Consumer complaint received 2025-04-22 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize
Company: EQUIFAX, INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Hard inquiry being disputed - date - Name and address of the company and phone # : XX/XX/XXXX - XXXX XXXX XXXX OF XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX I was not informed that a hard inquiry would be made on my credit. I explicitly stated that I will not and that I did not consent to a hard inquiry, yet the agent failed to disclose this and proceeded pulling my credit report. To my dismay, I was immediately notified via XXXX XXXX that a hard inquiry had already been made on my Equifax report. 

I immediately reached out to XXXX on the same day of inquiry ( XX/XX/XXXX ), but I did not receive any replies. I followed up with additional emails on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, as documented in my XXXX correspondence ( with time stamps and dates, I can furnish copies of these correspondences if needed ). 
Given the lack of full disclosure that a hard inquiry would be made, I believe this constitutes unlawful practice. Therefore, I respectfully request that the hard inquiry be removed from my credit report. Please let me know if you need any additional information from me to proceed with this dispute. 

For your reference, I have attached my email correspondence with XXXX, the credit specialist I spoke with at XXXX XXXX. Unfortunately, he did not respond to my emails. During our phone conversation, I informed him of the hard inquiry, and he stated that he was simply following a script. However, the script did not clearly disclose that a hard inquiry would be made. 
-- - First email sent to XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX Hi XXXX , I got an email notification from one of credit bureaus that a hard inquiry was made from your company. I thought it was a soft credit check only. 

Please let me know as I havent received or closed a loan yet from your company. 

( signed ) -- - Second email I sent to XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX : From : personal info removed XX/XX/XXXX To : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX Phone : ( XXXX ) XXXX Subject : Dispute of Unauthorized Hard Inquiry Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to formally dispute a hard inquiry that was made on my credit report by your company, XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX , on XXXXXX/XX/XXXX. An inquiry was made by one of your representatives, XXXX. Please refer to the attached screenshot of my credit report, which shows that a hard pull was conducted. 
At the time of the inquiry, I was not adequately informed that a hard credit check would be conducted, nor did I provide explicit consent for this type of inquiry. Since a hard inquiry can negatively affect my credit score and will be there for a period of 2 years, I believe the inquiry was made without proper disclosure and without my full understanding or permission. 
Additionally, I understand that a soft inquiry would have been sufficient for an initial loan offer. However, I was not offered a loan, nor did I accept any offer from your company, which raises the question of why a hard inquiry was necessary. I believe a soft credit pull would have been sufficient to proceed. 
I kindly request that you promptly remove this hard inquiry from my credit report. If you require any additional information from me to assist in resolving this issue, please do not hesitate to contact me. 
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. I look forward to a swift resolution. 
Sincerely, ( signed ) -- -- Based on this experience, I find myself questioning the competency and professionalism of XXXX XXXX and its staff. I would prefer not to engage further with a company that does not demonstrate the necessary standards of professionalism and integrity in its dealings. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt resolution. 

Sincerely, ( signed ) Actions I've taken : Since the devastating experience with XXXX XXXX, I immediately emailed them and also forward the correspondence to the agent which he gave me his direct email but he still did not reply. I requested to have it deleted by them and was told he would inform his supervisor but they never took an action. I also disputed it to Equifax, mailed a letter to investigate and still waiting for the removal / deletion result.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation