Consumer complaint received 2022-01-14
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA
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: Problem getting your free annual credit report

Complaint:
I have been trying to fix my ID with Equifax for years. 

I had my name legally changed in XXXX, 2017. My entire name. I updated it with all the relevant government agencies : the SSA, Dept of State, etc. I got a new photo ID, passport, social security card, and birth certificate. 

Later, when I applied for something that required a credit check, I found out something was wrong when my application was rejected because I had no credit history, even though I should have had a record of credit cards and years of rent/utility history. 

I called the credit bureaus and was informed that my credit history had been treated as if my SSN belonged to a totally new person. When you change just one part of your name, like if you get married, they can tell you're the same person and keep a record of both names. But because my entire name was completely different, they erased my credit history. All three credit bureaus did this. I went through the procedure to correct my files with all three of them. XXXX and XXXX were easy and got everything fixed quickly. I think one even confirmed my identity over the phone. 

Equifax asked me to fax my information, so I had to track down a fax machine. 

A few months later, I ran into the same issue and called again. They said they had never received my documentation.They had not updated my file. I faxed it again. 

This has happened several times over the last four years. I take issue with their bureaucracy, their outdated insistence on using fax machines to send and receive confidential paperwork/identity verification, and their continued inability to correct my file. 

I have ADHD. I can't cope with all the hoop jumping. Fax machines seem insecure and are clearly unreliable for submitting urgent paperwork. 

Also, they say on their website that they're committed to accessibility, but there's no way to submit feedback ( or anything really ) on the website. You have to call. And the recording says it's after business hours and I should call back when they're open, between XXXX and XXXX ET. But it's XXXX ET when I call, so they don't even have their correct business hours on the customer service line! And they should at least have a way to get a call back or start an email exchange with someone. 

Honestly, this smells like XXXX discrimination. I was never reported dead. Why would my SSN be given to a completely new person if I had never died? Obviously, my name was just changed. Just like if I took my spouse 's last name or wanted to go from XXXX to XXXX. Their erasure of my credit history has made it difficult for me to function financially for YEARS. It's completely nonsensical. 

I couldn't get approved for a non-prepaid phone plan without paying a huge deposit. 

I couldn't get the electricity turned on in my name when I moved in with my partner without paying the city {$400.00}. 

I have been automatically rejected several times for credit line increases despite flawless payment history. 

I have been rejected for credit cards and rental contracts for lack of credit history. 

And the strangest thing is, you'd think maybe something from the last four years would have made it into my Equifax file. But no. It's still completely empty.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation