Consumer complaint received 2025-09-05 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: CA

Complaint narrative:
COMPLAINT NARRATIVE : I. SUMMARY OF VIOLATIONS I am filing this complaint against all three major credit reporting agencies for systematic violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ), and constitutional due process rights. Despite submitting a comprehensive, legally compliant dispute letter on XX/XX/XXXX, the credit reporting agencies have failed to conduct reasonable investigations and continue to report multiple inaccurate accounts that violate federal consumer protection law. 

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND TIMELINE XX/XX/XXXX : I submitted a detailed, notarized dispute letter via certified mail to Experian Information Solutions Inc., challenging twelve inaccurate accounts pursuant to 15 U.S.C. 1681i. 

XXXX XXXX : Despite comprehensive disputes challenging multiple charge-off accounts, collection accounts, and debt validation issues, the agencies have failed to conduct reasonable investigations as required by federal law. 

XX/XX/XXXX : Current credit report shows continued violations with multiple disputed accounts still reporting inaccurately across all three bureaus, demonstrating systematic failure to comply with federal consumer protection statutes. 

III. SPECIFIC STATUTORY VIOLATIONS BY EACH COMPANY A. EXPERIAN INFORMATION SOLUTIONS VIOLATIONS 1. Multiple XXXX  XXXX Charge-Off Accounts Violation : Continued reporting of disputed charge-off accounts without proper validation Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1681i ( a ), 1681n Evidence : Three XXXX  XXXX accounts still showing charge-off status despite comprehensive disputes Current Status : Still reporting with balances of {$3700.00}, {$980.00}, and {$680.00} as of XX/XX/XXXX Impact : Severe credit score damage from unvalidated charge-off accounts 2. XXXX XXXX  Account Violation : Reporting debt after transfer to collection agency XXXX XXXX XXXX Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1692e, 1692f, 1692g Evidence : Account transferred to another lender but still reporting under original creditor Impact : False representation of debt ownership violating FDCPA 3. XXXX XXXX  Collection Account Violation : Debt buyer reporting without proper chain of title validation Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1692e, 1692g Evidence : Collection account with {$1500.00} balance lacking proper debt validation Impact : Reporting unvalidated debt buyer account 4. XXXX XXXX XXXX Collection Account Violation : Debt buyer reporting without proper chain of title validation Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1692e, 1692g Evidence : Collection account with {$810.00} balance lacking proper debt validation Impact : Reporting unvalidated debt buyer account 5. Multiple Hard Inquiries Violation : Reporting unauthorized credit inquiries Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681b, 1681n, 5 U.S.C. 552a Evidence : XXXX XXXX  ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and XXXX  ( XX/XX/XXXX ) inquiries Impact : Privacy violations and credit score reduction XXXX. Failure to Conduct Reasonable Investigation Violation : Inadequate response to comprehensive dispute letter Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ), 1681i ( a ) ( 7 ) Evidence : No proper debt validation provided despite explicit requests Impact : Continued reporting of unverified information B. TRANSUNION LLC VIOLATIONS 1. Multiple XXXX  XXXX Charge-Off Accounts Violation : Continued reporting of disputed charge-off accounts showing " Dispute Resolved '' without proper validation Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1681i ( a ), 1681n Evidence : Three XXXX XXXX  accounts marked " Dispute Resolved '' but still showing charge-off status Impact : False resolution claims while maintaining inaccurate information 2. XXXX XXXX  Collection Account Violation : Debt buyer reporting without proper validation marked as " Information Disputed By Consumer '' Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1692e, 1692g Evidence : Account shows dispute notation but continues reporting without validation Impact : Acknowledgment of dispute without proper resolution 3. XXXX XXXX XXXX Collection Account Violation : Debt buyer reporting without proper validation marked as " Information Disputed By Consumer '' Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1692e, 1692g Evidence : Account shows dispute notation but continues reporting without validation Impact : Acknowledgment of dispute without proper resolution 4. XXXX XXXX Hard Inquiry Violation : Reporting unauthorized credit inquiry Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681b, 1681n, 5 U.S.C. 552a Evidence : XXXX XXXX  inquiry from XX/XX/XXXX Impact : Privacy violation and credit score reduction C. EQUIFAX INFORMATION SERVICES VIOLATIONS 1. Multiple XXXX  XXXX Charge-Off Accounts Violation : Continued reporting of disputed charge-off accounts with extensive late payment history Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1681i ( a ), 1681n Evidence : Three XXXX XXXX accounts showing multiple late payments and charge-off status Impact : Severe credit score damage from unvalidated charge-off accounts 2. XXXX XXXX  Collection Account Violation : Debt buyer reporting without proper chain of title validation Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1692e, 1692g Evidence : Collection account with {$1500.00} balance showing " Account Seriously Past Due '' Impact : Reporting unvalidated debt buyer account XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX Collection Account Violation : Debt buyer reporting without proper chain of title validation Federal Laws Violated : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), 1692e, 1692g Evidence : Collection account with {$810.00} balance showing assignment to collection agency Impact : Reporting unvalidated debt buyer account IV. SYSTEMATIC INDUSTRY VIOLATIONS This case demonstrates industry-wide systematic violations : A. Universal Failure to Conduct Reasonable Reinvestigation All three agencies violated 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) requirements TransUnion marked disputes as " resolved '' without proper validation Continued reporting of unvalidated debt buyer accounts across all bureaus B. Violation of Debt Validation Requirements Failure to provide proper FDCPA validation for collection accounts Continued reporting of debt buyer accounts without chain of title documentation No verification of debt ownership transfers C. Constitutional Due Process Violations Arbitrary dispute resolution procedures False claims of dispute resolution without substantive investigation Discriminatory application of investigation standards V. FEDERAL LAWS VIOLATED A. Fair Credit Reporting Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1681 et seq. ) 1681e ( b ) : Failure to follow reasonable procedures for accuracy 1681i ( a ) : Failure to conduct reasonable reinvestigation 1681i ( a ) ( 7 ) : Failure to provide verification methodology 1681b : Reporting without permissible purpose ( hard inquiries ) 1681n : Willful noncompliance exposing agencies to statutory damages B. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1692 et seq. ) 1692e : False or misleading representations regarding debt ownership 1692f : Unfair practices in debt collection 1692g : Failure to validate debt ownership and chain of title C. Privacy Act ( 5 U.S.C. 552a ) 552a ( e ) ( 5 ) : Failure to maintain accurate records 552a ( g ) : Civil remedies for privacy violations D. Constitutional Violations Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause VI. CONTROLLING FEDERAL PRECEDENT XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX. XXXX ) Establishes duty for reasonable investigation beyond automated verification Requires human review of disputed information Prohibits reliance solely on furnisher verification XXXX XXXX Trans Union XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX. XXXX ) Establishes liability for continued reporting after notice of inaccuracy Requires investigation of consumer disputes beyond superficial verification XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX ___ ( XXXX ) Establishes debt ownership requirements for FDCPA applicability Requires proper validation of debt buyer accounts VII. HARM SUFFERED A. Financial Damages Significant credit score reduction across all three bureaus ( XXXX range ) Multiple derogatory accounts artificially lowering credit scores Limited access to credit due to false charge-off and collection reporting Higher borrowing costs when credit is available Denial of credit applications due to inaccurate reporting B. Debt Validation Violations Multiple debt buyer accounts reporting without proper chain of title Collection agencies reporting without FDCPA compliance Violation of fundamental debt validation rights XXXX Constitutional Harm Denial of due process through inadequate dispute procedures False claims of dispute resolution without substantive investigation Fundamental rights violations requiring federal intervention D. Personal Impact Extensive time and resources spent documenting violations Emotional XXXX  from dealing with systematic noncompliance Security concerns regarding inaccurate financial information Frustration from false dispute resolution claims VIII. EVIDENCE OF WILLFUL NONCOMPLIANCE A. False Dispute Resolution Claims TransUnion marked multiple accounts as " Dispute Resolved '' without proper validation Continued reporting of same inaccurate information after claiming resolution Systematic pattern of false compliance representations B. Debt Buyer Account Violations Multiple collection agencies reporting without proper chain of title No evidence of FDCPA validation despite explicit requests Continued reporting of unvalidated debt buyer accounts C. Inadequate Investigation Procedures No substantive response to comprehensive dispute letter with legal citations Failure to provide investigation methodology as required by federal law Systematic reliance on automated verification systems IX. STATUTORY DAMAGES AND CIVIL LIABILITY The documented violations expose each agency to significant federal liability : A. FCRA Statutory Damages : Up to {$1000.00} per violation ( 15 U.S.C. 1681n ) B. FDCPA Statutory Damages : Up to {$1000.00} per violation ( 15 U.S.C. 1692k ) C. Privacy Act Damages : Minimum {$1000.00} per violation ( 5 U.S.C. 552a ( g ) ( 4 ) ) D. Attorney Fees and Costs : Recoverable under applicable federal statutes E. Actual Damages : For financial harm and constitutional violations Total Potential Statutory Damages : $ XXXX across all three agencies

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation