Consumer complaint received 2017-07-10
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Unable to get your credit report or credit score — Other problem getting your report or credit score
Company: EQUIFAX, INC. (MN)

Complaint:
I am astounded at both the attitude and actions apparently ( suddenly ) taken by Equifax against me today, Monday XXXX XXXX, 2017, as they 're a regulated credit reporting bureau who is subject to the FCRA ( Fair Credit Reporting Act ) statutes as well as other federal statutes designed to protect consumers and their information. After over an hour on the phone, and being assured first by an underling employee upon call-in that there were " no blocks on my credit file '', I 've discovered Equifax has been specifically not allowing any outside credit monitoring or access of my credit file recently as I 've been trying to re-sign back up with XXXX owned by XXXX XXXX XXXX. Having now wasted 3+ weeks back-and-forth trying to sign up with XXXX unsuccessfully, I 'm apparently now finding out the reason why? First, being transferred 3 times and being told a different department is suddenly now handling my credit file, I get transferred to Equifax 's representative within their Office of Consumer Affairs, XXXX XXXX, who blatantly evasively states to me today : " they 're ( Equifax ) is fully entitled to take this protective measure and put my credit file into their office 's oversight '' without any reason stated, thus, locking up my report. Amazingly, she further stated : " you will not be able to further sign up for any outside credit monitoring services outside of Equifax '', and when I asked her for how long is this, she replied : " Indefinitely '' as " they 're fully entitled under the law ''?? Why?? Do they realize how unnecessarily hard it makes it for me - let alone a 3rd party I hire to assist me - or even a creditor I apply for credit with to gain access reasonably to my credit file?!?! How can a consumer reporting agency like Equifax take a deliberate and punitive action to effectively 'lock off and up ' one 's credit file, not allowing any further outside access by a creditor, credit monitoring service, or anyone I consent to allow access and have to ONLY go through the Office of Consumer Affairs only at Equifax - a MAJOR inconvenience and disruptive obstacle to functional access to my credit file?? PLEASE HELP ASAP!!!! I would like to begin the process of purchasing a home and was wanting to use XXXX in this process. Further to note, I was previously a customer of Equifax 's Premier Plan of which I cancelled voluntarily earlier this year. In my first phone call to Equifax earlier, they were unclear about if I cancelled their services, that a " hold '' or " block '' may be placed upon my credit file without my asking?? Really? And, if that were done, do they even have the legal right without my consent or evidence of fraud to freeze or block my credit file? I asked XXXX XXXX for her badge/ID # and she said she has none despite all other Equifax employees having them. I asked her for her Supervisor 's name, and she told me, " I do n't have to give you that. This is the highest level within Equifax ''. In her continued evasive manner, I asked her for the phone number of her department or the legal department 's number? She said, " XXXX XXXX, there is no number - this is the highest level of Equifax who is hereafter handling your credit file ''. No one can access it further ( " indefinitely '', as stated ), and only a hard copy can be requested and mailed. PLEASE HELP!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation