Consumer complaint received 2016-10-18
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: MD
Product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on credit report
Sub-issue: Information is not mine

Complaint:
When I view a " XXXX '' report, I see XXXX conflicting records, which shows that these agencies do not actually know how to process or merge their data in a consistant way, and should not be trusted authorities. If the data could be soundly joined, we would not have XXXX separate commercial entities, and we would not get XXXX separate results. 

As a consumer, I should not have to reconcile XXXX different systems, each which represents a massive company. Why should I have to inquire to each of these XXXX different businesses? They are just data integrator, and they each have their own programming systems and approaches to data integration. Yet, still none of the XXXX of them can agree upon basics facts about me, so if they ca n't do that, why would we trust them at all? 

This XXXX reporting is the information that is trusted. But it should not be. The fact that these XXXX bureaus do n't give the same results shows that we can not trust their reports. I 've had online identity certification denied because XXXX of these bureaus published at some point that I am related to a person I do not know, and by their data, they think I should know her birth month ... But I do n't know her. She shares a last name with me, and she might know someone I know, so I can see that an over-reaching data-integration effort might think we are connected, but this is n't playing around - it 's not suggesting XXXX connections. This data aggregator is claiming to give valid information about finance and credit, and it is leading to restrictive practices regarding online identification. In this case, to get a wire transfer, I was told I either needed to know this person I did n't know, because XXXX of these data collectors said I should know them, or I would have to supply photo-copies of my social security card and driver 's license, just to assert my identity. Remember, this is because a data aggregator company put together my name with someone I do n't know. 

I should not have to lose my ability to sign for online services because the XXXX suite of companies does n't properly integrate data. And they should not be able to enjoy and continue to profit from the reputation that they are the only companies who are trusted. They give widely disparate accounts, so how are they still trusted, and how do they remain the ones who we rely upon for identity verification for credit reporting? Consumers should not be asked to reconcile the data when XXXX companies listed as authorities produce very different information from what we are told is the same data. Consumers should be able to say : Your data is wrong. Where did you get it, and how was it combined? Their representatives seem to be happy to say " it 's just public data.. we 're just combining public data '' ... without realizing that they maybe do n't have great experts in charge of combining it, so wind up with very wrong combinations. And typical consumers would not know enough to be able to complain. But I do know that the data is being combined incorrectly, I have evidence of it, and this is a huge consumer issue.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation