Consumer complaint received 2022-02-06
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: NV
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
I have filed a complaint with all 3 reports and I provided proof that XXXX XXXX XXXX  shouldn't be on my report at all as the vehicle I purchased was a fraudulent loan.  I provided proof that I was denied the loan at a lower rate and lower price and then the dealership illegally provided 2 additional contracts each were done 2 weeks apart and 2 weeks apart from the one I was denied but then the loan company accepted the 3rd contract that was for a higher amount higher percentage and the dealership also asked me for an additional $500 down from the original $1000 down and when I provided it they didn't put it into the down payment and told me "it was put into the back end of the loan" at which point I refused to sign that 3rd contract that was already illegal because they cannot issue more than 1 contract unless it's all done on the same date and not on additional dates done later which is what was done & I provided the proof to the 3 reporting agencies as well as proof that the loan company didn't even follow the paperwork that showed the dealership responsible to pay my 1st 2 payments that they signed on an I.O.U. document they had with my contract but then the loan company reported them as missing payments and reported them as being behind in payments.  I was also made and forced to sign the contract when I requested my money back from the dealership immediately upon giving me the 3rd contract which was done 6weeks after the 1st contract I signed that was denied by the loan company stating I didn't have the credit to afford the 1st contract but then they approved the 3rd that illegally didn't show my additional $500 I put down and so the dealership paid off an undercover metro police officer to scare me into signing it by putting me in handcuffs and threatening me with being charged with theft as if I had stolen the vehicle since I had the vehicle since the 1st contract 6weeks earlier (I was told that the loan company was also aware of what was being done to me and I called them the day after I signed it under duress after they did that to me at the dealership and requested my down payment & wanted the vehicle turned back in within my recession period after signing in the day before and they refused and told me the down payment was staying at $1000 even though I paid $1500 which was the reason they said I was denied the 2nd contract cuz they needed more down but then they did this to me). So when they denied me trying to stop this plus I didn't know how I could even be approved for the amount even I was on such a low fixed income and only wanted to spend less than $8000 on a car and they denied my 1st contract 6weeks earlier at a lower amount but now we're approving over $17k when I wasn't approved the 1st one at over $15k? The results were from not having a good debt to income with a whole slew of other problems they said I wasn't approved. So my only opportunity to make this right was to file a complaint with the DMV where I shared how they lied about my down payment, had me sign 3 different contracts all 6 weeks apart and I had proof and shared it and told them of signing it due to being put in handcuffs cuz they paid off an off duty cop that they told me about after I signed it because it cost them an additional $500 to pay off the cop so they were asses and told me that my $500 extra went to hiring the off duty cop. I also had a friend at the time that went thru them and her problem was that she didn't have money for a down payment so they told her lie and say that she paid a $2k down payment when she didn't pay anything for a down payment. She also gave her information to the DMV when they did their investigation.  The DMV also went under cover and had their team go into the dealership with both scenarios in mind and represented both situations with their investigators and the dealership was in violations of the law and again proved my accusations to be true and substantiated.  The DMV immediately revoked the dealerships business licenses and all owners and anyone associated with running the dealership was given lifetime revoked licensing that they will not issue licenses to any of these individuals or business entities any licenses for the state of Nevada at all ever.  I was provided with a letter stating this and that my coerced signature of my contract with the dealership should be accepted as a void of my contract with my down payment returned to me and they said that if it is not then I should volunteerily return the vehicle to the loan company and request my monies be returned and that my credit report is not negatively effected by any of this. They said that the loan company is as liable as the dealership because they are responsible for doing business with reputable dealerships that are working within the law and that if they are working with companies that are not within the law and that they are under the understanding that they work with companies that use the same values and work under the same laws that they do and they work with them knowing these dealerships represent them when they work with them therefore when these dealerships work outside the law and illegally use deception in order to be rewarded a contract that they wouldn't normally be rewarded had they worked within the parameters of the law and were honest with the customer in obtaining their business and doing business with them, the loan company understands that they do business with these companies acknowledging that these businesses are a direct representation of their loan company as the customer doesn't pick out the loan company themselves that will be used to provide them with a loan for their purchase so that anything the dealership does outside of the law is in direct alignment to them and they know that they are equally as responsible as the dealership because they stand up for the businesses that they choose to do business with and that means also taking on all of the dealerships illegal activities as well.  