Carfax Inc

CARFAX does...

not offer phone based customer service but does offer
live chat and e-mail customer support, and data disputes are worked on in the order they are received.
 
CARFAX receives electronically-submitted data records from over
80,000 data sources, and loads these records directly into its Vehicle History
Report database as they are received. Because CARFAX does not receive any paper
documents or perform any data entry, an error made by a data source may
occasionally display on a CARFAX Vehicle History Report.  Since millions
of records are loaded every day, every CARFAX Vehicle History Report states
that it can only rely on its data sources of the accuracy of its
information.  Therefore, CARFAX does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy
of information reported to CARFAX by its sources.
 
A California police department reported the accident to CARFAX
for the customer’s vehicle.  It was only after contacting the police
department that CARFAX was able to verify that the accident was reported for to
it for the wrong vehicle.  The customer’s case was resolved and the
accident record was removed on September 12, 2014.

As it states on the order page the customer used to make their purchase, the Unlimited CARFAX Reports plan is "Unlimited Reports by U.S. License Plate."  The customer is not purchasing any VIN searches with this plan, and the order does not state anywhere that it includes searches by VIN....

 CARFAX does not offer or advertise an unlimited-by-VIN plan.  
These details are also listed in the Customer Agreement on the order page, to which the customer must read and accept before asking us to place their order.  This is also listed in the purchase confirmation page as well as the receipt email.  
The account does come with five free VINs, and states in the account "Run by License Plate (Unlimited Reports)" and "Run by VIN (5 Free Reports)".  I am sorry if the customer was not aware that the plan did not include unlimited VINs, but CARFAX did make it clear in several areas that the plan is unlimited by only license plates.

Vehicle prices listed on the CARFAX Used Car Listings website are submitted by the selling dealership.  For this reason, the CARFAX website asks those using the site to "Please contact the dealer to confirm price and vehicle availability."  The site also states, "Vehicle descriptions and...

details on this page may have been provided, in part or entirely, by the seller or its agent. CARFAX does not verify these descriptions and details, and is not responsible for the accuracy of the information."

The information cannot be removed.  The customer will need to unsubscribe if they no longer wish to receive emails.

[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:
the answer from them is not as simple as their response.the paper work I sent is enough for them to to fix it.you try to work with them and you will see what I mean.google carfax problems
Regards,
[redacted]

You can remove the damages part.
 
Via Revdex.com, I still want full explanation, how the damaging erroneous report came to exist, how did they manage to get [redacted]'s accident to [redacted]'s file, especially given that the latter is [redacted] and no [redacted] was involved in the accident and why...

it took Carfax few days to verify that they had made huge error, while it took me just 2 minutes to place a call and find out all the details.
 
On top of that, poor customer support and complete irresponsibility has been demonstrated :( If you are providing a sensitive service, you should take more sense of responsibility on!

On 3/6/2015 2:31 PM, CARFAX sent the customer the following email, to which we received no response.
Good Afternoon [redacted], 
Thank you for contacting CARFAX. 
I do not see an account with the email address...

provided but I will gladly try to locate it if you could please provide me with the full name on the account, purchase date, last 4 digits of the card used, expiration date of the card, zip code, receipt number, and other possible email addresses that the account could be under. 
Thank you, 
Lynsey 
Consumer Affairs 
CARFAX, INC.

The CARFAX Report would have stated that no accidents were reported to CARFAX at that time, that not all information is reported to CARFAX, and that new information from new sources will result in the change the CARFAX Report.  Therefore, CARFAX does not offer compensation when prior accidents...

are reported to CARFAX.

As stated in the previous response, CARFAX is completely honoring the Money Back Guarantee to which we both agreed.  The customer checked the box stating that they read and accepted the Customer Agreement.  The Customer Agreement outlines that the account qualifies for a refund as long as two or less CARFAX Reports were run.  The customer ran more than two CARFAX Reports, and therefore, honoring the agreement, the account is no longer qualified for a refund.  This response is similar to the previous response because the facts have not changed.  I'm sorry if the customer wants the refund policy to be something else, but that is just not the case.

As the customer has pointed out, the CARFAX order page states the package is unlimited CARFAX Reports by U.S. license plate for 30 days.  The package is not a VIN package and the customer is not paying for any CARFAX Reports by VIN, as this is a license plate package.  However, the package...

does come with five CARFAX Reports by VIN for free as a courtesy.

Every CARFAX Vehicle History Report and our website are very clear about what information CARFAX can provide.  Details are outlined below:
This CARFAX Vehicle History Report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX and available as of [the date and time you run the...

Report].  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.
Not all accidents / issues are reported to CARFAX
Use this tool, along with a vehicle inspection and test drive, to make a better decision about your next used car.
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. CARFAX FURTHER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
CARFAX Vehicle History Reports are based on information supplied to CARFAX. CARFAX does not have the complete history of every vehicle. Use the CARFAX search as one important tool, along with a vehicle inspection and test drive, to make a better decision about your next used car.
CARFAX may not have the complete history of every vehicle.

The CARFAX Vehicle History Report states, accurately, that an accident report was written for this...

vehicle and that the damage severity chosen by the police officer was “totaled.”  CARFAX is accurately reporting the information from the police report.  This damage severity is not the same as an insurance company designation of Total Loss.  Note that the CARFAX Report states “No total loss reported to CARFAX.” 
CARFAX did not write the police report and did not fabricate the damage severity listed on it.  CARFAX is in no position to determine if an official document is in error; only the issuing agency, the police department, has the authority to do so, and if the damage severity is in error, only the police department can correct it.

Review: Selling a car for my Mother and the buyer went to Carfax. Carfax report showed that Insurance Company totaled the car. My Mother,myself and the prospective buyer called her Insurance Company of over 15 years and asked why car was totaled. They stated to all three parties that car was never reported totaled by them, they further gave the buyer a letter stating this. How did this company get this information and publish this information, that could have cost my mother hundreds of dollars. Meanwhile I have to spend $40 to find out if this report from Carfax is true, what a scam!! Obviously not everything on the internet is true.Desired Settlement: I expect a refund and the company review their reporting practices.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:

We appreciate the

opportunity to offer the following response to the subject complaint.

I could not locate any

information in our system by that email address. If [redacted] would like a refund or for CARFAX

to verify the total loss referenced, he can contact us through our Help Center.

www.carfax.com/help

Respectfully,

Manager, Product Support and Data Escalations

CARFAX, Inc.

Review: My dealer ran a CarFax report and the report stated that my vehicle was in an accident on 2011. My vehicle has never been in an accident and this is potentially costing me thousands on my trade-in value.Desired Settlement: Remove the accident report and correct my CarFax report for the vehicle so I can get a fair trade-in value.

Business

Response:

An accident was reported for the customer's vehicle by the police department. After the customer submitted the Research Request Form, CARFAX researched this with the police department and discovered that the customer's vehicle was listed in error. The accident was removed from CARFAX's database today and the customer was notified via email.

Review: We purchased a VW Jetta 2 years ago from a dealer. It was used and they presented us with a Carfax report. The report stated NO accidents. The car was clean. Now 2 years later, we go to trade in the car and the dealer pulls a Carfax report. To our shock and surprise they come back telling us that the car had been in a significant accident over 6 months before we purchased the car. So I pay for a report from a company advertising that there service can warn me about ay issue with the car I want to buy and obviously they are not the "all knowing" company they claim to be. So when we look at the report that the dealer has pulled (and again the dealer has paid for this service in one way) it states that the accident took over 9 months to show up on the Carfax report. So 3 months after we had already purchased the car, this company decided to throw on the report an accident. We pay for a service that isn't providing all the information....hmmmm sounds like false advertising to me. So now I have a car that is worth about $6,000 and we owe about $5,500 on but because this company failed to fulfill their promise of informing me of the "issues" I will only be able to get $2,000. So I pay for a service, they fail to fulfill their side of the deal and now I will be screwed out of $4,000.Desired Settlement: I don't even know what I want because I know they are not going to give me the $4,000 that I am now going to have to pay out of my pocket to get rid of this car. I'm sure they have some excuse as to why there is a lag in their information but if this is the premiere service that almost every person and dealer buying a used car goes to for reference then I will never waste my time again with them and will spread the word that this company is misleading the public.

Business

Response:

Review: My car was wrongfully posted on carfax as for sale, along with the wrong mileage. I called them all day yesterday, and they told me they have "no live operators" that can help because they are an Internet based company. Instead I got stuck with three automated case numbers for the same problem I kept calling, with no one returning my phone calls, emails, messages, none. I made a point to leave my case numbers with my email address with every message but they will not get back to me. Their answering service is all electronic, and there's no way to reach an actual live human. All they have is an operator. I don't understand how a company as big as carfax does not have any live help; this is mind boggling. I need my issue corrected because if they don't take the false sale claim and false mileage off their site, I could get sued for mileage fraud if I ever sell the car. Please, please help me. The three case numbers I have are: #[redacted], #[redacted], #[redacted]Desired Settlement: Follow through with what they promised and actually have a live agent speak to me and help me. It is something very simple that can be taken care of, there is no reason for me to keep calling, and there is no reason why a company this big does not have any live agents!

Business

Response:

CARFAX received the customer's data research request form on June 26, 2014. CARFAX completed its research and contacted the customer the following day, June 27, 2014.

Consumer

Response:

[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.]

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,

Review: I'm experienced a significant loss in my vehicle's value because of a false reported "total vehicle loss" from a CARFAX generated report. I've contacted customer service a number of times; they have been difficult to get in touch with, provide little to no details on the issue, and are unwilling to assist with resolving their error. This is regarding Case # [redacted] in CARFAX's database. My vehicle's VIN is [redacted].

There is no record or findings that my vehicle was ever in an accident. I had to have a dealer inspect the vehicle to verify as such; all VIN stickers are original and matching. I've also found numerous other issues where CARFAX falsely reported such information and had similar consumer issues. I attempted to work with customer service, however they were unwilling to assist.

This morning, I paid $29.99 to perform a Vehicle History Report from a competitor (Autocheck.com) to help ensure that this report was an error on CARFAX's behalf. The report verified no vehicle history issues or concerns, especially a Total Vehicle Loss.

Currently, I'm unable to trade in my vehicle to a dealer to purchase a newer vehicle for it's actual value. I've made significant efforts to work with customer service and would great appreciate the assistance of the Revdex.com in having this error resolved.Desired Settlement: CARFAX, at a minimum, needs to address my customer service issues and have this error resolved as soon as possible (removing the false Total Vehicle Loss report from my vehicle's VIN). I also had to drive over 60 miles to two dealerships regarding this issue, as well as pay an additional 29.99 for the AutoCheck report -- I also would expect some from of reimbursement for these expenditures.

Business

Response:

An insurance company

reported to CARFAX that the vehicle was declared a total loss. On November 26, 2013, CARFAX received

confirmation from the insurance company that it was reported to CARFAX in error

and the total loss was removed.

Consumer

Response:

[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.]

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,

Review: CARFAX provides reports on incidents, such as accidents and service, for private vehicles. My CARFAX

report shows an accident which never occurred (4/7/2003). The information is incorrect, referencing a part of the

vehicle which does not even exist (B-pillar). I have contacted CARFAX and they refuse to divulge the source of the

erroneous information or to remove it. As I cannot provide documentation to show an incident did not happen (proving a

negative), I am left with no recourse. This affects my car's resale value.Desired Settlement: I would like CARFAX provide details of the 4/7/2003 report, providing source contact and detailed information. Make appropriate corrections should the source not be able to substantiate the report. If they cannot do this, I would request that they remove the erroneous information for 4/7/2003 from their database.

Business

Response:

CARFAX has resolved this matter directly with the customer. Together, we were able to confirm that there was very minor damage to the right center of the vehicle, and the CARFAX Report was updated to reflect these details.

Consumer

Response:

[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]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:A) this is not the current report - the current report notes "Minor Damage" (I have worked with CARFAX to clarify)b) the nature of the damage is incorrect on this report

Review: Carfax has report of accident for my vehicle in Arizona on 12/24/2012. This car has not been out of Texas neither in 2011, nor 2012 nor 2013, nor ever.

Moreover, this report was not even there this Saturday when I got an appraisal and offer from Carmax and based on your report they said the car is absolutely clean.

Now that I wanted to sell this car at another dealership on Monday suddenly the accident report popped up! this is astonishing that they would do such a damage by a fake report and and cause financial loss to me because of this, as I was planning to do a trade-in, but now I have to buy a car without a trade-in resulting in net loss of about $2,000 because of the tax credit lost!

Moreover, after I contacted them on Monday and explained the situation (via web (Case#: [redacted]) and phone, talked to [redacted]), they still have not done anything. It took them two days to write to me that now they are planning to contact police in Arizona to get the report on the accident. They failed to provide the details, which police, report number etc.Desired Settlement: 1. Fix error

2. Provide detailed explanation how the error appeared, when

3. Financial compensation for loss

Consumer

Response:

You can remove the damages part.

Deceptive advertising. They sell an "unlimited" history report package which actually only has unlimited searches by license plate (almost completely useless) but includes only five reports by VIN. It does say this in the "fine print" but I don't think it is ever worthwhile to do business with companies that will rip you off unless you scrutinize the "fine print". Who knows how else they will try to trick you? There are superior alternatives to Carfax anyway.