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Posted 3 years ago.
See this poll on: http://equifax.dev.bkvi.com/1207-Newsletters/jan09_lander/nl_…
My 2 cents worth. I have tried the online disputes and on some things it worked OK. Other issues it was extremely frusterating. I ended up resorting to doing things manually (everything from contacting an attorney, going directly to the creditors, sending a 'To whom it may concen' letter for filing with my credit file, etc.). Once each of the CRAs received my letter & request to have it filed with my credit report I started getting results. They are required by law to honor my request to put my statement in the file. I wanted this to be done while I was trying to clear up all the inaccuracies in it.
Anyway, long story shortened. I'm getting things cleaned up, still have a couple items but I'm getting somewhere finally.
Thanks Holly for the info. :-) What you had to say rings true, don't do it online, their process for disputing online sucks.
Hey everyone, I am just a regular person like you all. I don't work in financee; I am an editor at a non-profit organization. I have been through everything you all are describing in terms of the frustrations of not getting disputes settled to your satisfaction, but I want you to know that THERE IS A SOLUTION! I have researched this topic, and I can tell you that we consumers do indeed have rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, although the credit bureaus violate them all the time ... The trick is, if you simply document the violation correctly, it is amazingly easy to get them companies to behave themselves. What's more, if they don't, we can sue the companies for $1000 for EACH violation, and we can WIN! I have done it personally.
Obviously, no one at the credit bureaus bothers to tell you about your rights. It is up to us to educate ourselves. Many of the things that you all have described Equifax doing to you are illegal, and we CAN do something about it. You have to send written letters - NO ONLINE DISPUTING! - and send the letters via certified mail so that you have a proven paper trail. If you do it this way, the credit bureaus will take you seriously, because they know that you can prove it if they do not.
Everything you need to know you can read at this website: http://www.creditinfocenter.com/creditreports/ for free. I actually bought the book they sell, "Good Credit is Sexy," and it was well worth the money, but you don't need to buy anything. Just educate yourself about how the laws work and then follow their directions for your specific situation. I promise I do not work for them or anything; I just wish more consumers knew that there IS a way to make the credit bureaus do the right thing!!!
Here's an example: when a bureau tells you that a listing has been "verified," even though you know it is wrong, you do not have to take their word for it and just stop there. You write to them and demand that they tell you HOW they verified it and show you the documentation. The law requires them to respond within 15 days or you can sue for $1000. Once you do that, they back down in no time, because of course the only thing they did to verify it was to ask the creditor, "Is this correct?" and then took their word for it!!!
Please, everyone, read up on your rights and don't let the credit bureaus get away with this laziness! YOU CAN TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR OWN CREDIT using the federal laws that are there to protect you!!! Don't give up.
I have been hurt so many times I cannot count them. My report is almost always incorrect. I am often mixed up with my son who is a Jr. There are mistakes that I've had corrected that still appear on the report. Each time I apply for credit, there is something that I have to get corrected. They will correct it one time and the next time, it appears again. It has been one of the most aggrivating things I can think of.
I like the rest of you have had numerous problems with Equifax. Their whole credit scoring system is not devised properly...and they only look out for the creditor's. I have had numerous things removed...but only temporarely! After solid proof was given to them of incorrect info, and no response from the claimed companies....they still don't remove false reported items. What a joke of a system...and makes me like just yet another part of America!
A year ago I found out that a credit card account which belonged to my mother was showing up on my credit report. I was expecting the dispute process to be very long and arduous, but it wasn't. I pulled my free credit report, then typed in a note about the problem I was having with the account and a few weeks later I had an email from Equifax saying it had been corrected - and it had! I was pleasantly surprised.
The real issue is with Equifax's and the other credit reporting agencies use of a software program called e-OSCAR.
E-OSCAR is an automated consumer dispute verification process. The national CRA's are requiring that everyone who provides information to them be on this system. If you don't get on the system, you cannot provide information to a national CRA.Now no one is against getting disputes resolved in a timely manner, but E-OSCAR doesn't do that.
For years the major credit grantors have been doing automated dispute verification. Yes it's quick, but it is also extremely inaccurate Have you sent information regarding a dispute to the CRA's only to have the incorrect information simply “VERIFIED,” and thus remain on your credit report? Well, you have E-OSCAR to thank for that.With E-OSCAR the national CRA's NEVER send to the original creditor the information you provide them. It has a very limited summary of the problem. Just a quick verification with the OC through a database search of their prior reporting, accurate or inaccurate. You are at the mercy of some lowly data clerk at the CRA. And the documentation you sent which proves your point, what happens to that? It isn't used.
E-OSCAR is all that is used.
To make matters even worse, the CRA's have taken it upon themselves to start charging creditors for this worthless piece of work. And to top it off, smaller creditors who used to supply information to your credit report manually, well, they are now shut off all together. These creditors are no longer be able to provide Universal Data Forms to the omnipotent E-OSCAR!. Not only that, but smaller creditor who are unable to link to E-OSCAR or those unwilling to pay will most likely just stop reporting any information.Statistically, over 93% of all information supplied by creditors is positive information. Information that shows you are a good credit risk. Information that helps your point scores. Now all this information is being tossed out for those who don’t subscribe to E-OSCAR!
The FACT Act, as it regards credit disputes, is the greatest destruction of the FCRA that we have seen in a long time.
I AM VERY UPSET WITH THE EQUIFAX DISPUTE PROCESS. FOR YEARS I HAVE TRIED TO TAKE 2 INCORRECT REPORTS OFF OF MY EQUIFAX REPORT. I REQUESTED 4 OR MORE DISPUTES AND EQUIFAX FAILED TO REMOVE THEM OR EVEN CONTACT ME FOR THE PROOF THAT THE ACCOUNTS WERE NOT MINE. THIS INOFRMATION WAS REMOVED BEOFORE BUT BECAUSE OF THE CROOK THAT RUN L.H.R AND PALISADES, THE INOF RETURNS ON MY CREDIT REPORT YEARS LATER AS IF ITS A VALID NEW ACCOUNT WITH A HIGHER BALANCE. THE ONLY EQUIFAX DOES IS CONTACT THE CREDITOR AND AS THEM TO VERIFY NAME, DOB, SS# (IF POSSIBLE) OF THE CLIENT. ONCE THAT IS DONE EVERYTHING ELSE GOOIES DOWN THE DRAIN FROM THERE. EQUIFAX DOESNT GO ANY FURTHER AS IF THE ACCOUNT IS YOURS. THEN YOU GET A REPLY SAYING "VERIFIED". IT SHOULD SAY "SCREWED DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST BY EQUIFAX" HOW IS IT THAT I HAVE COURT OEDER PROOF AS WELL AS DOCUMENTS SAYING THAT THE ACCOUNT ISNT MINE AND/OR THE ACCOUNT WAS PAID IN FULL PRIOR TO ANY COLLECTION OR DELIQUENCY AND ACCOUNT WAS CLOSED 9 YRS AGO. HOWEVER, IS STILL REMAINS ON YOUR REPORT ? PEOPLE PLS BE AWARE OF THESE COMPANY THAT CHANGE THERE NAME EVERY OTHER YEAR AND THEN TRY TO TACK ON ANOTHER NEGATIVE ACCOUNT. MAKING YOUR CREDIT RATING SUFFER EVN MORE. EQUIFAX IS AWARE BUT DOES CARE. MOST HONEST PEOPLE TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR MISTAKES AND WILL CORRECT THEM. BUT TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT DOESNT BELONG TO YOU OR SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN PLACE ON YOUR CREDIT REPORT HURTS. ITS DISHONEST AND AGAINT THE LAW. YET, THESE RINKY-DINKY BUSINESSES STILL KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT. ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THANKS ALOT EQUIFAX FOR " N O T H I N G "
I've disputed your reports on more than one occasion. I've also written a letter in which I provided proof (copy of credit card bill) that you were reporting an inaccurate credit limit. Each time your representatives have failed to correct the problem. According to you, my credit limit is zero so even if I spend one dollar, I am therefore over the limit. I'm not sure whether you are having problems comprehending the issue, incompetence or negligence. When time permits, I plan to contact the consumer protection division of the Attorney General's office. We shouldn't have to beg and plead to have you correct your errors. Thank you for allowing me to share this concern.
My sister-in-law and I have the same name. All of my credit information was on her credit report. When Equifax deleted my info from her credit file, they deleted it from mine as well. I lost my entire credit history from my Equifax file and after repeatedly sending the information, I was told that they would not put the information back into my file, even though it was their mistake. I was told to call all my creditors and ask them to report my information to them. I have been fighting this for over a year and it still has not been corrected. I would like to know, if our social security numbers are used to identify us, how they managed to delete the same information from two separate credit files. I am extremely dissatisfied and angry with Equifax, and will never purchase from them again.
Wonder if Dana works for EquiFax? I started the Dispute Resolution Process on an item that has been corrected several times, but keeps getting re-reported. No place to enter the problem because the only potential responses are multiple choices that do not reflect the problem. No way you can get to a person to explain something that would only take a few seconds. You have to fight these terribly designed forms; if they have not anticipated your problem, which is fairly unlikely, then you are just stuck. Their sales pitch for this DRP says its all for free, clearly we get what we paid for (except we are paying for it dearly). I had an 800 credit score developed from 30+ years of paying every bill on-time. Enter Alltel and their bait-and-switch program - turn on services on your kids' phones that you have told them multiple times that you don't want, what do they care, they send you a bill and threaten to ruin your credit if you don't pay. So I paid a couple of times until I finally got fed up. I don't need the credit, but it is very frustrating that these corporations have no ethics or integrity and swing their weight around in a rigged system. Equifax, your DRP is pathetic. Alltel, you are nothing but a thief (as are most of the mobile phone providers).
I am disappointed in that dispute assistance is offered, but after requested, I received no response. Why has no one acted on my request?
I thought equifax dispute function was wonderful. I disputed fourteen items that I thought were incorrect and in 27 days they responded with a new credit report and all fourteen of those items had been removed. It is very easy and convenient to use. I have showed 6 other people that I know how to dispute items from their credit report. Equifax only knows what is reported to them, it is not necessarily their fault any of the information is correct. They are just the messenger and I have found them to be very helpful, especially in comparison to transunion and experian.
This is about the worst software ever written. I am not certain whether I was even able to get my side of the situation entered. Every step of the way in my trying to get resolution, was an exercise in major frustration and my time. Major persistence was required on my part. It is obvious that the credit reporting system is not interested in the truth; bad credit reports, though inaccurate, create the bread and butter for Equifax and the others' income. In other words, without bad credit reports, credit reporting is unnnecessary, and hence, those associated businesses. The truth is not in the interest of credit reporting agencies. Therefore, their motives are to frustrate we consumers. Unfortunately for them, they are not farsighted enough to see that in the long run, they will put themselves out of business, by not allowing consumers their input. If I were wrong, then the software would be easy to use and there would be a space for my input as well as a way to find my results. However, this is not the case; there was no way to leave comments; it was all multiple choice---there was no way to determine any results. There might have been, but I could not make the software work. I am an electrical engineer, and perhaps I cannot think dumb enough for this.
Credit reporting in general is so flawed, that it is counterproductive and obsolete.
Following my dispute, you did correct YOUR errors on the report (the primary errors on the report were YOURS and not those of reporting creditors), however, your customer service people adamantly refused to rescore and therefor correct the "credit score". This erroneous "credit score" was about 170 points too low because of the errors you made in the report, and it resulted in cut credit lines, and reduced credit limits. Shame on you.
My report said I owe property tax for four years so I check with the property tax to make sure I had not fail to pay something that I was not aware of by mistake. The tax office assure me if I did not pay my property tax for four year I would no longer have my property! So I disputed the error and they only removed one of the years report and left three year on my report. Lucky for me I don't need to borrow any money or I would have to pay a higher interest rate. So that process took about a month with poor results so I just forgot about it instead of dealing with such morons.
I have had very poor results working through the equifax dispute process. I'm on my second dispute trying to report proper credit limits. Seems like a lot of excuses from equifax and unwilling or unable to report accurate information.
You are wasting your time. The Big 3 could care less about errors. They think anyone that disputes an item on their profile is dishonest and a dead beat. They need a much stronger Federal law to protect the poor consumer!
I have been trying to get 2 judgments removed from my credit report for the past year and a half. The judgments are not mine and Equifax has failed to prove that they are mine. I have even hired an attorney, who is struggling to get a response from Equifax.
Have not used it, but really need to due to many inaccuracies. Equifax has really bad info. I don't trust them to fix it. Someone should invesigate them for fraud.
It took me several years to get accounts off of my report that should not have been there, I even paid them a third time to get them off my report and it took over 9 months and 5 disputes to have it fixed from unpaid to paid, in addition to have to pay the accounts prior to collection and twice during the time they showed as collection accounts. Equifax appearantly asked the Collection Agency "are these accounts correct" and the agency said yes. I had documentation that would have PROVED they were indeed incorrect but was never given the opportunity to present that.
I have also had problems getting something corrected on my report. I recently just ask for my free credit report. I was sent one letter that said my address was different from what my drivers license said and therefore they could not send me a report until I sent them proof of my address which I had sent them a copy of my drivers license.......I don't know where they got the address they had!! And received another letter saying they could not send me a copy of my report because I had received one in the last year which was not true. I have had problem after problem with my credit because they have not corrected mistakes!
I have disputed and even sent a letter trying to have duplicate addresses are address that were inconsistent removed from my report to no avail. When I have disputed an inaccuracy there is always something that is not corrected to the way it should be, and it does lower your score. There should be better monitoring and resolutions to our concerns/problems. They have to much power and we have very little say, they need to change things, I think we should be told what they are going to report and be given so many days to respond before it is listed on the report, it is to hard to correct once it is placed there. Who says the reporting company is always correct? Where are our rights on this matter, the way I see it we have none are very little?
When I have used the dispute online for Equifax, I have found it satisfying in some ways and in other ways dissastifactory. Everytime I received a corrected report (per se), I found some things that I disputed were not corrected to my satisfaction. When this was not done, it lowered my credit score instead of raising it after the so-called corrections.
Equifax needs to monitor the corrections better for consumers. Like the previous consumer said "if not corrected right, it only hurts the consumer, not Equifax."
I tried for over 2 years to have an address taken off my credit report. It is an address where I have never lived. Tried doing it online and got junk auto responses each time. I don't think Equifax cares whether they fix your credit report mistakes or not; after all it only hurts the individual not them. They wield WAY too much power.