Consumer complaint received 2020-03-04
Company: Early Warning Services, LLC
State: VA
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Old information reappears or never goes away

Complaint:
1. In XX/XX/XXXX, I opened a checking account with XXXX XXXX  XXXX. at the new XXXX Branch, in XXXX, Virginia- in response to repeated direct ( and unsolicited ) mail flyers proclaiming cash rewards of $ XXXX {$600.00} for switching direct deposit accounts. I was then- and remain now- a single parent struggling to pay court- ordered daycare costs- and six-figure divorce lawyer debt. As such, I accepted the offer- once the branch manager assured me that my electronically- deposited tax refund would guarantee my receipt of the {$300.00} transfer bonus. 

2. In the last week of XXXX, XXXX I received my federal tax refund- electronically deposited to the new, promotional Chase checking account- and waited weeks for the {$300.00} " BONUS '' to be added to my account by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX In fact, I ADDED that {$300.00} bonus- which they had assured me was pending- to my checking ledger, as a CREDIT towards pending transactions. 

3. In XXXX of XXXX, I contacted XXXX repeatedly after the {$300.00} bonus never appeared in my account- which caused my account to OVERDRAW. Naturally, they NOW claimed that they never said my tax refund would result in receiving their promotional " bonus '' - and that they would NOT honor the promotion until my employer made several automatic deposits. Furthermore, they blamed my overdraft balance purely on my personal negligence- and sent this balance to their collections department. On principle, I refused to pay the collection account. 

4. Seven months later, when I went to open a simple, overdraft SAVINGS account at my original ( XXXXXXXX ) bank ( which holds multiple loans and insurance products ), XXXX indicated to me that it would be impossible for me to open a savings account with them now- due to my EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS status. 

5. I contacted EWS in XXXX XXXX and they told me to order one of their consumer reports. I did so- and a few weeks later received the report- which indicated that XXXX XXXX XXXX . had reported me to EWS for FRAUD and/or ACCOUNT ABUSE. I then contacted XXXX to ask them to correct this apparent error- explained the discrepancy- and they steadfastly REFUSED. The report is attached, below. 

6. Subsequent to Chase collections ' refusal to amend the EWS status, they " offered '' me a settlement as ransom to unfreeze my XXXX status, through EWS. As of XX/XX/XXXX, I PAID XXXX {$160.00} of the disputed {$300.00} balance, with their emphatic assurance that this payment would permanently resolve the matter- in its entirety. 

7. As of XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX, I emailed EWS a photo of the notice of settlement that I received by mail from XXXXXXXX XXXX, AFTER they took my {$160.00} " settlement ''. This document is attached, below, for CFPB records. 

8. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX. EST, I contacted EWS to confirm by phone that they had RECEIVED a copy of XXXX 's settlement- and that XXXX had REMOVED the disputed allegation of account FRAUD/ABUSE. 

9. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXXXXXX EST, " XXXX '' of EWS indicated to me that XXXX HAD confirmed to EWS on XX/XX/XXXX of XXXX that I HAD paid my so-called settlement in full- HOWEVER that- after having accepted my settlement payment- Chase had now elected ( through EWS ) to LEAVE the allegation of fraud/abuse ON my EWS consumer report- FOR A PERIOD OF NO LESS THAN FIVE YEARS- which " XXXX '' of EWS indicated that XXXX was fully within its discretion to do, under the auspices of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ... 

I ask YOU to ask yourself- as the CFPB- do YOU think there may be a conflict of interest between a network of banks that PAY for EWS subscriptions and thus furnish EWS ' SOLE source of revenue- and a supposedly IMPARTIAL EWS which allows banks like XXXX to take our money, whilst simultaneously destroying our ability to prevent the very overdrafts which they claim to be punishing us for? (? )

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation