Consumer complaint received 2024-11-18 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: IN

Complaint narrative:
Equifax reported a car loan as a voluntary repossession on my credit report for XXXX long years which caused me to be denied credit, receive higher interest rates, and caused me undue emotional and financial hardship. I tried to dispute the account more than once and even hired a credit repair company. I finally spoke with a supervisor and explained to him that this particular company was in litigation with the CFPB and that I was an affected party. I also informed him that I spoke with an attorney and that the attorney advised me that I did not need to take any further action as if a suit was filed by the XXXX then it was a class action and every affected party would be included. The supervisor told me to send in verification of the lawsuit that the CFPB had filed. I did the same with XXXX and XXXX deleted it immediately pending litigation. There were also discrepancies with the removal dates, which Equifax chose to ignore. XXXX listed the removal date XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Equifax never updated the information even after speaking with a supervisor and proving that it was indeed an account that was in litigation with the CFPB! After I realized that I was not going to get anywhere with Equifax I decided to proceed with a complaint against the lender with the CFPB. The only reason I did not do so before is because I was informed by an attorney that I could file my own complain with the CFPB, but that since the CFPB had already taken action against the lender and they were in litigation, then a complaint wasn't necessary as the CFPB had already taken action. He also explained to me that Equifax should not be reporting an account that was in litigation with the CFPB when they know about it and the other issue is the discrepancies with the removal date between the XXXX bureaus. I called Equifax and informed them that I had spoke to an attorney and reiterated what he had told me. I told them that I had sent the information in regards to the litigation per their supervisors request and that it still reported as certified and voluntary surrender. 
After I filed my complaint with the CFPB against the car loan company the lender contacted me and informed me that they acknowledged that the debt was over XXXX years old and that they were not responsible for what the bureaus were reporting. I sent a letter to Equifax and informed them that I spoke with ************ and that she stated that the debt was well over XXXX years old. Equifax deleted the entry immediately despite their stance that this account was verified and would not be removed under any circumstances until XXXX XXXX. Prior to the removal, I informed Equifax that I intended to escalate my complaint to the FTC and the CFPB due to their failure to follow FCRA laws. The supervisor laughed and told me to " go ahead. '' I ultimately received a letter from the lending company. Their findings were obviously that I was just in my complaint and it was not without merit, because I received a letter stating that the account was closed and no further money was owed. They contacted me today to inform me that they sent this information to the credit bureaus. 
I have had enough of all the expense that I have and continue to incur due to the fact that this company relentlessly sends me back correspondence stating that my ID was illegible, etc. These are common stall tactics and this company is notorious for it and it needs to stop! Equifax also misleads consumers into believing that accounts were verified when they indeed were not. 
Equifax did not report this account in accordance with the FCRA laws, as they KNEW it was in litigation and they KNEW that there were discrepancies. Again, this has caused me emotional duress, and undue financial hardship. I believe that Equifax is under the impression that their company is above the law and that FCRA laws are a joke and don't apply to them. I am enclosing the letter that was sent to me by the lender.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation