Consumer complaint received 2024-04-27
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Other personal consumer report
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing issue — Investigation took more than 30 days
Company: EQUIFAX, INC. (CA)

As a rental property owner and a licensed real estate broker in California, I have been using The Work Number, a service offered by Equifax, to verify the employment and/or the income of rental applicants for more than a decade. Recently, Equifax closed my account without my consent and asked me to reapply. 

On XX/XX/24, I applied on line under my company name and received confirmation email with case # XXXX. It says that The credentialing process typically takes one to two business days to complete. 

On XX/XX/24, I received an email stating the address I provided on application not acceptable because it is an UPS mailbox, not a physical address. 

On XX/XX/24, I reapplied on line. I provided the physical residence address where I live and work, with the explanation that I work from home. I received a new case # XXXX. 

On XX/XX/24, I received an email from the credentialing team stating that I need to apply as private landlord instead of under my company name. 

On XX/XX/24, I reapplied on line as a private landlord. I received a new case # XXXX. 

On XX/XX/24, I received an email from the credentialing team asking me to provide 1 of 4 validating documents acceptable to them. 

On XX/XX/24, I submitted the filed property title of the rental property I own, which is 1 of 4 acceptable documents according to the credentialing team. 

11 days ( 7 business days ) passed and I did not hear from them. 

On XX/XX/24, I called The Work Number customer service. A representative named XXXX said it appeared no one was working on the case and there was no progress on my case. I was very surprised and disappointed. On the same day, I submitted a negative review via Equifax feedback form regarding my dissatisfactory experience with the credentialing team of The Work Number. 

On XX/XX/24, I called The Work Number customer service again. A representative named XXXX said there was still no one working on my case. She apologized for the lack of progress, created a new case # XXXX, assigned to her co-worker XXXX, who, she said, will be actively following on my case. 

On XX/XX/24, I received an email from the credentialing team stating that the case was closed without any explanation. 

On XX/XX/24, I called The Work Number customer service and asked to speak to the credentialing team. I was told that the credentialing team does not talk to applicants directly. They communicate only via email. I promptly emailed them asking the reason why they can not approve my application. So far, I havent heard from them.

In summary, over the course of 44 days or 37 business days ( from XX/XX/24 to XX/XX/24 ), the credentialing team of The Work Number created at least 4 case numbers and asked me to reapply at least 3 times. I did what they asked me to do and submitted the validating documents they asked me to provide. However, it seems that no one is actively working on my case for a long time. When I called in to follow up, they promptly closed my case without any explanation.

The consequence of not being able to use The Work Number service is dire on my rental business. Nowadays, most XXXX XXXX departments of the companies where rental applicants work mandate that the verification of the employment and/or income go through The Work Number. Without verifying employment and income, I can not approve the rental application of tenant candidate. It means loss of rental income to me as a rental property owner, and more importantly, unfair denial of rental housing to otherwise qualified applicants. 

I am respectfully requesting that CFPB look into the questionable practice of the credentialing team of The Work Number of Equifax and help me move forward to complete my registration with The Work Number, so that I may resume using their service as I did for the past decade or so to verify employment/income of my rental tenant applicants as part of my normal daily business. 

I am attaching all the email exchanges between The Work Number and me in the chronological order with the date stamp on each email.