Consumer complaint received 2023-10-30
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc. (CA)

When my XXXX farm property flood in XXXX of XXXX, I never imagined that the event would drop my credit score by over XXXX points. I want to commend the FEMA agents and the employees of XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX for their help and support in getting me back on my financial feet. However, my experience with XXXX XXXX is far different. 

The short version : After the flood, both of my banks offered a flood deferment. Things went exceptionally smoothly with XXXX : they help with paperwork, called frequently to check on the progress of the repairs, and promptly endorsed my XXXX XXXX XXXX checks without problems. XXXX holds the larger of my two mortgages for {$420000.00}. XXXX, who holds a {$70000.00} second, set up one obstacle after another. 

I called in XXXX and tried to make a payment on the mortgage. I have never had a late payment on either mortgage. They explained I was entitled to a deferment until XXXX. Since they were holding my XXXX XXXX XXXX checks for endorsement pending an inspection ( which XXXX, the larger mortgage holder did not require ) I agreed since I had paid the {$6000.00} plus repair bills out of pocket. 

At this point, another tragic event occurred in an exceptionally tragic year : a close friend died of a XXXX XXXX at XXXX. XXXX claims they sent a letter requiring my signature on the deferment ; I dont remember getting the letter. They stated it had to be returned by a specific date XXXX. I contacted them shortly thereafter, and they said that the deferment had not been processed and the entire past due amount was due ( these are the payments for the months following the flood. ) I tried to negotiate with them and succeeded ( see attached email from XXXX ) and I thought the issue was solved. 

When I tried to refinance this loan with XXXX on a shorter term, I was stunned to discover that they could not offer me a loan because my credit score of XXXX had dropped to the low XXXX. I contacted XXXX to have the error removed and they informed me that they did not make an error so they would not remove it. Hence, I can not refinance the loan. 

If this wasnt enough, I received a call indicating that they would not endorse the second XXXX XXXX XXXX check I received and submitted to them in XXXX. Again, XXXX did not require an inspection for the repairs which were completed and paid for in the XXXX. In fact, they sent a letter indicating that repairs under {$40000.00} do not require inspection. The repairs involved pouring an angled layer of concrete so that the water drained into a sump and installing a permanent pump in the sump. All repairs were completed by licensed contractors and accepted by XXXX. The basement was inspected via video in XXXX. The agent who spoke with me said that the repairs were only 70 percent complete. I received no notification after the inspection in XXXX and no description of the allegedly uncompleted repairs ; this call in XXXX was the first time I have heard that they thought the repairs were incomplete. 

XXXX so-called customer service agents use incompetence and overcomplication as a system of harassment. Each time a customer calls in, they reach a new agent and need to re- explain the details of the case. Each call involves lengthy waits both on the phone tree and on hold as the agent tries to figure out the issue. The agents often offer contradictory explanations while pretending to be friendly and helpful. No one is interested in actually solving the problem, but in getting the customer off the phone as quickly as possible. For over a month, I have received fake calls from XXXX that hang up as soon as I answer. Trips to the bank are just as fruitless. XXXX seems only interested in punishing the customer for a perceived transgression of their unnecessarily harsh and complex rules. 

I am a XXXXXXXX XXXX citizen, aged XXXX, and getting my property repaired after the extensive flooding was both expensive and stressful. In XXXX, I had XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX just before the flood. I lost two close friends to XXXX in XXXX. I never imagined that a federal policy for victims of a disaster would be my biggest health stressor in XXXX. Nor could I imagine that a policy designed to save my credit report during a disaster would actually damage it the most.