Not only is that the case but I made them aware of what happened the following day and let them know that the dealership and off duty cop also stated that the loan company was aware of what was going on and was 100% not only approved of by the loan company but also requested and of course the loan company denied it. I also sent them parts of the contract that they claimed they didn't receive and therefore wouldn't give me the credit on the 1st 2 payments that show that the dealership owners signed off and agreed to and they said that they wouldn't allow me to rescind my contract signature the following day and wouldn't provide me with my down payment in full back and this is after I explained everything that went on the day before and how the dealership actually was able to get my signature on those documents and that it was under duress.  So even with all of that info they refused to allow me out of the contract.  They were also sent the letter from the DMV regarding the dealership and the investigation that went into revoking all licensing of the dealership and shutting the business down based on them running illegal business practices that were Substantiated by multiple illegal contracts provided to the DMV providing the proof to start the investigation and then under investigation working with undercover agents of the DMV, the dealership was standardly practicing the illegal actions that were reported by customers that had been responsible to pay illegal contracts obtained by the dealership.  So the DMV let me know that the loan company knowing that this investigation went through and the dealership was revoked all licensing and future licensing in the state of Nevada, that it was my complaint that started the investigation and was proven to be obtained using illegal business practices and actually used deception in order to be awarded my contract that it would not have been awarded had they used standard business practices and were honest in their practices with me, that they would not have been awarded my contract and that the loan companies are well aware that they are as responsible as the dealership because they choose to do business with the dealership and that they do so with the understanding that they are doing business within the parameters of the law and that they represent the loan company fully as the loan company is given to the client by the dealership when they choose to do business with that loan company for that contract and the customer only has the dealership to provide them with any and all information on the loan company that the dealership chooses to use to get them a loan therefore anything they do illegally is also directly attached to the loan company that they choose because the loan company does business with the dealership opening representing that the dealership is in direct alignment with the values of the loan company and accepts that whatever representation the dealership has with the customer also correlates to the loan company that does business with them and that the loan company is well aware of this and should have no problem now with allowing you to turn the vehicle in volunteerily and providing you back with your down payment at the very least and most likely will also provide you with the money that you had already paid to them for the loan because you requested that the loan be voided the day after it was signed and even though you provided all of the information to them they still denied it knowing that the customer was letting them know of business practices the dealership was providing on their behalf that were not in the parameters of the law and you also provided them with the friend that was actually denied a loan with them because when they called to confirm the down payment she had told them that she didn't provide a down payment when she was supposed to lie and state $2k so the dealership had to go with a different loan company with her and tell her lie to the next loan company or else she wouldn't get the loan so she did and got it.  When they called to confirm my down payment it was the 2nd contract that they actually denied and stated they needed a greater down payment in order to approve me to the dealership so the dealership told me this and had me come in 4 weeks aftwr the first contract denied, 2 weeks after the 2nd contract was denied and needed me to provide them with an additional $500 in order to approve the contract so when I came in with it and they rewrote my contract it didn't show a change in the down payment so I refused to sign it and asked for my money back. They told me that I had to sign it.  I told them no because I didn't want the car for the sales price they now had and then didn't even add the additional $500 I just provided them with and they used that it was in the back of the loan when I was working before this In timeshare and I was well aware of how contracts were written and I was an accountant so there is nothing they can say in order for me to change my mind so I wanted my money back that I put down - the entire $1500 I provided to them.  They told me I needed to give them the vehicle and that they may or may not give me back $1000 of the $1500 I provided based on the fact that there's nothing anywhere that shows that I even brought in the $500 from today so did I really want to blow up this deal and be without a vehicle and not be able to get another vehicle for who knows how long since they wouldn't be giving me all my money back and would only be giving me $1000 back if I did give the car back and that they were going to have a problem with my paperwork and it was going to take approximately 3 months before even giving me back the $1000 so wouldn't it be a hell of a lot easier on me to just sign the contract for the car.  I said no and that I want my $1500 in full returned to me immediately, I wasn't signing their contract and I would return the vehicle back when they have my money to me.  I left and told them to call me when they have my $1500 and I would return the vehicle at the same time.  I left the dealership and called the loan officer to let them know what was going on.  