Consumer complaint received 2025-05-19 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Investigation took more than 30 days
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: DE

Complaint narrative:
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, DE XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX Date : XX/XX/XXXX2025 To : TransUnion LLCXXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX, PA XXXX Equifax Information Services LLC XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX, GA XXXX ExperianXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, TX XXXX RE : Final Notice of Intent to File Suit FCRA Violations Regarding XXXX XXXX XXXX Account # XXXX To Whom It May Concern, This letter serves as my final legal notice and formal intent to initiate litigation for continued violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) and failure to resolve a long-standing dispute regarding the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Account # XXXX ) on my credit reports. 

I submitted my original dispute on XX/XX/XXXX2025, through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ), and it was received by all three major credit bureaus no later than XX/XX/XXXX2025. Despite this, no legally compliant response, verification, or deletion has been issued as of today, XXXX XXXX, 2025. 

To escalate my efforts, I filed a second formal CFPB complaint on XX/XX/XXXX2025, citing the credit bureaus failure to complete a reinvestigation within the 30-day limit, as required under FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ). Your only reply was a generic " still working '' message on XX/XX/XXXX 2025 even though I did not submit any new documentation that would justify a ( 45 ) -day extension under FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( B ). Note during this dispute is when Equifax decided to respond to my XX/XX/XXXX complaint and verify the information on XX/XX/XXXX which still exceeded the 30 day legal time frame. 

To clarify, under FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ), simply updating, modifying, or curing inaccurate information on a credit report after the expiration of the 30-day reinvestigation period does not constitute a lawful response.

The statute requires that a reinvestigation be completed and a determination communicated to the consumer within 30 calendar days of receipt of the dispute. If the information can not be verified within that timeframe, then per FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 5 ) ( A ), the item must be promptly deleted.

Once the 30-day window has closed without a full reinvestigation and documented verification, the furnisher and credit reporting agency lose the legal right to modify or reverify the tradeline. Any post-deadline correction attempt is a violation of the FCRA and can not be used as a remedy to avoid deletion.

VIOLATIONS SUPPORTING LEGAL ACTION Your continued reporting of this account and failure to comply with federal law establishes multiple violations, including : * FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) : Failure to complete and report a lawful reinvestigation within 30 days * FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 5 ) ( A ) : Continued reporting of unverified information that must be deleted * FCRA 607 ( b ) : Failure to assure maximum possible accuracy of information * FCRA 609 ( a ) ( 1 ) & 611 ( a ) ( 7 ) : Failure to provide the Method of Verification, original documentation, or account history as requested * FCRA 616617 : Willful and negligent noncompliance with federal credit reporting requirements The following issues remain unresolved : * Conflicting statuses : " Charged Off, '' " Profit and Loss Write-Off, '' " Unpaid Balance Reported as a Loss '' * Multiple inconsistent last activity and closure dates * Discrepancies in payment history, high balance, monthly payment, and term information * Reporting an account as closed before the dispute was even submitted * Failure to provide any of the required documentation ( e.g., signed contract, ledger, MOV ) EVIDENCE ENCLOSED & ON RECORD * CFPB Dispute # XXXX ( Submitted XXXX XXXX, 2025 ) Transunion * CFPB Dispute # XXXX ( Submitted XX/XX/XXXX ) Equifax * CFPB Dispute # XXXX XXXX Submitted XX/XX/XXXX 2025 ) Experian * CFPB Dispute # XXXX ( Submitted XX/XX/XXXX2025 ) Transunion * CFPB Dispute # XXXX ( Submitted XX/XX/XXXX 2025 ) Experian * CFPB Dispute # XXXX ( Submitted XX/XX/XXXX 2025 ) Equifax * Proof of identity ( State Identification/Drivers License ) and address ( W-2 Form ) * Screenshots and supporting documentation showing inconsistent reporting and FCRA violations ADDITIONAL VIOLATION EQUIFAX RESPONSE TIMING Equifax received my dispute on XX/XX/XXXX, 2025, and did not issue a response until XX/XX/XXXX2025 a total of 34 calendar days. This exceeds the 30-day deadline imposed by FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ). The law is clear : If the completeness or accuracy of any item of information... is disputed by the consumer... the agency shall, free of charge, conduct a reasonable reinvestigation ... and record the current status ... within 30 days of the consumers request. FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) A response beyond that timeframe constitutes willful or negligent noncompliance, and under FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 5 ) ( A ), the item must be deleted if verification is not completed within the lawful window.

Equifaxs response also admitted the following : This account has been updated. Additional information has been provided from the original source... the following fields have been modified : Scheduled Payment, Actual Payment, Additional Information, Account History This is an attempted post-deadline correction, which is not legally valid after the FCRA time window closes. Once Equifax crossed the 30-day threshold without completing a valid investigation, they forfeited the right to update, modify, or reverify the tradeline.

FINAL DEMAND BEFORE LAWSUIT I am hereby giving you 7 calendar days to : 1. Permanently delete the XXXX XXXX XXXX account from all credit reports ( TransUnion, Equifax, Experian ) 2. Provide written confirmation of the deletion by mail or via CFPB portal If I do not receive confirmation of deletion bXXXX XXXX XXXX 2025, I will immediately proceed with the following : * File suit in Delaware Small Claims Court for maximum statutory and actual damages ( up to {$15000.00} depending on the bureau named ) * File formal complaints with the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) and the Delaware Department of Justice Consumer Protection Unit * Seek reimbursement of all court costs, filing fees, and additional damages under FCRA 616 and 6XXXX LEGAL DEADLINE : XX/XX/XXXX2025 You have until this date to respond with full compliance. If you continue reporting unverifiable, inaccurate, or incomplete information beyond this point, you will be sued. 
This is not a request it is your final legal warning. 

To be clear, I am not seeking correction or re-verification of this tradeline. Because your investigation was not completed within the lawful window, this account must be deleted in full under FCRA 611 ( a ) ( 5 ) Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation