Consumer complaint received 2025-05-15 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Reporting company used your report improperly
Company: Experian Information Solutions Inc.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Certainly, XXXX. Below is a CFPB complaint draft written in a formal, British-influenced tone and formatting style. The draft is structured to correspond with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 's intake format, including the relevant goals : removing the unauthorised hard inquiry and initiating a regulatory review of potential deceptive practices. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Submitted By : XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Date of Incident XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Personal loan unsecured XXXX XXXX Issue XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXmproper use of credit report Deceptive/misleading advertising and application practices XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Description of the Complaint XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX/XX/year> at approximately XXXX XXXX, I submitted an application for an * unsecured personal loan * via XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  The specific product selected and displayed in the offerscreenshotted and attached with this complaintwas a loan for \ {$7500.00}, structured with a XXXX repayment term and a fixed monthly payment of \ {$270.00}. The page clearly did * not * indicate this was an auto-secured loan product, nor was any reference made to an XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

After selecting the Continue My Loan Application button, I was redirected through a series of application stages. At XXXX, I was shown a page reading : Congratulations! You're preliminarily approved for \ {$7500.00}. Immediately thereafter, a credit check was initiated and performed by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, resulting in a * hard inquiry * recorded on both my Experian and XXXX  credit reports. 

By XXXX, I had completed identity verification and was shown a message that my loan was approved. However, subsequent pages unexpectedly requested information related to vehicle ownership, including the number of vehicles and details such as make, model, and year. This was the first indication that the loan might require collateralisation. 

I explicitly selected None in response to the vehicle ownership question, believing I had applied for a standard unsecured loan. Almost immediately, the application was terminated. A page was generated stating : After reviewing the documents provided, we are unable to proceed with your application, because you either don't have a vehicle available to secure your loan or your vehicle ( see screenshot provided ). 

At no point prior to the credit check was I informed that vehicle ownership was a condition or requirement for the product applied for. The pre-credit-check application materials materially misrepresented the nature of the loan, leading to the collection of my sensitive credit data under false pretences. 

It is my firm belief that the collection of credit data based on materially misleading loan application representations is both deceptive and injurious to consumers. No reasonable consumer would expect a hard credit inquiry to result from a misrepresented product that ultimately requires security. 

I respectfully request that the XXXX take appropriate action in line with its mandate.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation