Consumer complaint received 2017-10-23
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: DC
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Old information reappears or never goes away

Complaint:
All three credit reporting agencies are exploiting my data by mining it, selling it, tracking it, packaging it and generally profiting from it without my explicit knowledge or consent. In addition, it concerns me that the marriage between the bureaus and the federal government prevents the three major reporting agencies from having an incentive to correctly report information on consumers ' credit reports. The FCRA is nearly 50 years old!! 

Instead, the agencies benefit more from having erroneous data appear on our credit reports because they have relationships with the debt collectors and companies that report to the bureaus. When I, as a consumer, dispute the information on record and offer evidence the data is not immediately eliminated. Instead, the agency who reported the erroneous information sends information to the bureaus " confirming '' their reporting and the bureaus subsequently leave the wrong information on our credit reports. 

In addition, the fact that Americans do not know how the proverbial " sausage '' of credit worthiness decisions are made is unconscionable. There is no other industry that is allowed to work in such devious, back room ways. In fact, I thought that the CFPB was established to ensure that such methods/realities did not exist. 

Such a paradigm does not allow for the realities of being a single parent -- receiving zero child support -- who is struggling to make ends meet in the wake of domestic violence, divorce, children with special needs, etc. This abuse of power appears to become more rampant as time goes on. 

There appears to be no remedy for the consumer who is hurt by erroneous reporting ; whether those injuries can be measured by being charged more for insurance than another individual or whether those injuries prevent a person from renting an apartment for themselves and their children. 

Although I do n't know where to turn I am hopeful that the CFPB will stand up for the rights of Americans who do not want their data to be exploited by the bureaus, the collection agencies, industry at large, via the inappropriate, unauthorized, and unchecked use of our data. 

Why the heck should I, as a XXXX mom of XXXX, survivor of domestic violence, college graduate, and teacher be subjected to this abuse? You would n't allow my employer to treat me differently because of my marital/familial status ; why then would you allow industry to do so? 

Every day I pay more for every purchase, am refused access to certain privileges, and am taken advantage of by the bottom feeders of our financial system who have no regard for the reality of living in XXXX XXXX ( or anywhere in the USA ) today. This makes absolutely no sense that those of us who are making every effort to contribute to the betterment of our community should be exploited in such a way. Those of us who are least able to pay the exorbitant fees are the ones being taxed by the credit bureau agencies and the companies that they employ and that employ them. 

The system has become a means to punish honest, hardworking Americans. Such punishment is endorsed by our Federal government. 

This has to stop. For the sake of all Americans who are tangled in the mire of this situation, who do not have trust funds, who are struggling to pay for housing, transportation, and food ( at a premium! ) without the discounts/prices/advantages afforded to the top 1 % -- or the bottom 1 % for that matter. 

In addition, since we do n't know how such credit worthiness decisions are made who is to say that our race, gender, culture, ethnicity, marital status, family type, etc. does not impact the decision? How are we to know if my record would look differently if I had a different surname? 

Please help.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation