Consumer complaint received 2019-11-05
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: OR
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:
Between XX/XX/2019 and XX/XX/2019, my wife and I were in XXXX XXXX XXXX, Utah assisting our son in remodeling an apartment into which he was planning to move. As I bought materials on, or about, the XXXX, I was invited by the vendor, XXXX XXXX, to apply for one of their customer credit cards, offered through XXXX XXXX. I agreed and they issued an immediate {$50.00} credit against my bill of {$62.00}, leaving me with a XXXX dollar balance, which i left on the card for my son to pay at a later date. However, I made an error in the address given, and the bill, subsequently, failed to reach him. At that time, my credit score was ~790, depending on which of the big three credit bureaus checked. Of course, neither my son, nor I, knew anything was amuck for some, and by the time I learned of the overdue debt, ( ~about XXXX of 2019 ) my FICO score had dropped a hundred points. Meanwhile, my wife and I were planning to buy or build a new home somewhere in the western US, and had begun getting pre-approved with XXXX XXXX. The results where quick and favorable due to our high credit score and present cash flow. Fast forward to now, we didn't buy, we opted to build in XXXX XXXX, OR and put down earnest money in XXXX. 
Now, here comes XXXX XXXX XXXX credit enhancement team on the phone ( ~XXXX XXXX ), offering to help me repair my marginally low credit score! I had paid off the {$12.00} balance on the XXXX XXXX XXXX, but was shocked to see that puny {$12.00} had dropped my score about 95 points, an event which could cost me $ XXXX over the course of our pending mortgage. My recent efforts with XXXXt to remedy things has proved very frustrating. First, they said to pay-off one of my credit cards and have the company in question send a letter to that effect, and they would bump up my score accordingly ( ~40 pts. ). I told them we pay-off all our cards each months, but are also using them for all our everyday purchases and some auto-pays, as well. This made it tricky to show a XXXX   balance and get a " XXXX  balance '' letter in the works at the same time that we are still alive and spending. But I did it anyway and called XXXX to brag, when they surprised me once again with some baloney about their computer model having updated to a new format that no longer allows a bump-up for XXXX  balance ; now it requires a small balance, but only one that is current ; i.e. not yet being charged any interest ... ... ... ... ... .IS IT BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE THE BANK/CREDIT BUREAU THING IS A CABAL? I MEAN, THEY HAVE PUT ME THROUGH THE WRINGER OVER XXXX BUCKS!!! AND APPEAR TO BE INTENT ON ONLY ONE OUTCOME ... .HIGHER INTEREST RATES AND FEES ON MY MORTGAGE. If you have a solution, I will look forward to your response. If you have an explanation, please skip it and save us both some trouble. 
Yours truly, XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation