Has Equifax tried to scare anyone else into purchasing their credit monitoring products?
Recently I had unauthorized hard inquiry show up on my credit reports and drop my credit scores. As a result I put fraud alerts on my credit reports and had no problem doing so with TransUnion or Experian. I called Equifax because when I disputed the inquiry with Equifax they had a different address other than my own associated with the dispute and because I wanted to place a fraud alert on my account. I was told the address was supplied to them by the creditor of the unauthorized hard inquiry. I explained I was a victim of identity theft and had filed a police report and that the inquiry and that address was not mine. I was then transferred to the "Fraud Dept." and had the mispleasure of speaking with some guy with a heavy Southern accent. I asked if there fraud alert on my Equifax credit file and he told me yes. I continued to verify that they had my correct phone number on file. I also asked that should someone try again to get credit in my name, the creditor will have to verify with me by phone that I was the one who applied for credit, and he told me NO! He said they were under no legal obligation to do that and the only way I could make sure it didnt happen was to purchase they monitoring service and then place a freeze on my account and if I didnt I couldnt be guaranteed that someone wouldnt be allowed to get credit in my name. He was trying to scare me into buying their products instead of helping me. I told him I did not need that I already had a paid monthly credit service to monitor all 3 of my accounts, which he tried to tell me would not help. He finally told me what documentation I needed to send in, in order to get the hard inquiry removed from my credit report. I found this entire call despicable and felt victimized again by Equifax. I am still unsure if they actually put a fraud alert of my account. Has anyone else had problems with them?
Re: Has Equifax tried to scare anyone else into purchasing their credit monitoring products?
Call back and try talking to another rep. Many businesses will try to push other services while they have you on the phone. I'm not saying it's acceptable -- just saying that you have to stand your ground and not get worked up over their push.
