Consumer complaint received 2024-12-03 00:00:00
Product: Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan — Personal line of credit
Issue: Incorrect information on your report — Account information incorrect
Company: Kikoff Inc.
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
I had a tradeline with Kikoff.com. ( They are a credit rebuilder service that promises to assist rebuild credit ). There were a couple of late payments due to me losing my job and going through a financial hardship. They claimed that I did not attempt to login, contact them, and that my card was blocked as a reason why they did not remove the late payments from my credit report but did not provide me with any substantial evidence. I asked the company to delete the late payments from my credit report due to inaccurate information being report and I also asked for a goodwill deletion as well. They refused to delete the tradeline from my credit report. I disputed this information with the credit bureaus, but the company still refused to have the tradeline removed from my credit report. They sent me an email stating that they would delete the item from my credit report but then sent me another email admitting to a mistake that they made and that they would not be deleting this tradeline from my credit report. If they can't even send an accurate email, how can I trust that they are reporting my information accurately? They promise to assist others rebuild credit but all it has done is harm my credit report. 

After reviewing the factual information above it is clear that Kikoff violated the following laws in the FRCA : 1. Accuracy of Information - Section 623 ( a ) ( 1 ) [ 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) ] Kikoff claims that my card was " blocked '' and that I did not log into their app during the period of late payments. These claims are unsubstantiated and directly contradicted by my financial activity : The card they claim was " blocked '' was actively used during the same period for essential payments such as rent, groceries, and health insurance. This clearly demonstrates that the card was functional. 

Kikoff has not provided any proof, such as login records, to substantiate their assertion that I failed to log into their app during this period.

Under the FCRA, furnishers of information must ensure the accuracy of all information reported to consumer reporting agencies. Without verifiable proof to support these claims, Kikoffs reporting is inaccurate and misleading, violating this requirement.

2. Reasonable Investigation of Disputed Information - Section 611 [ 15 U.S.C. 1681i ] After I disputed this tradeline, Kikoff failed to conduct a reasonable investigation to verify the accuracy of their reporting. Specifically : They did not provide any documentation or evidence to support their claims regarding a blocked card or login activity.

Their response indicates reliance on unverified assumptions rather than a thorough investigation. 

The FCRA requires that disputed information be verified through a reasonable investigation. Without evidence to confirm the accuracy of their reporting, the tradeline must be removed.

3. Inaccurate Information and Good Faith - Section 605 [ 15 U.S.C. 1681c ] Continuing to report this negative tradeline serves no legitimate purpose and is unnecessarily punitive. I brought the account current and subsequently closed it to avoid further issues. Given that the accuracy of Kikoffs claims is in question, the continued reporting of this tradeline fails to meet the FCRAs standards for fairness and relevancy in consumer reporting.

4.Kikoff also sent me an email stating that " due to the short time span '' of my account, they took steps to remove the tradeline from my credit report. However, this has not occurred, which raises questions about their follow-through and transparency.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation