Consumer complaint received 2023-08-25 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: Bread Financial Holdings, Inc.
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX I was looking at my annual XXXX credit report and saw there was a hard inquiry performed on XX/XX/XXXX that I didnt recognize. XXXX listed the company responsible for the inquiry as ComenityCapital/Land. There was no contact information listed for this company. I looked it up on a search engine and found it was most likely for a Lands End retail Visa card. I have never had any business with Lands End nor with Comenity Capital, so I knew this hard inquiry to my credit was never instigated nor authorized by me. I then submitted an online dispute to XXXX regarding the inquiry. From what I understand of laws surrounding XXXX XXXX, it was now XXXX job to contact Comenity and investigate the dispute. Comenity would then be required to provide proof to XXXX that I authorized the hard inquiry, which I knew I did not. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I received notice from XXXX that the results of the dispute were available. I logged into my XXXX and found that they had decided that : " INQUIRIES ARE A FACTUAL RECORD OF FILE ACCESS AND WILL REMAIN ON THE XXXX CREDIT FILE TWO YEARS FROM THE REPORTED DATE OF THE INQUIRY. Inquiry Date : XX/XX/XXXX XXXX COMENITYCAPITAL/LAND XXXX '' Because XXXX did not include ANY contact information for Comenity on my credit report, only the name, I used an internet search engine to find contact information for Comenity Capital Lands End Visa at XXXX and spoke to a representative. I explained that Comenity had done a hard inquiry on my credit on XX/XX/XXXX without my knowledge or consent. I told her that I have never had any Lands End card and I had never applied for one or any other line of credit from Comenity Capital. She asked me to give her my full name and full social security number, which I was uncomfortable with, but did give to her in an effort to resolve this issue. She found no record of any applications or credit inquiries for the date of XX/XX/XXXX. She did however mention that she did see that Comenity had record of a hard inquiry from XXXX, but that THAT hard inquiry wouldnt show up on my credit report because it was over two years old. I told her that that inquiry was also illegal as I had not initiated it nor authorized it in XXXX. I decided to focus on the issue at hand which was the inquiry from XX/XX/XXXX that is currenly on my XXXX credit report fraudulently and has lowered my credit score significantly by XXXX points. She said there was nothing she could do to help me because she had no record of the XXXX inquiry. I asked if they could contact XXXX and tell them they had no record of me or any inquiry so that I could get it taken off my credit report. She said no, that they would not contact XXXX and that I should contact them myself. I then asked to talk to SOMEONE that can take responsibility for Comenitys illegal actions or at the very least assist me in correcting them. The representative said she would transfer me to her supervisor, XXXX at Comenity. He also said he searched their system and archives and said there was no record of anything under my name or social security number and that there was nothing he could do to help me. He did tell me that from what he understood, once I submitted the dispute with XXXX, they should have contacted Comenity for proof that I authorized the hard inquiry. He doubted that XXXX had done anything other than an automated response considering that their investigation took less than XXXX hours. He said he couldnt give me any sort of document or report from Comenity stating that I had no account there and no record of an inquiry in my name or social security number because I didnt have an account with Comenity. He did give me the phone number to the Comenity Account Protection Team, XXXX, in case I needed to contact them again, as well as the phone number for XXXX, XXXX. He told me to call XXXX and ask them to assist me. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I decided to check my credit reports with the other 2 bureaus ( XXXX and XXXX ) to see if there was anything amiss, or if the problem I was having with Comenity was limited to XXXX only. Both reports were fine and there was no activity that I did not recognize. 

I then called XXXX at XXXX, and spoke with a representative and explained my situation. She said that the unauthorized hard inquiry could be removed if I got a document from Comenity stating they had no record of any account for me and therefore no proof that I had authorized the hard inquiry from XX/XX/XXXX. Once I obtained this document from Comenity, the representative said I should write a cover letter to XXXX about the situation, and make a photocopy of both my drivers license and social security card and submit them via XXXX mail to XXXX. 

I then called Comenity again, explained the situation and that I had spoken to XXXX and they needed a document from Comenity stating that they have no record of me or any inquiry of credit. The Comenity representative hit me with the same brick wall I had hit the day before - They stated that there was nothing they could do because they had no record of any inquiry and I did not have any type of account with Comenity according to their records. She said there was no protocol in their system to deal with a credit inquiry of someone that has no account there. I explained that this was hurting my credit in a very negative way and I felt at a loss at what to do. She said she was sorry but they couldnt help me. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I received a call from XXXX following up on a brief customer service survey I had taken after my call with them on XX/XX/XXXX. Again, I expressed my dismay at the fact that I was being punished unfairly and my credit was hurting for mistakes made by either/both Comenity and XXXX, yet neither company was willing to help. The XXXX representative then told me that I could file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Once I had done that, he said I should write a cover letter, include a copy of the FTC report that I filed, and include a photocopy of my drivers license and social security card and send it to the address I had been given on the XX/XX/XXXX phone call with XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief