Prepaid card -- Trouble using the card -- Complaint #11164394
Complaint Overview
Complaint ID: 11164394
Company: Equifax, INC.
Product: Prepaid card
Sub-Product: General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Trouble using the card
Sub-Issue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online
State: New York
ZIP Code: 11238
Date Received: 2024-12-15T12:00:00-05:00
Date Sent to Company: 2024-12-15T12:00:00-05:00
Company Response: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Submitted Via: Web
Consumer Narrative
Equifax recently issued prepaid XXXX debit cards to people as part of their data breach settlement. I received one for a whopping {$7.00}. I went to the website and registered/verified my card information. A virtual prepaid debit card for such a low amount is next to useless, so I tried to add to my XXXX gift balance, as that is something you can usually do with prepaid debit cards. XXXX tried to process this but said it was declined. I was shocked that XXXX wouldn't accept a XXXX so I called the XXXX XXXX XXXX number and asked why it was declined by the largest online company in the world. I was told that this particular card is only accepted by select merchants, something that was not made clear in the card information ; he emailed me the list of merchants and it's true, XXXX was not included. It is a very narrow list of merchants that will accept this debit card. Also, if XXXX wanted to request this card be converted into a physical card - something that would be much easier to use - there is a {$3.00} fee. So a {$3.00} fee taken away from {$7.00} would make this worth {$4.00} if you got a physical card. So essentially, Equifax chose the most inconvenient method to XXXX out these payments. They purposefully chose to do this as prepaid debit cards to make it harder for people to actually use this money. That is a whole other scam onto itself and deserves its own lawsuit. Plenty of other companies involved in settlements like this very easily issue their payments via things like XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, even mailing physical checks. Those are all easy to use and they are very clearly options for these companies as it happens ALL THE TIME. I've gotten payments from multiple settlements before and all were easily done via those methods I mentioned before. Equifax very clearly chose to do it in this insidious manner because they know the vast majority of people receiving these " payments '' thru prepaid cards won't even use them because it's so inconvenient to do so. It is almost laughable the lengths to which Equifax will go to make sure people do not use this money. The fact that this is connected a lawsuit about a data breach that probably caused a lot of people grief and money is insane. It's an insult to everyone, and it is sickening that it's allowed to use these scam tactics to pretend to right any wrongs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Complaint #11164394 about?
Complaint #11164394 was filed against Equifax, INC. regarding Prepaid card specifically about Trouble using the card. It was received by the CFPB on 2024-12-15T12:00:00-05:00.
How did Equifax, INC. respond to this complaint?
The company responded with: "Closed with explanation". The response was timely.
What is the risk level of this complaint?
See the risk assessment section for details on this complaint's risk profile.
How do I file a similar complaint?
You can file a complaint with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Select the appropriate product category (Prepaid card) and describe your issue in detail.
Can I see other complaints against Equifax, INC.?
Yes, visit the Equifax, INC. company profile at readthecomplaint.com/company/equifax-inc to see all complaints, risk scores, and analysis.
Disclaimer
This analysis is AI-generated based on publicly available CFPB complaint data. It does not constitute financial or legal advice.