This is Equifax's reply to my planetfeedback letter (posted below). They did not address my complaint! What is next? ********************************************************** Equifax Customer Care Department 1-888-532-0179 (Select option 2 from the menu to speak to a support representative) Monday through Friday 8am-5pm (in each time zone) [Consumers: Please "Reply with History" when responding ] Dear Consumer, Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA") you have the right to request, at no charge to you, research of information in your credit file that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. If there is information contained in your Equifax credit report that you believe is in error or requires updating, you may contact us via the following methods: You may choose to initiate your investigation on-line. Visit our website at www.equifax.com and click on any of the products listed (Credit Profile; Score Power or Credit Watch) to advance to the Welcome page. From the Welcome Page, scroll down below the bold red line and click on "Request Investigation" to launch an on-line investigation. You must have your nine digit confirmation number to complete this process. If your purchased your Equifax credit profile via the Internet, your confirmation number is located on your credit profile under the "Personal Data" section in red letters. If the profile was purchased via US Mail, the confirmation number is located in the upper right hand corner. Some consumers may not receive a confirmation number. This indicates your file is Affiliate owned. Affiliate offices share the Equifax database but control the territory in which you reside. Because they maintain ownership of your credit profile, you must initiate any request to dispute information contained in the file directly with that office. If you reside in an Affiliate owned area you will receive a telephone number for that Affiliate office to initiate an investigation. The on-line investigation feature is unavailable to consumers residing in Affiliate owned areas because the Affiliate office cannot process investigations via the Internet at this time. That office will instruct you on their investigation procedures. You may also contact the Customer Service Department servicing your area to initiate a dispute by telephone. If you purchased your credit profile via the Internet, the telephone number is located in the same area as the confirmation number listed above. If purchased via US Mail, the telephone number is located in the upper right hand corner. To speak with an Equifax representative, you will be required to present a confirmation number to verify that you have already obtained a credit report by mail or internet order from Equifax. Finally, to initiate an dispute via US Mail on all Equifax owned files, please write to us at : Equifax Disputes PO Box 740256 Atlanta, Ga. 30374-0256 Please be specific regarding your dispute of an account: "not mine", "paid in full", etc. Include any documentation that may substantiate your verification requests. It is especially helpful to send photocopies of your social security card and driver's license for name updates. It is also recommended that any request for address update include a current utility bill in your name or driver's license showing the correct address. The correct mailing address for Affiliate owned files is located on your credit profile. To prevent delay of your dispute, please address all inquiries to the proper location. Any request for investigations received at the PO Box listed above belonging to an Affiliate office will be forwarded to that office. Should you require assistance regarding on-line activity only, please call us at 888-532-0179 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM from Monday - Friday. Thank you, Customer Care dg* ************************************************************ Type of Feedback: Complaint Feedback Category: Overall Experience This letter is being sent to your company by PlanetFeedback.com at the request of Erica Seelye. If there is a cc: list at the end of the letter, the people on the list also have received a copy. PlanetFeedback.com is free service that gives consumers the online tools they need to send feedback to companies easily and quickly. If appropriate, we recommend that you respond to this consumer's letter. When you do, please send a copy of your response to respond@email.planetfeedback.com, fax it to (513) 618-6702 or mail it to PlanetFeedback, 1128 Main St., Cincinnati, OH 45210-5300. ============================================== August 10, 2001 TO: Thomas F Chapman , CEO Equifax 1600 Peachtree St. N.W. Atlanta, GA 30309 FROM: Erica RE: PLANETFEEDBACK REFERENCE NUMBER 948774 Dear Mr. Chapman, I recently had a problem with the overall experience at your company, and I am writing in the hope that you can help me resolve this situation. For about a year now, I have been trying to clean my credit report, but you are making it difficult on me. For the record my SSN is xxx-xx-xxxx. You keep reporting duplicate information and verifying each one as accurate. Frankly, I am tired of handling your quality control for you. You are also reporting an account that has an open date of 00/0000 of which I am sure I was either not alive for or won't be alive for. How can the consumer possibly keep up with your reports when they are constantly changing the incorrect information? Each time I get a "corrected" report, NOTHING HAS CHANGED. I am under the impression that reporting inaccurate information is a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and is punishable up to $1000 per offense. I am willing and able to exercise my rights under the law. It's very unlikely that I will ever use your company again, and I doubt seriously that I'll be recommending you to other people. Here's what I'd like to see happen: I would like Equifax to delete all inaccurate and negative information from my consumer credit file. This is to include any and all late payment information as well as inquiries. This would go a long way in making up for the trouble I've encountered. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I eagerly await your response. Sincerely, Erica CC: Erica Charles Schumer Alexander F. Treadwell
I would send a certified hard copy of this to the same address. I hope you get a good response, like it or not we all pay for their service (dearly) and will continue as a client until the laws change (bummer).