Consumer complaint received 2024-09-06 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: LA

Complaint narrative:
THIS IS NOT A DUPLICATE I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding XXXX handling of my dispute against the collection account reported by XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX. I have repeatedly provided all necessary information to prove that the collection account in question should be removed from my credit report. However, despite following the proper dispute process and providing documentation from the furnisher of the debt proving my claims, XXXX continues to respond with generic, automated responses, failing to conduct a proper investigation as required under the law. 

XXXXXXXX XXXX  Inaccurate Handling of My Dispute : I have submitted multiple disputes regarding the XXXX XXXX XXXX collection account on my credit report. Each time, I receive a generic response from XXXX indicating that I must contact the furnisher of the debt. I have done this, and the furnisher has confirmed that my dispute is valid and the account should be removed. Despite this, XXXX has not taken the necessary steps to remove the account. 

Failure to Investigate : Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ), XXXX is required to conduct a reasonable investigation within 30 days of receiving my dispute. Instead, they have failed to review the documentation I have submitted, and their responses have been limited to automated or generic statements, indicating no actual investigation is being performed. 

Failure to Correct Inaccurate Information : As per FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ), credit reporting agencies are required to follow reasonable procedures to ensure the accuracy of the information they report. Despite my providing proof from the debt furnisher that the collection account is inaccurate and should be removed, XXXX has failed to update or correct the information on my credit report. 

XXXX continues to send me generic responses to my dispute and even has misspelled my name in communications, indicating that they are not taking my dispute seriously. Recently, I received an email stating that my dispute was complete, but when I tried to view the results online, it stated that the results were not available. This further proves that XXXX is not conducting proper investigations. 

Failure to Conduct a Proper Investigation : Under the FCRA, credit reporting agencies like XXXX must conduct a reasonable investigation of disputes within 30 days. They are not allowed to rely solely on automated systems and must verify the accuracy of the information provided by the furnisher. XXXX has failed to meet this requirement. 

Failure to Ensure Accurate Reporting : The FCRA requires that credit reporting agencies maintain accurate information. By refusing to remove the erroneous collection account despite documentation from the furnisher, XXXX is violating its obligations under FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ).

Failure to Notify the Consumer of the Results : According to FCRA 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 6 ), credit reporting agencies must provide the results of an investigation within 30 days and allow the consumer to view the results. XXXX has failed to provide accessible results, further delaying the resolution of my dispute.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation