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Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#91

Post by link_108 »

With experian, I have done the following:

- Call membership number -> makes some noise and then hangs up

- Use their website that they promote in their automated messages -> when trying to set up an alert, it takes you to a loading page that does nothing (looking at the requests being made in the network tab, it fails to load bootstrap and then just sits there, I am able to download the script it fails to download)

- Call automated fraud number -> nothing happens after being transferred to their automated alert system, so I hung up -> called again and waited for a few minutes after being transferred to their automated alert system, finally a voice starts talking asking for info (a dark pattern if I've ever seen one). After going through the process, apparently my info wasn't correct, so they asked me to 'leave a voicemail' with my SSN and DOB, after providing that info, it said they couldn't save my info and to try again, then promptly hung up.

so haven't been able to set up a fraud alert yet

Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#92

Post by scrumper »

pkulak wrote: post #34
voiper1 wrote: post #5

TL;DR: Equifax phone lines unhelpful for anything. Suggestion, from https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/6yv4gb/off... If you do nothing else, place an initial 90 day fraud alert on your file. This is free and will require lenders to contact you if someone (including yourself) tries to apply for credit. Government info. You only have to do this with one bureau in order for the alert to be placed on all t…

Just 90 days? I'd rather freeze my credit. I already bought a house and a car. I'm done with needing credit for the foreseeable future. Freezing all 4 accounts (including Innovis, which actually seems like the most competent of the bunch) is the ticket for me. https://www.experian.com/ncaconline/freeze https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo... https://freeze.transunion.com/sf/securityFreeze/land…

Experian link just provides a grey page saying "Loading"

Equifax link is dated 2008 and hijacks the back button (wtf)

TU is an account creation page

I've never heard of Innovis :)

Which is not snark at you for posting these links, just a sad commentary on these important pages.

Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#93

Post by Animats »

bdibs wrote: post #36
rrauenza wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So ... what happens if I list myself as Active Duty? They also have a 7 year extended plan. http://www.equifax.com/credit/fraud-alerts/& 3 Main Types of Alerts and Length of Effectiveness: Initial Fraud Alert: 90 days Active Duty Alert: 1 year Extended Fraud Alert: 7 years Extended Fraud Alert Request Form To place an extended fraud alert on your credit file please send to Equifax – via Fax or US Mail - a valid polic…

Active Duty means Active Duty in the military, so I'm assuming they'd require some documentation.

That reflects some provisions of the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act, which limits what debt collectors and landlords can do when someone is called to serve. Interest rates on loans are reduced to 6%. Debt collection efforts are restricted. That law is from 1940, and is written with the assumption that creditors, too, must support the war effort.

Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#94

Post by AngeloAnolin »

From the article:

"We finally got to a point where the system asked for our information in order to set up a 90-day alert. I provided my Social Security number, two phone numbers where I can be reached for verification, and a “please hold while we process your request” message."

What if someone who got a hold of another person's SSN call the number, and gave them a bogus number to contact? Any lender then tries to call the bogus number and they get a "YES, I ALLOW THAT TRANSACTION TO HAPPEN" brings more problems then.

Equifax could have made a system that performs this option and then it would be the person whose SSN has been exposed to provide the authentic number which they can be reached at to alert them of any transaction happening with their SSN number being used.

Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#95

Post by ars »

maxerickson wrote: post #82
ars wrote: post #59

If we "as the product" actually want to do something about Equifax we should call our banks and demand that they cancel any contracts they have with Equifax. If enough people do that to make it a national issue, Equifax will at a minimum notice, and possibly go out of business (because no bank will work with them) sending a very strong message to everyone who deals with private data. Anyone know how to start Viral Ac…

Are you actually prepared to leave your bank if they don't give in to your demands? That's what it would take for that to have any impact.

That's when you get some shareholder activists. Even a single stock can give you the right to make some noise.

Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#96

Post by williw »

voiper1 wrote: post #5

TL;DR: Equifax phone lines unhelpful for anything. Suggestion, from https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/6yv4gb/off... If you do nothing else, place an initial 90 day fraud alert on your file. This is free and will require lenders to contact you if someone (including yourself) tries to apply for credit. Government info. You only have to do this with one bureau in order for the alert to be placed on all t…

Great! Got a "Our system is currently unavailable" for Equifax. Ridiculous.

Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#97

Post by emodendroket »

rhizome wrote: post #64
emodendroket wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's what most large call centers are like. When I worked in one the factors in your evaluation were: 1) "handle time" (i.e., time on the phone per customer) 2) callbacks within a set time period 3) customer surveys 4) spot checks of recordings for adherence to company policy. So naturally, if you have a difficult case the most logical thing to do is find some within-the-rules way to transfer the customer to someon…

So what are the ways around that? What were the frustrating loopholes in which reps were forced to deal with the customer's problem?

Well, the cancelation guys and the fake supervisors could grant exceptions front-line reps weren't allowed to so you can probably just ask for a supervisor. Also, considering the amount of abuse many reps get, they're way more likely to do whatever they can to help if you're not rude or demeaning.

Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#98

Post by emodendroket »

PaulHoule wrote: post #90
emodendroket wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's what most large call centers are like. When I worked in one the factors in your evaluation were: 1) "handle time" (i.e., time on the phone per customer) 2) callbacks within a set time period 3) customer surveys 4) spot checks of recordings for adherence to company policy. So naturally, if you have a difficult case the most logical thing to do is find some within-the-rules way to transfer the customer to someon…

This is just not always true. I sometimes have a bad time with a call center but often I call a call center and get prompt and efficient service. If you tar them all with one brush, you are giving the bad ones a pass.

For a very large call center I'd say you're getting prompt and efficient service if your problem is a supported scenario. Something novel and your odds aren't that good.

Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#99

Post by njarboe »

sean2 wrote: post #73
pkulak wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just 90 days? I'd rather freeze my credit. I already bought a house and a car. I'm done with needing credit for the foreseeable future. Freezing all 4 accounts (including Innovis, which actually seems like the most competent of the bunch) is the ticket for me. https://www.experian.com/ncaconline/freeze https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo... https://freeze.transunion.com/sf/securityFreeze/land…

This is great advice and appears to be a good thing to do, but I just feel weird giving equifax money to protect me from fallout of their data breach. It feels like I'm rewarding them for losing my data. I bet millions of Americans, who are suddenly aware of their vulnerability to credit fraud and learning about these options, are paying for requests and freezes.

Yup. P/E of Equifax way up next quarter.

Re: Reported difficulties getting help on Equifax's phone lines

#100

Post by [deleted] »

okreallywtf wrote: post #75
voiper1 wrote: post #5

TL;DR: Equifax phone lines unhelpful for anything. Suggestion, from https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/6yv4gb/off... If you do nothing else, place an initial 90 day fraud alert on your file. This is free and will require lenders to contact you if someone (including yourself) tries to apply for credit. Government info. You only have to do this with one bureau in order for the alert to be placed on all t…

I was only able to do transunion and only because I created an account, the others failed numerous times. I hate to do another account giving my information out again but since its likely already compromised whats the worst that could happen?

[deleted]
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