Consumer complaint received 2025-03-20 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: TX

Complaint narrative:
I am filing a formal complaint against XXXX XXXX  regarding their unjust refusal to remove a derogatory mark from my credit report, despite the fact that it was caused by their own internal errors, conflicting information from representatives, and a lack of timely customer support. 

Summary of the Issue I have been a longstanding and responsible customer of XXXX XXXX, maintaining a flawless payment history and good standing until an issue arose that was completely beyond my control. The problem began when I was locked out of my XXXX XXXX online account, preventing me from making payments as I normally would. In response, I took the proactive step of making payments over the phone to ensure my account remained in good standing. 

However, despite my efforts, I later received an email notifying me that my account was overdue. When I contacted XXXX XXXX for clarification, I was informed that the payment had been reversed due to an incorrect account number linked to my profile. This was shocking and frustrating, as I was unaware of any errors. 

Adding to the confusion, I was given contradictory information by different XXXX XXXX representatives : One representative told me that my account number was incorrect, so I provided the correct one to fix the issue. 
A later representative told me that the account number had actually been correct the entire time and was never changed. 
These conflicting statements from XXXX XXXX  left me perplexed and led to an unjust late payment report. This entire issue could have been avoided if I had simply been allowed to access my online banking account in a timely manner. 

XXXX XXXX Mishandling of the Situation For six weeks, I made 10-15 phone calls to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXting to update my phone number so I could regain access to my online banking. I was consistently told that the only way to do this was by visiting a XXXX XXXX  branch in XXXXwhere I originally opened my account. However, this was not a feasible option because I currently live in XXXX, Texas. Despite my numerous attempts to resolve the issue, I was denied a reasonable alternative. 

After six weeks of frustration and countless calls, I finally reached a representative who directed me to the correct department to update my phone number and restore my online access. Had I been provided with this solution from the beginning, this entire ordeal could have been avoided. 

Impact on My Credit Score and XXXX XXXX  Unfair XXXX As a direct result of XXXX XXXX mishandling of my account, they reported my payment as late and reduced my credit limit from {$3700.00} to {$800.00}, causing my credit score to plummet over XXXX XXXXfrom nearly XXXX to XXXX. 

Despite presenting XXXX XXXX  with a clear timeline of events, my perfect payment history, and evidence of their internal errors, they refused to remove the derogatory mark and failed to take accountability for their actions. Their response has been unfair, unreasonable, and harmful to my financial standing. 

Request for CFPB Intervention I am requesting that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) investigate XXXX XXXX  handling of my account and take the necessary action to correct this unjust credit reporting issue. Specifically, I ask that : XXXX XXXX be required to remove the inaccurate derogatory mark from my credit report. 
XXXX XXXX restore my original credit limit of {$3700.00} to reflect my prior good standing. 
XXXXXXXX XXXX implement better consumer protection policies to prevent future cases where customers are forced into unfair credit reporting consequences due to system failures and misinformation

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief