenance on five occasions. Each time I called Equifax to ask how long the maintenance would last, the employee and supervisors did not know when it started, how long it would last, or when it would end. The most current maintenance window started at 9 am XX/XX/XXXX and has lasted five hours so far. I am never sure when this system is available. 

The system requires the following information to " locate your credit file '' and log in : 10 digit confirmation number, first name, last name, social security number, date of birth, current address, city, state, zip code, and if you've not lived there for more than two years, your previous address, city, state, and zip code. This is required each time you log irregardless of the fact that you've already been in their system. They do not provide you with a username and password once you've authenticated. I do not appreciate entering my social-security number and the rest of my private information into a plain text field on the internet each time I visit their site. Also frequently I will enter this information exactly as I have many times before and it will not grant me access. 

Once you have hopefully found the Equifax dispute website working, and you are able to provide the information they require to locate your credit file, then the most incredulous screen appears. You are required to " verify you are accessing your own file ''. Even though I have already initiated a credit dispute, provided them with their own confirmation number, given my name, social, and address, they require I answer four questions about the credit file I am there to dispute. So I have to answer the questions about my credit file while looking at it to make sure the discrepancies on my report match the answer I give to log into the system. And if that wasn't bad enough, the questions don't always match up to even the credit report they've provided to me. For example I am repeatedly asked how much I pay monthly for an auto loan. My auto loan was paid off more than XXXX months ago and the monthly amount is different then what I paid and this information is correct within the credit report. I've just memorized the answer it wants so I can gain access to the online system. 

What makes this all so terrible is that there is no customer support for this system. There is no one to call, e-mail, chat, or mail a letter to for assistance. If you can not get into the system, you simply can not use it. 

I find this entire experience horrific. I am already upset that I am required to go to a company I have no ties to, did not give any information to, or rights to have that information stored, and correct their work! It's even more ridiculous that I, an XXXX professional with over a decade of experience, am having so many issues with their system. 

I have made several complaints to Equifax about this and they have not contacted me. According to their employees, there is no way to track my complaints after I've lodged them either ; no tracking number, no case number, no ticket number. 

I would like the CFPB to require Equifax improve the reliability of their online consumer facing systems, increase their up-time, provide a more secure and convenient way to access their system, and provide assistance and support for their system.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation