Consumer complaint received 2019-12-18
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: TX
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account status incorrect

Complaint:
Sometime in the 2nd week of XXXX I attempted to make a payment on my XXXX account via my checking account. All but a couple of payments I've ever made on this account ( over the course of 3+ years ) were made with a debit card ( incurring their " Express Payment '' fee of {$9.00} each time ). Due to a miscalculation on my end, the payment was returned because I didn't have the funds in my account to cover it. 

On XX/XX/2019, I got an email notifying me that my account with XXXX was being closed due to " multiple returned payments. '' Over 3+ years, I may have had one or 2 other payments returned on this account. That hardly qualifies as " multiple '' given the  age of the account. Their letter stated that the account would be reported as " Closed at the grantors request. '' I called in and spoke with a telephone rep on XX/XX/XXXX who said they could review the account to be re-opened if I sent in a document from my bank verifying the account number, routing number, and bank 's information. They said it should be on bank letterhead. My direct deposit form has that exact information. I emailed that in on XX/XX/XXXX along with several other verification methods : namely a bank statement from the same bank account that showed a debit card payment to XXXX in XX/XX/2019. 

XXXX followed up a few days later saying those documents weren't adequate and they still needed a " bank verification letter. '' No one at my bank could figure out what they were talking about - as all the information being requested was on the direct deposit form I sent in to XXXX XXXX back on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Apparently during this time my account had been " suspended. '' I was no longer able to login to the website or the mobile app. I have made *all my payments* on this account via the mobile app or the website - again - over the course of 3+ years. I have never even come close to the 30 day late mark. 

I assumed given their alleging that my documents were inadequate, that the account would be reported closed any minute. To my surprise, it remained Open. 

Having not seen the account show as " closed '' on any of my credit reporting apps yet ( I have several free ones and a paid Experian subscription with real-time + daily updates ), I called XXXX customer service number ( XXXX ) on XX/XX/2019 to make a telephone payment. I wanted to make sure this was received before the XXXX, which is my due date, obviously so as to avoid having a late payment reported. 

The telephone agent I spoke with ( sounded to be of middle eastern descent - I am assuming he was not based in the USA ) told me the answers to my security questions were wrong and therefore he could not get into my account. I told him that I needed to make a payment then and there because I had no access to the website or mobile app. He asked where I was born and where my parents were wed. The answer to both of those questions is XXXX XXXX. He claimed it did not match what was on file. There is no reason for any other answers to my security questions to be on file. 

As soon as I hung up with the customer service rep, I emailed XXXX and explained that I called in to make a payment given my access to the app and website were revoked. They did not respond until after my account 's due date of XX/XX/XXXX. At this point, the payment would've been 30 days late. 

XXXX 's most recent correspondence with me states that the account would be reported closed at the grantors request. That is not all they have reported though. They also reported that the account was closed and was DELINQUENT. 

XXXX made me jump through hoops to un-suspend my account, and even when I complied, still did not restore my access. Obviously without access to the website nor mobile app, as well as being unable to make a payment over the phone, my only other option would've been to mail a payment in. Even still, it wouldn't have made it to them by the time they were to report the account as either late or closed. 

XXXX clearly dragged this process out so as to a ) be able to assess me late fees and b ) report the account as delinquent on my credit.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation