--- company: experian title: Experian — how complaints actually go last_verified: 2026-10-12 --- ## In short Dispute each wrong item with Experian first (online at the Dispute Center or by mail), keep the confirmation, and also dispute with the lender that reported it. A CFPB complaint is the usual next step: in the 12 months to June 2026 Experian closed 95.9% of CFPB complaints with an explanation only, and since early 2023 it has taken nearly the full 60 days to answer. The CFPB has an open lawsuit against Experian over its dispute handling. Get free reports only at AnnualCreditReport.com, and do not pay a credit repair company upfront. ## How complaints actually go - A CFPB complaint goes to Experian, which has up to 60 days to respond. Experian has taken nearly the full 60 days on average since early 2023; in the most recent months the CFPB studied (to June 2025), all three nationwide bureaus averaged more than 50 days. [CFPB FCRA 611(e) report, December 2025](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_fcra-611e-report_2025-12.pdf) - The CFPB found that Experian's volume of complaints closed with relief has decreased, while its use of administrative responses (returning a complaint without acting on it) has increased. [CFPB FCRA 611(e) report, December 2025](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_fcra-611e-report_2025-12.pdf) - The CFPB sued Experian on January 7, 2025, alleging it failed to properly reinvestigate disputes, failed to delete inaccurate or unverified information, failed to prevent reinsertion of deleted information, and relied too much on furnishers. The court denied Experian's renewed motion to dismiss on October 22, 2025; the CFPB's page, last updated March 13, 2026, says discovery is ongoing. [CFPB enforcement action](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/experian-information-solutions-inc/) ## What tends to work - Dispute with the company that reported the information as well as with Experian. You can dispute directly with the furnisher at the address it gives for disputes, with your reasons and documents. [CFPB: Regulation V 1022.43](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1022/43/) - Write the complaint yourself and keep it accurate. In 2025 companies returned about 469,800 CFPB complaints as suspected fraud and 63,200 as coming from an unauthorized third party; one nationwide bureau accounted for more than 90% and more than 60% of these returns. The company takes no action on a returned complaint, and it is not published. [CFPB 2025 Consumer Response Annual Report](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_2025-cr-annual-report_2026-03.pdf) - If Experian reinserts an item it deleted, or verifies an item only by asking the furnisher, the CFPB's pending lawsuit makes the same allegations; cite them in a CFPB or state attorney general complaint. [CFPB enforcement action](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/enforcement/actions/experian-information-solutions-inc/) ## Traps and fine print - Credit repair companies cannot remove accurate information, and it is illegal for them to charge you before they help you. Anything they can do legally, you can do yourself for little or no cost. [FTC: fixing your credit FAQs](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/fixing-your-credit-faqs) - Credit reporting complaints to the CFPB in 2025 were 182% above the monthly average of the prior two years; the CFPB links the growth partly to third parties, including credit repair organizations and social media "finfluencers", using the complaint process. Companies can return a complaint submitted by an unauthorized third party without acting on it. [CFPB 2025 Consumer Response Annual Report](https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_2025-cr-annual-report_2026-03.pdf) - A furnisher does not have to investigate a direct dispute that it reasonably believes was submitted by or for a credit repair organization; send those disputes to the bureau. [CFPB: Regulation V 1022.43](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1022/43/) ## By the numbers - CFPB complaints received July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 for "Experian Information Solutions Inc.": 1,708,975, of which 1,689,439 were about credit or consumer reports. Top issues: incorrect information on a report 1,021,821, improper use of a report 336,491, the company's investigation into an existing problem 324,220. [CFPB complaint database search](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/search/api/v1/?company=Experian%20Information%20Solutions%20Inc.&date_received_min=2025-07-01&date_received_max=2026-06-30&size=0) - Of those complaints, 1,639,145 (95.9%) closed with explanation, 69,652 (4.1%) with non-monetary relief and 174 with monetary relief; 4 were in progress. 1,708,938 were marked timely. Data retrieved 2026-10-12. [CFPB complaint database search](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/search/api/v1/?company=Experian%20Information%20Solutions%20Inc.&date_received_min=2025-07-01&date_received_max=2026-06-30&size=0) - For comparison in the same period, Equifax closed 52.2% and TransUnion 45.0% of their CFPB complaints with non-monetary relief. [CFPB complaint database search: Equifax](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/search/api/v1/?company=EQUIFAX%2C%20INC.&date_received_min=2025-07-01&date_received_max=2026-06-30&size=0) [CFPB complaint database search: TransUnion](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/consumer-complaints/search/api/v1/?company=TRANSUNION%20INTERMEDIATE%20HOLDINGS%2C%20INC.&date_received_min=2025-07-01&date_received_max=2026-06-30&size=0) ## Scams that target customers - Fake free-report sites: there is only one authorized place for the free credit reports you are entitled to by law, AnnualCreditReport.com. Other sites pretend to be associated with it, use "free report" in their names, or misspell the address. [FTC: free credit reports](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports) - AnnualCreditReport.com and the credit bureaus will not email you asking for your Social Security number or account information; a call from someone claiming to be from a credit bureau is probably a scam. [FTC: free credit reports](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports) - Credit repair scams insist you pay before they help, tell you not to contact the credit bureaus, or tell you to dispute accurate information or file a false identity theft report. [FTC: fixing your credit FAQs](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/fixing-your-credit-faqs)