Carfax Inc

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

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 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I have tried contacting car fax. They have no numbers to speak to someone directly.
Regards,
[redacted]

I do not see "get a FREE CARFAX" anywhere on our website.  If this was listed on some other website, that site is the one making the claim and the customer will have to take the matter up with them.  If the customer is seeing the phrase "get a FREE CARFAX" on our website, they will have to provide a screenshot or printout of the website where they see these words so that we can investigate.

CARFAX verified that the vehicle was reported as a total loss by the insurance company.  This may have been an owner-retained situation, where a total loss claim was paid but the owner kept the vehicle.  If the total loss is in error, the vehicle owner would have to get this corrected with...

the insurance company.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide details from the damage event due to our contractual agreement.  The vehicle was serviced shortly after the event, it might be worth calling the service facility to see if they have any information on the damage.

I did anything wrong. I registered that car in every state that I lived in.  Carfax had it stated that the car was owned by multiple people until I contacted them.  You're the dishonest people and you made me look like I tampered with my odometer. Nothing was ever tampered with, broken, or replaced! I have NO clue where you people came up with that.  The last place to  hold the title and send in the odometer reading was [redacted] Credit Union! A bank!  Apparently they are at fault.  I never did anything at all that this came up. I have NO clue how the mileage wasn't verified but I do know that  your company is shady and I hope that it shuts down. I'll never trust you company again as I am a VERY honest person and your report made me look dishonest.  I will tell everyone I know what your company did making me look like a shady owner and costing me money. This situation is not over. 
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 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
According to the FTC website ([redacted]) it states the following:
""Guarantees
If your ad uses phrases like "satisfaction guaranteed" or "money-back guarantee," you must be willing to give full refunds for any reason.""
The aforementioned is very clear.  The FTC states 'any reason.'  Can the FTC be any more clear?  
The fact that CARFAX has terms and conditions that I accepted is irrelevant, since the terms must be in compliance with FTC rules.  
I have filed a complaint with the FTC and there is an ongoing investigation.  
Regards,
[redacted]

The customer's latest response contains nothing contradictory to what has been provided.  The customer provides a description of a CARFAX Vehicle History Report, then references how the order page lists unlimited CARFAX Reports by U.S. license plate, then draws a conclusion that the customer should expect to receive exactly what has been provided.

On 3/19/2015, an account was created by a consumer on our free service, myCARFAX.com, using the email address of [redacted].  The consumer also added a vehicle to the service, a 2014 [redacted].  If the consumer no longer wishes to receive emails from this service, or if...

someone else entered in his email address in error, he need only complete the unsubscribe form, located here: http://[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
It does not address my complaint.  Carfax is selling a service without disclosing the limitations of the service, prior to completing the sale.
Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: you mentioned that the limited number of VINs can be seen "upon logging into the account". This means that the customer have already made the purchase and only discovered your deceptive advertisement after making the purchase. This is not acceptable. Also, it's not my problem if you can't find a record of my complaint to your company.
Regards,
[redacted]

size="2">The CARFAX Vehicle History Report is a dynamic service that is
updated regularly with information received from current and new data sources.
Sources of accident data are not required to report information to our company,
so the reporting of events is based on a source's willingness to participate
with us and when they begin providing information to us thereafter. Since not
all accident sources provide information to CARFAX, we continuously contract
with new data sources for historical events in addition to receiving additional
records from our existing sources that can date back several years.  We understand
your concerns regarding the timing involved but despite our best efforts,
sources can take up to several years before agreeing to supply their data while
others may never report information to CARFAX. When we receive new information
from participating sources, we work as quickly as possible to update the
information on our report.
 
Our company never promises consumers that it has a complete
product, but, rather, mentions that it is based solely on information supplied
to us. Every report suggests using our service as one important tool along with
a physical inspection in the car buying process. Since not all accident and
damage sources report their information to CARFAX, we do not guarantee accident
and damage records therefore we do not offer compensation for missing accident
and damage records.
 
Every CARFAX Vehicle History Report states, “This CARFAX Vehicle
History Report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX and available as
of [the date and time the Report is generated]. Other information about this
vehicle, including problems, may not have been reported to CARFAX. Use this
report as one important tool, along with a vehicle inspection and test drive,
to make a better decision about your next used car.”  This is located at
the top of every Report in regular text.  Each CARFAX Report also states,
“Not all accidents / issues are reported to CARFAX,” as well as “CARFAX DEPENDS
ON ITS SOURCES FOR THE ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF ITS INFORMATION. THEREFORE,
NO RESPONSIBILITY IS ASSUMED BY CARFAX OR ITS AGENTS FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN
THIS REPORT.”

Sorry for any misunderstanding regarding our order page.  The Unlimited Plan is unlimited using the license plate, which it indicates on the order page.  This plan is intended for searching for private party vehicles which have license plates.  When searching for dealership vehicles,...

you can simply ask the dealer to "Show me the CARFAX" and they will get one for you.  If you have any questions, please contact our customer support team for assistance.  http://support.carfax.com/c_contactus

Structural damage was reported to CARFAX for this vehicle by its data source.  The structural damage was further confirmed by the repair order submitted by the customer indicating repair work to the wheelhouse of the vehicle.  The wheelhouse is a structural component, and therefore any...

repairs to this component are considered structural damage, regardless of the opinions of the adjuster.  If the structural damage had been reported in error, CARFAX would gladly remove the structural damage indicator from the CARFAX Report; however, since structural repairs were confirmed, CARFAX must continue to report it.

The customer purchased the Unlimited CARFAX Reports. The order page lists the plan as "Unlimited CARFAX Reports / only $54.99 / Unlimited Reports by U.S. License Plate / Valid for 60 days" and also states this on the order page under the Customer Agreement, to which the customer read and accepted...

before placing their order.

If the customer would like to discuss their account options further or to request a refund, he can contact our customer support team through our Help Center at: http://support.carfax.com/c_contactus
Or contact us via live chat located at the bottom right of the same page.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Please refer to prior missives.
Carfax has in its possession all the information regarding this issue. [redacted] of Santa Barbara, California did the work on the car. The Carfax report does not reflect the information that [redacted] has.  Carfax refuses to disclose anything to me regarding this issue. Carfax could determine what was done to the car by contacting [redacted]. Carfax refuses to do this. Carfax has no intention of trying to resolve this dispute. 
Carfax has always had access to the information contained in its report. By delaying 20 months before making a public report of erroneous information, Carfax has done harm to me. 
There is no way Carfax should have a good Revdex.com rating. Because Carfax refuses to take any steps to verify its information, Carfax should have an F rating.
Regards,
[redacted]

The repair order, as well as the email from the body shop, conclude that repairs were made to the vehicle's apron and rail.  The manufacturer of the vehicle, [redacted], considers these components to be structural in nature.  The email from the shop does not specifically state that the...

repairs were not structural in nature, only that they make sure the structure is properly repaired before leaving their shop.  CARFAX is not stating that the vehicle currently as unrepaired structural damage; rather, the date source reported to CARFAX that the vehicle did sustain structural damage and had structural repairs, which has been confirmed by the repair order according to the specifications of the vehicle's manufacturer.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
I don' t know where you are getting your definitions. According to insurance.com a "totaled" vehicle is a vehicle that the damage amount exceeds the value of the car, there fore an insurance company is not going to repair the vehicle. As I continue to explain to you, this is not the case. Can you give me a legal definiton of a totaled vehicle compared to a total loss? Your definition of totaled is different than most car dealers or insurance companies. When a car dealer pays for a Carfax report, which is information that your companies sells to them for a profit, the status is totaled and they inform you the price of your vehicle has gone down 5,000. dollars because the report says totaled. What do you think they are interpreting? They are not looking at your report and making the determination that Oh, well I need to get the car looked at by a mechanic because a carfax report, that will follow the car from owner to owner, is just one tool.  Which is what your are implying. The way you report the information comes across as the car is totaled. Maybe because it is in big bold letters. Again I ask you if this information is displayed as clearly to a dealer as you seem to think, why would they reduce the price? Again, I have proper documentation to prove your report is wrong but a dealer or anybody else interested in the vehicle will not have access to the information and therefore the re-sale value is diminished. I can proof to them that the information is false but when they go to sell the vehicle themselves your report will be what they rely on. This is only one of the reasons that it needs to be corrected. Your procedure for correcting this information is flawed. I would really like to know how many police reports have been sucessfully changed for consumers to get this information off of your report. How many other consumers in Virginia are in the same situation as me because they cannot get a police report changed? Are they losing thousands of dollers also?
According to your represenative that I have been corresponding with Carfax is unwillingly to remove "totaled" from the vehicle report unless the police report is changed. As I have stated to you earlier the state police cannot change a report after it has been filed. I contacted the Virginia State Police and was told this information. So as a consumer I am stuck with your company reporting that the car has been totaled, which is false. So what other steps can be taken to get it removed?
You say that Carfax takes no responsibility for incorrect  information that is provided. All other companies are held to a certain standard when making a profit for providing information. If you are relying on information you should be able to back it up with facts. The facts are a police officer made a judgement call about the vehicle and placed this information on his police report and you then are reporting it. The Virginia State Police will tell you that information on the report is only an opinion of the officer. They are not trained nor do they claimed to be trained in determining whether a vehicle is totaled or not.
Regards,
[redacted]

The complainant states "If you are relying on information you should be able to back it up with facts. The facts are a police officer made a judgement call about the vehicle and placed this information on his police report and you then are reporting it."  This is correct, and therefore the facts of this matter are not in dispute.  At this point, I would like to say "case closed."
The police officer made a judgment call regarding the damage severity of the vehicle resulting from the accident and indicated this on his police police in accordance with his training and instruction.  This police report is an official document and is part of public record.  This publicly available information was reported to CARFAX, and the CARFAX Vehicle History Report very accurately states exactly these undisputed facts.  The CARFAX Report states that an accident was reported to CARFAX and a damage severity of "totaled" is listed on the police report.  This is not listed in "big bold letters."  However, what is listed in "big bold letters" is the statement that the vehicle has not been reported to CARFAX by an insurance company as a total loss.  The CARFAX Report also defines the damage severity in the glossary as: "SEVERE/TOTALED: The vehicle cannot be driven from the accident scene due to severe damage or an injury."
CARFAX has no way of knowing whether or not the police officer made an error.  Only the issuing authority of an official document, in this case the police department, has the authority to determine if any errors exist in a public document.  In CARFAX's experience, police reports are fairly easily corrected or supplemented when they are in error, and that if the police department cannot make a correction it is usually because the department is not convinced there is an error.  Regardless of this, CARFAX cannot change the information until the police department changes its information.

On 8/12/15 and 8/14/5, CARFAX sent the following two emails to the customer:
Our records indicate that you’re a commercial entity using our consumer...

service, which is only available to individuals. Commercial use of reports purchased on the consumer website is prohibited. The good news is that we have great programs for car dealers and other businesses. Please visit http://www.carfaxonline.com for more details. Or, if you wish, you may call us at ###-###-#### and ask to speak with our representative for your area. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Unfortunately due to the terms and conditions of the account purchase and the money back guarantee, you do not qualify for a refund at this time. However if you decide to contact our sales team and purchase a business subscription, they can request a refund on your behalf. 
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I'm sorry but since this has been deemed a commercial use account, no refund can be provided per these terms: “Notwithstanding the foregoing, a refund will not be provided if you have used the CARFAX Report or service for commercial purposes or otherwise violated the terms of use set forth in this Customer Agreement." If you'd like to give the sales team a call, they can be reached at ###-###-#### for future correspondence.