They told me if I didn't want to sign the contract that the dealership was responsible for returning my down payment and if there is a discrepancy in how much that down payment is then that's between myself and the dealership and that the 3rd contract is approved by the loan agency and I asked how that could be when the dealership said that the 2nd wasn't approved because the loan company needed to see that I had more money available first with an additional amount of money as a down payment so they said $500 additional was good enough and that it would be approved but here they approved it without an additional amount as the down payment like I was told I needed to provide so I did but then it didn't show in the down payment but the 3rd contract showed all different amounts then the previous 2 contracts over the last 4 weeks but this is approved?  My 1st contract was denied by them and the income to debt ratio was used, also the amount of collections, adverse credit on my report and it was that I didn't make enough money being on social Security on a low fixed income to be able to pay such a high payment based on the price of the vehicle and my social Security was about to be reduced by $1000 per month because my child was turning 18 and I told the loan company that I wanted a loan for a vehicle that was at most $8k and now this loan was over double that and I had another 1-2months before my income was going to be reduced by 1/3rd of what I get.  How was it even possible that they were approving the 3rd contract that I was yet to even sign?  The loan officer was flustered and told me that I had already had the vehicle for over 4weeks now and I needed to sign the new contract provided or else the dealership needed the vehicle back.  I told her that that is exactly what I want but I want my down payment at the same time so that I can go get a loan that's half the cost of this loan that I can't afford but in order to do that, I need my down payment.  They told me the down payment shows as $1000 and they can only go by what the dealership has in the documents and the dealership is stating that the down payment is what it shows and we don't have any reason to believe it's any different from what they are stating and that they can hold your down payment from you for 90days if that's what the dealership wants to do and they stand by the dealership. I told her they need to let me know when my full down payment is ready to be returned to me and I will turn in their vehicle to them by going there and they can give it to me at the dealership and providing me with a way back home after that or they can pick it up from me at my address when they give me back my full down payment.  The dealership called me 2 days later and told me to come down and they had my down payment of $1500 for me and if I can bring the vehicle that they would give me the full down payment and drive me home.  I showed up to the dealership and when I got out there was a black Escalade directly behind me and he put his lights on, walked out in plain clothes and told me he was a metro Police officer and I was being arrested for stealing this car that I drove in that I have had for 6weeks without signing a contract and that if it isn't signed today then he's taking me to jail where I will be for a very long time.  He told me he was contacted by the dealership and they let him know that the loan company was also going to press charges if I don't sign documents today. I told him I've only had it for 6wks because they tell me a contract is good and the loan company approved only to find out 2 weeks later when thry tell me to come in for my pink slip that I have to sign new contracts because the last wasn't approved and they did that to me 3 times now and the last time they asked me to bring in more money, I brought in $500 that they took and then gave me new documents to sign and then I saw that the extra $500 I gave them that they had not put into the down payment so at that point I wasnt signing a fraudulent contract and I asked for all of my money back and they could have the car where they threatened me and said they wouldn't give me all of it back and the 2/3rds they would give back would at least be 3months at the earliest they would give it back so that I wouldn't have any opportunity to buy another car used or new from private seller or dealership so I would be without a vehicle for at the very least 3 months and I would be out $500 even then when Im on a low fixed income to begin with so I told them they would get the vehicle back when I get my money I put down for it in full back.  The officer said that's something I can tell a judge but he was here to arrest me if he didn't see a signature on the contract. I told him I would sign it under duress and I said that in front of all the ppl working at the dealership and I said that there is at least a 3 day recission period where I can say I don't want this vehicle I want my money back and they have to do it, it's my right to have a change of heart within 3 days and so I will sign this under duress and I'm calling the loan company in the morning to tell them what happened and that I'm not doing this and my money needs to be returned immediately.  So in the morning I called the loan officer assigned that I had been speaking to and let them know everything and I said I do not want this vehicle, I didn't want to from the beginning cuz I couldn't afford it then and didn't want it but I was given this and that and told things to talk me into it but then I was denied by the loan company and so relieved when I got the notice in the mail so that I could return it and so when I went back in to return it I was told that the contract was already changed and approved by the loan company and I already had it for 2 weeks so I couldn't get out of it now and I was lied and deceived throughout so that I would feel like I had no no choice but to accept the lies they were telling me. Well so at that point I thought I was screwed until they asked me for more money and that's when I started looking into things and what my rights were. So by the time all of this had come down I had read every word of every page of each contract and read up all about the legalities in purchasing a vehicle and who is responsible for what and also asked questions online because I felt like I was deceived so that they could get me to pay for a car I couldn't afford and wouldn't have even paid for or ever even done had they not made me feel as if I had no choice and pressured me into it and then when I decided while contracts