Consumer complaint received 2025-07-16 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: FL

Complaint narrative:
On or about XX/XX/XXXX, I received a notification that Equifax Information Services, LLC materially altered the reporting of a derogatory tradeline associated with XXXX XXXX XXXX The revised reporting schemanow reflecting a Charged Off designation for XXXX XXXX effectuated through a retroactive re-aging of prior delinquency codes. This re-aging artificially moved the initial date of delinquency from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX, thereby violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), specifically 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( b ), 1681i ( a ), and 1681e ( b ), as well as industry-standard Metro 2 data furnishing protocols.

Prior to this unilateral modification, the tradeline reflected the following payment chronology : XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX revision, the record was arbitrarily altered to reflect XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Charged Off This retroactive reclassification constitutes an unlawful re-aging of debt, a practice explicitly proscribed by federal law and Metro 2 formatting guidance. Moreover, the inclusion of a charge-off status lacks any contractual substantiation, documentation of date of default, or certification that the debt meets materiality thresholds required to assign such a designation. Equifaxs failure to ensure the factual and chronological integrity of this tradeline violates its statutory duty to uphold maximum possible accuracy under 1681e ( b ) and to promptly delete or correct unverifiable information under 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( A ). 

This is not an isolated dispute. In fact, this constitutes the fourth or fifth formal submission challenging the veracity and legality of the same tradeline. Despite these repeated disputes, Equifax continues to respond with boilerplate, non-substantive, duplicative language that fails to address the gravamen of the issue and instead attempts to circumvent its statutory reinvestigative obligations. These tactics violate the letter and spirit of the FCRA and constitute, at this point, willful noncompliance and systemic dereliction of duty. 

I have repeatedly requestednot merely assertedformal validation of : 1. The contractual basis for the charge-off status, including billing statements, account default notices, and creditor attestations ; 2. The Metro 2 Base Segment field values associated with the tradeline ( including Fields 11, 17, 7183, and 88 ), which now reflect inconsistencies that distort the true chronology and artificially extend the delinquency period ; 3. Documentation evidencing a reasonable reinvestigation in accordance with 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ; 4. Certification of accuracy from the furnisher, required for re-reporting disputed information under 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( B ). 

Equifax has refused or failed to produce any of the aforementioned materials, instead reasserting automated denials without a single document evidencing either procedural compliance or data integrity. The continued publication of this materially false, contractually unsubstantiated, and unverified tradeline serves no legitimate purpose and instead reflects a reckless disregard for federal law, consumer rights, and investigatory obligations. 

Accordingly, I assert that Equifax is now in ongoing violation of the following statutory provisions : 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) Failure to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy ; 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) Failure to conduct a reasonable reinvestigation ; 15 U.S.C. 1681i ( a ) ( 5 ) ( A ) - ( B ) Failure to correct, delete, or validate reinserted information ; 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( b ) Failure by the furnisher to conduct a good faith investigation and correct erroneous data ; Metro 2 Compliance Guidelines Re-aging of delinquency, inaccurate payment status mapping, improper DOFD coding, and invalid use of the charge-off indicator. 

I therefore allege that Equifaxs actions rise to the level of willful noncompliance under 15 U.S.C. 1681n, subjecting it to potential statutory and punitive damages, and request that the Bureau formally investigate Equifax for systematic dispute suppression, procedural failures, and unlawful data retention. 

This tradeline must be permanently deleted unless Equifax can produce direct, documentary evidence validating every aspect of the reported chronology, status, and contractual default.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation