Consumer complaint received 2020-04-22
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: GA
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:
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, GA XXXX XXXX Credit reporting companies exert great influence over the lives of consumers. They help determine eligibility for loans, housing, and sometimes jobs. Consumers need an avenue of recourse when they feel they have been wronged. 
The consequences of errors in a consumer report can be catastrophic for consumers, shutting them out of credit markets, jeopardizing employment prospects, or significantly increasing the cost of housing, cost of insurance, and many other products. 
The study compared credit scores sold to creditors and those sold to consumers. The study found that about one in five consumers would likely receive a different score than the score provided to a lender. Why do lenders see a lower score than consumers, including those consumers who pay for memberships in the credit reporting companies, such as XXXX, XXXX and Experian. While they continue to redeem monthly payments from these consumers, they fail to accurately report the truth. One can pay off debt, one can remove inquiries only to be held as a hostage to these private companies. Other issues were around incorrect account status, wrong account information, wrong personal information, inaccurate public records, old information that reappears or never goes away, and information that should be on the report is missing. When disputing an error the consumer is only told that the debt has been validated through the lender, however no response on how this is determined is provided to the consumer who in fact has opened the dispute. There is absolutely no Transparency in this process, only to hold the consumer again as a hostage to the large companies. Why do these problems persist year after year, and what is being done about it? The score the lender pulls WILL differ from the one you used sometimes by several points, possibly enough to disqualify you from the best interest rate or maybe enough to have your application denied In 2019 I began my quest to repair and increase my credit score, in an effort to employ assistance I contacted XXXX XXXX, I had no idea that this would show derogatory on my reports., when I discovered this, I cancelled the contract with them and tried on my own. 
I have paid off the following accounts since that time XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX {$420.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX {$410.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX {$470.00} Removal of erroneous reporting : XXXX XXXX  Bill in someone elses name {$310.00} XXXX   XXXX, XXXX {$470.00} XXXX XXXX, XXXX Al {$970.00} My credit score was XXXX, in XXXX XXXX, as of today it is XXXX. Why, would the payments and removals not increase my score? When I started this journey, amount reported WAS over {$4500.00} of late or bad debt, it is now {$2000.00} due to a rental apartment in Texas that was NOT leased in my name. This debt is over 6 years old and should not be weighted to the point where I am still in the low 500s.

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