were denied and no new contract that could be approved was even signed that I wasn't going to buy this vehicle that I couldn't afford and I had every right to get my money back and not accept this vehicle I didn't have enough money to buy and the loan company didn't think so either which is why they denied me for all the reasons I only wanted a car that was less than $8k to begin with cuz I knew I couldn't and wouldn't be able to afford the payments on it. But when I called to tell the loan company what happened and how I signed under duress and that I was told that they were also named by the police officer stating that he was told that the loan company was also going to press charges and of course the loan company said that they had nothing to do with that and that the loan had already been processed and there wasn't anything like a 3 day recission available or legal and although I know that to be the case for timeshare it isn't something they do in the car industry and unfortunately I was responsible for the loan and couldn't turn it back in and get my down payment back and if I didn't want the vehicle and my down payment was wrong I shouldn't have signed the contract.  So I had to go to pick up my pink slip at the dealership and that's when they apologized for all of the problems and said they were sorry but they had to do what was necessary to get the deal done and that my extra $500 ended up having to go pay to get that off duty cop to scare me but it was for the good of all because it finally got done. I told them everything they did was against the law and I would make sure they paid for it.  They told me they knew ppl in high places and that the law was on their side regardless of how much they decided they needed to stretch it so to just remember that when I go against them that the consequences of my actions may land me in a jail even if I'm right, no one will ever believe me or find out any different because they were able to get it done when I told them I wanted my money back and didn't want to sign docs and I was forced to do it and had no proof to the contrary (because they had no idea that I saved my illegal contracts that they did and lied and told them I threw them away when they asked for them so maybe no one would've believed me against them and the lying loan company as well but I had those docs and the denial of credit and adverse action the loan company sent and my friend even though they told her not to say a word about having to lie about her $2k down payment on her contract that she didn't provide to them - she told me so that I could use her statement to go to the DMV and file a complaint even if it got her in trouble for it because she saw the hell I went through and how much I didn't want the vehicle and wanted my money back but they weren't allowing me to do it and made me go through with a contract I didn't want and couldn't afford. So I went to the DMV and they did the investigation and said that the loan company was as responsible as they were and that they knew what happened to the dealership and it looks bad for them because they do business with them that shows ppl that they condone illegal practices from the ppl they do business with and it shows that they also may allow these illegal practices to occur in order to get their contracts signed and that by all of this happening and it being your contract that was determined the dealership used illegal business and sales tactics in order to be awarded the contract that the loan company would not want to have an association to that and that I should be able to volunteerily return the vehicle and get my full down payment back and probably all the payments I did end up forcibly paying until I could no longer do it because I couldn't afford it.  If they won't do it by speaking to them and also letting them know you spoke to the DMV and they stated that they are just as liable for the fraud and deception used in my contract even by just doing business with the dealership and they know this due to being in business in this industry and accepting to do business with dealerships and what your liability is and involvement in the kind of company they are and values they represent.  He told me that if I have to then I can file a lawsuit against them but would have to do a small claims court but then when I volunteerily turned in my vehicle and told them why for which they actually picked it up as a non payment repossession instead of the voluntary repossession I requested based on my entire history and all the documents I had proving the contract was illegal based on the illegal contracts I have, the documents signed that they wouldnt actually go by those documents and actually put me down for 2 missing payments when it shows in my documents that they actually accepted that the I.O.U. from the dealership owes me the first 2 payments to be paid but it also has the 2nd contracts dates and they moved it over to the 3rd but I'm sure the loan company wants to claim ignorance by saying they didn't know about the illegal practices that were committed so if they then show 2 different dates on contract docs then it shows they were a part of the illegal practices from the start but it also shows that based on my 1st contract being denied and the date of the adverse letere they sent to my home denying my contract approval based on not being able to afford it or having the kind of credit that's able to afford the loan I was getting and I agreed but then they approved the 3rd contract that had the highest price tag with the most interest when I was only a few months away from a reduction of my pay by 1/3rd yet they still approved it and they approved it after denying 2 other contracts with the 1st being 6wks prior and 2nd being 2weeks prior and all for the same dealership same customer same information and all were for different dates which is completely illegal but they knew all of that yet still did it and even when even greater illegal practices and inmorale practices that should never be done to any customer forcing them to take on an expense they knowingly can't afford and didn't want and only wanted the money that she gave for a down payment returned immediately in order to not have to go without a car to take her kid to school and her husband to find work, they used that against her and did the most heinous things in order to force her to do a contract she didn't want and couldn't afford that actually made her homeless sleeping in the car that she had voluntarily repossessed knowing that by doing so that she would putting her husband her dog and herself out to the street and having her kid move in with a friend and have to drop out of college in order to try to correct the illegal and fraudulent acts that were forced upon her in order to make her by something she didn't want and couldn't afford so I knowingly called to come pick up the vehicle so I could then file a complaint with the attorney general or file it online with credit reporting or what not in order to get it off her reports and possibly get her down payment back and maybe get her other payments back but even I highly doubted I would get any money back and filing small claims wouldn't work because the vehicle was for $17k and they lied about how much they got for the car and how much all the fees and everything else costs because they say that the brand new car that I voluntarily had repossessed because the entire deal shouldve been reversed based on the truth of what happened and the investigation that the DMV did using my complaint and having the investigation result in revoking all licenses and not allowing any licenses to ever be available to the ppl involved in that dealership and DMV found my complaint to be accurate and true and it was  a letter stating that my contract was fraudulent and was awarded based on deception and shouldn't have ever gone thru and I shouldve been able to get my money back and not have it affect my credit negatively and that if the DMV had the legal right to award my money back and give back the vehicle and either post to my credit reports that it was paid in full and no history of negative or adverse credit with that account and only showing good credit history with that loan or have it completely removed off all my credit reports resulting in no negative credit reporting at all for all 3 credit reports for this loan and that all the money that I paid for this vehicle including my full $1500 down payment and not the $1000 the dealership lied about returning all in full - they would gladly and rightfully make all of this happen for me after the misjustice done to me with this loan and all that I was put thru when this shouldve never happened to me but unfortunately even though they can investigate and find the evidence that I was absolutely correct in everything I have said about all the illegal practices that were committed by the dealership that the loan company is also responsible for based on the relationship that they have with the dealerships that they stand behind when they decided to do business with them - if the DMV could award me everything and all of my money back and even award monies back for all that I went thru as fees for all of the illegal practices against me, they said they would gladly do so but unfortunately the only thing I could do is voluntarily repossess based on the evidence of all the illegal practices that their investigation proved to be true all from my complaint on my contract and hopefully I could file against the dealership and loan company in small claims court and that the credit agencies would take it all off my credit reports and I would be awarded all of my monies back that I had paid into the vehicle but they do not have the authority to provide me with monies from these companies for their wrong doing but the dealership was fined heavily on behalf of the DMV and the investigation is at DMV and any agency or law agency can get all the information from the investigation and my original complaint or even just what they were charged with and their licenses being revoked and never able to be restored and how the loan company is looked upon in the industry as far as their involvement or responsibility when the DMV has wrongdoing, fraudulent actions, and using deception in order to be awarded sales that they normally wouldn't get and the loan company knowingly approving a contract that has already had 2 others denied all weeks apart for the same vehicle same customer when that is completely illegal and denying the those contracts based on debt to income and not having the money necessary to fund and pay those contracts but then being able to pay a larger contract with more interest after denying 2 others that the customer maintains they didn't want and told the loan company prior to signing the contract under duress that was all proved to be true in the investigation.  I will send the documents to you after sending them to all of. The credit agencies and even though I sent them proving the loan company is lying - they still keep it on my credit reports and they can go to the DMV and get the investigation and letter to me that's all on file for the dealership shown in my records and anyone can see that they are lying.   I can't get all of that info - I don't think but I was told that you can.  Also was told the industry knows that the loan company is as responsible because they did business with the dealership and that's enough to be just as liable.  Also I voluntarily had this repossessed so that I could do something about it especially after not even following the contract they approved that had the dealership paying my 1st 2 payments which made me always in default right from the start so that no matter what it would be repossessed anyway after everything they already did wrong to me and so I told the loan person I was assigned to that they need to come pick it up so that I can start to try and fight all of this and although I didn't think I was ever gonna see a dime back from all of this wrong doing to me, the least I could do is contact my credit report agencies and provide all of the proof that I have including the fact that I have a witness to all of this happening and that's my husband along with an acquaintance that I used to know that also was a part of the DMV investigation and was aware of what they were doing to me and what they did to her, she's also a witness and as is the investigator and person I spoke to about my complaint to them.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation