Consumer complaint received 2020-05-06
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Account information incorrect
Company: EQUIFAX, INC. (DC)

My wife and I have no reported history of missed payments other than what we believe is an erroneous by XXXX of a settlement with a collection agency. I am submitting this complaint because XXXX makes it impossible to resolve the matter using the company 's limited and onerous phone-based resolution process. XXXX XXXX does not allow for email or Internet chat for resolution of credit reporting disputes ). 

Objective : The essence of my complaint is that XXXX XXXX incorrectly reported the status of a closed account by stating that I had settled with a collection agency. I have no record of any contact or settlement with a collection agency. My objectives are to determine whether XXXX and/or its collection agency have any information about what caused the derogatory reporting and, more importantly, to have the incorrect information about the settlement with the collection agency removed. XXXX has no means for filing a written complaint or escalating beyond the first level of supervisor. XXXX does not allow access to collection files for accounts that are less than five years old. This means that there is no ability to challenge credit reporting data for the full life of that reporting, i.e. seven years. 

Background : XX/XX/XXXX Requested a disconnection of service because new location did not have Fios XX/XX/XXXX We received a Notice to Disconnect XX/XX/XXXX Received an invoice that listed an early termination fee in error XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX: Received additional invoices with incorrect charges, namely the early termination and equipment fees XX/XX/XXXX : Apparently XXXX and/or its collection agency reported a closed account to credit bureaus. ( Later investigation with credit bureau indicates a settlement with collection agency. I have no record of any communication with a collection agency and XXXX has refused to give me any information about the collection agency so that I can request clarification from them. ( My wife and I did not have a reason to question our credit reporting because we had received scores of offers and been accepted for the vast majority of them. ) XX/XX/XXXX : I discovered the credit reporting problem on Equifax when I received a notice of credit card offer rejection. The notification includes a mention that the XXXX issue is a major derogatory action. 
XX/XX/XXXX : First indications were that I had paid {$280.00} in partial settlement. I have no record of such a partial settlement. In fact the record indicates a more likely alternative that my account was credited for amounts that were improperly charged including the early termination fees and the equipment fees. I would nerver have agreed to such a settlement that left my credit report with a major derogatory event with an indication for a charged off balance of {$31.00}. 
XX/XX/XXXX-XX/XX/XXXX: Several calls to XXXX to determine the exact nature of the problem. Spent several hours on hold to obtain the information. Ultimately, someone indicated that there was a balance of {$31.00}. XXXX was unable to explain the calculation of the balance. However, I decided to clean the slate.XX/XX/XXXXAttempted to request the information be removed. Line agents state that XXXX never removes information even if a mistake can be shown or inferred. Requested a supervisor to help me investigate and understand my rights. 
XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX, a supervisor, indicated that XXXX has records going back 15 years, but he can not access them without a PIN. He indicated The reason for the PIN is the XXXX security protocols that freeze the account based on numerous inquiries. The numerous inquiries are testament the difficulties associated with finding information about closed accounts and having anyone listen to concerns about credit reporting. Mr. XXXX rejected my indications that my wife and I had never been contacted by a collection agency before the credit reporting occurred. I will say that he called me a liar, but indicated that XXXX policy is to give customers several opportunities by phone and in writing. He refused to give me the benefit of the doubt and accused me of being rude. After hours and hours of attempting to resolve this matter, I do admit to being animated, but I was not rude and attempted to engage constructively. 
XX/XX/XXXX I filed a dispute with Equifax over this matter. 

Conclusion : I believe that XXXX has a very faulty system for investigating credit reporting complaints and makes it almost impossible for customers to contest faulty reporting. The inability to offer written evidence and the inability to access archives means that consumers are left with few options.