Consumer complaint received 2025-07-18 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: CA

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Complaint Regarding Equifax 's Failure to Conduct a Reasonable Investigation and Remove Inaccurate Information Furnished by XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

This complaint details Equifax 's failure to conduct a reasonable investigation and remove inaccurate and unlawfully reported information furnished by XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) regarding an alleged debt originally with XXXX XXXX. Despite my formal dispute providing clear evidence of inaccuracies, Equifax continues to report this item, violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ). 

Timeline of Events : XX/XX/XXXX : I sent a certified letter to XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ), requesting full debt validation under FDCPA 1692g. This letter also included a proposal for pay-for-delete. ( You can use your existing 'My Letter to XXXX XXXX Validation Request.pdf ' ) XX/XX/XXXX : My validation request was delivered to XXXX . ( You can use your existing XXXX XXXX XXXX ' ) XX/XX/XXXX : XXXX sent a reply letter. This letter provided inadequate validation, merely stating they " confirmed '' the balance with XXXX and directing me to an online portal for " materials received from the creditor. '' ( You can use your existing XXXX XXXX ' ) XX/XX/XXXX : I sent a formal dispute letter via certified mail to Equifax , detailing the inaccuracies and violations committed by XXXX , including re-aging and failure to validate. ( Attach your dispute letter to Equifax here ). 

XX/XX/XXXX : Equifax responded to my dispute, stating the account " Remains '' on my report because the information has been " verified. '' ( Attach your 'Equifax Dispute Results ' document here ). 

Currently : The inaccurate information remains on my Equifax credit report. 

Equifax 's Failure to Conduct a Reasonable Investigation ( FCRA Violations ) : Equifax has failed in its duty to conduct a reasonable investigation into the accuracy of the disputed information, as required by FCRA 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) and FCRA 1681i ( a ) ( 4 ). My dispute provided clear evidence, yet Equifax merely accepted a re-certification from XXXX XXXX XXXX without adequately scrutinizing the provided facts. 

Specifically, Equifax continues to report : Illegal Re-aging of Debt : My Equifax report shows a " Date opened '' for the XXXX XXXX XXXX account of XX/XX/XXXX. This date falsely represents the age of the debt, as it is the date XXXX acquired the account, not the original date of first delinquency ( DOFD ). The XXXX XXXX bill provided by XXXX XXXX XXXX itself is dated XX/XX/XXXX, and clearly marks the account as " Past Due '' with a " Previous Balance '' from before that date. This irrefutably proves the debt originated and became delinquent long before XX/XX/XXXX. By allowing this re-aged date to remain, Equifax is permitting the extension of the permissible reporting period beyond the 7 years from the true DOFD, violating 15 U.S.C. 1681c ( a ) ( 4 ). This is also contrary to CFPB Bulletin 2014-01 regarding accurate DOFD reporting.

Inaccurate Balance Reporting : My Equifax report states the balance for this account is {$480.00}. However, the XXXX XXXX XXXX that XXXX XXXX XXXX provided as their basis for collection lists a " Total Due '' of {$830.00} and a " Remaining Previous Balance '' of {$720.00}. Equifax 's failure to identify and correct this discrepancy, despite being provided with the original bill, constitutes a failure in their duty to ensure " maximum possible accuracy '' under FCRA 1681e ( b ). This also implicates FCRA 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ), as they failed to correct inaccurate information furnished by XXXX. 

Continued Reporting of Unvalidated Debt : I formally requested validation from XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. Their response was inadequate, failing to provide the full validation required by FDCPA 1692g ( b ). Despite being informed of this dispute and lack of validation in my dispute letter to Equifax, the bureau continues to report this account. This demonstrates a failure to reasonably investigate the validity of the debt being reported and its compliance with consumer protection laws.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation