Consumer complaint received 2019-07-24
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA
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:
In XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX sent me a letter stating they were raising their APR on existing balances for all open accounts and the only way to opt out was to close the card and pay off my remaining balance at the previous rate so I did after 8 yrs flawless history. At some point they changed to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX card and all XXXX broke loose. I didn't receive my XX/XX/XXXX statement so I called to notify them of missing bill and make a payment over the phone. The agent told me I'd have to pay extra for missing my due date but that if I paid right then, he'd credit the late fees on next statement and get me back to my usual min payments, so I did. They reported XX/XX/XXXX as paid to the credit unions, but sent me a new bill claiming I didn't and was now default on my APR agreement and would have to pay all late fees + 2 months payments at the new APR up front to keep my account. I disputed via phone and mail for a year, offering to get back on track if they fixed the error and pay off my balance. They stopped sending me bills, when I tried calling in XXXX to work it out again, they had an incorrect address and number for me in a different state I've never been to. I never received collections notices or responses to my letter campaign which went to every PO box provided, as well as corporate. 3 years later they FINALLY cancelled the debt with the IRS on XX/XX/XXXX, though I only got the notice recently. However, they continued to report a balance that never existed and past due amount to the credit unions past the cancellation date. XXXX  STILL reports this to lenders as a new negative item despite receiving a copy of the IRS doc. Both XXXX   and Equifax have allowed this false balance to reappear after deleting it and have failed to clean the payment and balance history adequately. On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent XXXX, Equifax and XXXX the IRS form proving the old debt cancellation date in XXXX. This debt was cancelled under code G : due to law or policy. XXXX didn't send my bill, process or report payment properly. THEY defaulted on our agreement. Not only was I never legit late on this account, but I've been disputing it for FIVE YEARS, had flawless credit for 17 years across the board that they singlehandedly destroyed, made unmanageable and created unnecessary financial chaos in my life I am still recovering from their false reporting, as well as XXXX and Equifax lack of thorough report cleaning even after legal proof was submitted. I haven't applied for credit in 10 years because of them, maintained the other cards I had perfectly and STILL am getting rejecting for credit over this. It's NOT NEW like XXXX  continues to report, there is no balance or past due. The dispute began in XXXX on an account closed in XXXX. It was cancelled with the IRS XX/XX/XXXX and the amount that's been reporting is pure fiction as the IRS form shows the amount when they stopped adding interest and cancelled it. There should be no history past that date anywhere on my reports regarding this account nor should the amount they were reporting ever been on them as it never existed.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation