Consumer complaint received 2025-08-12 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize
Company: TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: NV

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/year> I agreed to purchase an HVAC system from XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX, and agreed to apply for financing through their financing partner Service Finance LLC.

The application was filled out by XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX employee XXXX XXXX while he spoke to me over the phone. I asked XXXX if this was going to be a hard inquiry on my credit and he said it was a soft inquiry at this stage. I agreed and we continued, I didnt receive any notifications about a hard inquiry at the time, but I was dissatisfied with the loan terms, and we decided to have my wife, XXXX XXXX XXXX apply as she has a higher credit score. 
The next day he went through the process with my wife and again XXXX asked him to confirm this was a soft inquiry, he repeated what he had said to me and then said let me confirm and put XXXX on hold. When he came back on the line he seemed to be reading from something from Service Finance and stated that this would be a soft inquiry, unless the loan is originated. They continued and moments later XXXX received multiple notifications stating that she had had a hard inquiry on her credit. She immediately told XXXX what happened and informed him that we would not be continuing the process unless this can be fixed. XXXX brought in his manager XXXX XXXX. I spoke on the phone with XXXX multiple times over the following couple of days. He stated multiple times that in no part of the application process do they state they will be making a hard inquiry and that he did not believe that they made hard inquiries. This issue was eventually resolved by XXXX paying to buy down XXXX  loan rate to 0 % and we agreed to move forward. We had the HVAC system installed XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX and thought we were done with this process. 
To be clear, XXXX XXXX is the only person listed on the loan with Service Finance. However, I received a delayed notice that I had a hard inquiry from Service Finance as well. I contacted Service Finance directly to ask them to change it to a soft inquiry, but was told that their application clearly states they make a hard inquiry. I asked them to send me a copy of the application and they said they cant send it to me because XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX are the ones who filed the application with them. I sent an email to XXXX XXXX asking for documentation about my loan application or screen shots of their application form to prove that it does not ask for a hard inquiry and I have not heard back. 
This hard inquiry has lowered my credit score and made it more difficult for me to open new lines of credit. I could understand somewhat if we had not been relentlessly proactive in confirming that this was a soft inquiry and they had just forgotten to ask permission to pull a hard inquiry. However, the blatant misinformation that this would be a soft inquiry is especially egregious.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation