Consumer complaint received 2020-10-05
Company: TRANSUNION INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS, INC.
State: PA
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with fraud alerts or security freezes

Complaint:
CONSUMERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBTAIN A SECURITY FREEZE. You have a right to place a " security freeze '' on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application youmake regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. A security freeze does not apply to a person or entity, or its affiliates, or collection agencies acting on behalf of the person or entity, with which you have an existing  account that requests information in your credit report for the purposes of reviewing or collecting the account. Reviewing the account includes activities related to account maintenance, monitoring, credit line increases, and account upgrades and enhancements. ( page 13 of 14 of online credit report for Transunion ) Issue - Transunion denied access to XXXX regarding credit line increase, contrary to above policy.

Relief Requested - 1. Reword the conditions language to clearly explain soft versus hard inquires ( for soft credit increases - offered by the bank itself- versus credit line increase versus increase requested by the consumer ) and 2. Program the computer to notify the consumer electronically ( email or text, if ok 'd ) of a failed request for information related to an existing account. Waiting for a USPS transmitted letter of denial from a bank is unacceptable in light of the very large amount of mail that gets lost in transit and the time involved. Credit agencies should be required to upgrade to the needs of the 20th century at least, if not the 21 st century. Transunion itself is encouraging people to use its web sites. I understand that some reports from Transunion can be sent to the consumer but not the kind of denial mentioned in relief request 1, above.

3. Cease the use of trick questions without backup. One agent asked ( in an older incident ) did you work in the state of XXXX. I objected that there is no such state. The agent denied access and said she could not offer an alternative question because we didn't answer the first correctly. The second denial was the answer to " what is your second XXXX account. When I pointed out that the second XXXX account had my wife as a Primary, he said that the response was inadequate. It had to be me as a Primary on the account. He also would not offer a second question despite my having answered name, address, SSN at the least. 
Transunion has been a particular problem and you have to pass authorization just to talk to someone.

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 non-monetary relief