ComplaintsforCarfax Inc

• Initial Complaint

  08/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Carfax is showing that I have a current extended warranty with ****** ****. This account was set up for a 30 day trial only in December of 2020 and cancelled in January 2021. I have a current warranty with Endurance I have been paying for since January 2021. They wont pay for current repairs since carfax never removed ****** **** from my carfax report. I have sent multiple emails and attempted to call them with no response.

  Business response

  08/30/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. Upon review, CARFAX has not received any communications or requests for assistance matching the information provided to the BBB. In an effort to offer our assistance to the customer, CARFAX's support team contacted the customer and provided them with instructions on how to submit a record correction request through our Help Center. Once the customer submits a request, the case will be assigned to a Resolution Manager who will research the vehicle's history and determine if any corrections to the Report are supported.

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 08/04/23 I bought a 3 Carfax Vehicle Report. I used one that day to look up a **** Flex. The next day I could not log in to Carfax stating it didn't recognize my email address, although I received multiple confirmations from them. 08/08/23-I contacted Carfax's Consumer Affairs about the issue and sent a copy of the receipt and plan from their website. I weekly get an email from them (probably 4) weekly stating that it's still being researched. I needed this to check out cars before I bought one and I was unable to use their services except once. This was a cut and dry situation with the documents I sent them, and they have stalled for 3 weeks now. I no longer need the additional 2 and want my money back. My case # with Carfax is: #********. Thank you, *****

  Customer response

  08/25/2023

  It has been resolved as of 08/24/23 thank you, **********;

  Business response

  08/30/2023

  Customer indicates via BBB the issue has been resolved. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought the three report package. I was able to view the one report I created while the web page was open. I can log into my account on carfax but I can’t access my existing report or create a new report that I already paid for. It just kicks me back to the asking for more money page. I’m not the only person with this complaint and they seem reluctant to fix it. Every other website in the world can manage logins - I don’t believe the IT departments at carfax is incompetent. It’s hard not to feel like is an intentional ploy.

  Business response

  08/30/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX received a request for assistance with logging into the account and running a CARFAX Report. To address the request, CARFAX's support team sent the customer general instructions on how to access Reports to run. In this email, CARFAX also asked the customer for additional information so that we could attempt to locate the customer's account and run the Report for them. However, CARFAX has not yet received a reply from the customer. 
  
  Generally speaking, after a purchase is made, a customer must create a password for their account. Once the password is created, the customer may sign in to the account and click "My Reports" to access and run their Reports. If the customer left the screen and did not create a password, the customer may go to CARFAX.com, click on the Sign In link in the top right section of the screen, and then click "Forgot Password," to initiate a password reset. After following the steps to reset a password, the customer should be able to sign in to the account and run their Reports.

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a vehicle from a dealership on 11/20/2020. During this time I was given a printed CarFax report dated 11/11/2020. On this report, there were no accidents or damage reported. On 7/26/2023 I received another CarFax for the vehicle from another dealership. On this report dated 7/26/2023, there was a damage report for 08/21/2019. This damage report doesn't include who made the report. The problem is the incident happened more than 1 year and 2 months BEFORE the CarFax was pulled (11/11/2020). I reached out to CarFax to verify the claim, find out who made the claim and when, and why did it take so long to be reported. The answer I received was the damage report is valid and that they do not release the information of 3rd party reporters. This doesn't make sense because they have the information of every other source on the CarFax report. They also refuse to answer why was it longer than 1 year and 2 months before it was reported. I have lost value in the car I purchased as a result of this. Furthermore, how is anyone supposed to trust the validity of this report if it takes more than a year for damage reports and if they will not verify who made the claim. By this account, anyone could have called to make the claim just to lower the value of the vehicle, or the selling party could have waited until after the sale to make the report. The CarFax report is damaging to the resell value of my car and there is no way to prove the report otherwise, unless CarFax supplies the requested information.

  Business response

  08/24/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX works every day to identify and partner with new data sources with the intent to provide as much insight into a vehicle's history as possible to help consumers. As sources begin to work with CARFAX, they provide all of their records related to vehicle history including historical records. Collection of all recent records, along with historical records, helps us produce the most comprehensive vehicle history available for a vehicle. Even when history is received by CARFAX later in a vehicles life, the information provides insight into the vehicles history and enables consumers to make a decision about a used vehicle.

  CARFAX makes sure our customers are aware that there may be records available for a vehicle's history that have not yet been reported to CARFAX by including in every report the following statement: 

  This CARFAX Vehicle History Report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX and available as of (date and time of 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.

  The reason the damage information did not display at the time of purchase is because the damage information had not yet been reported to CARFAX. 
  
  When research is requested of CARFAX, CARFAX conducts a review of the vehicles history to determine if any updates to the Report are required. In many cases, the information that is printed on the Report is all of the information available for an incident. We recognize that the information may be limited; however, it is inclusive of all of the information available. When a new owner is attempting to learn about events that occurred under a previous ownership when CARFAX cannot supply additional information, the new owner may consider contacting their insurance company, DMV, or even previous owner to attempt to learn more information about events that occurred prior to his/her
  ownership.

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When I was planning to sell my vehicle. I have a CARFAX report stating that I got into a minor "accident" back in 04/2020. I did not have any accident or any documentations regarding about it because due to COVID. I could not go out but some how CARFAX said I had an accident. I contacted CARFAX on who filed the report on my vehicle and they could not share that information with me. It is frustrating to know that CARFAX does not have my back and my consumer rights to know who reported my vehicle even though I do not have the "proof" of knowing my vehicle is damaged.

  Business response

  08/16/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX receives electronically-submitted data records from thousands of data sources, and in turn, CARFAX loads these records directly to vehicle histories. When discrepancies or questions about the data are raised, we offer our customers a process by which a thorough review of the data may be conducted. During this review, CARFAX verifies the data directly with the data provider. Resolution to the matter may consist of updating the vehicle history report or confirming the data, leaving the history as reported. In this case, CARFAX received a request to research an accident for the vehicle in question. To address the customer's request, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and verified that an accident has not been reported for the vehicle in question. Instead, CARFAX explained to the customer that a record of damage has been reported and verified for the vehicle in question. The damage event was reported as occurring on, or around  04/02/2020. The damage is described as "minor," and generally, minor damage is cosmetic (including dents or scratches), may only require reconditioning, and typically does not compromise a vehicle's operation and/or safety. The damage event may involve the front and rear of the vehicle. 
  
  Because the CARFAX Report is inclusive of the information that may be provided for the event, the CARFAX Report serves as the proof, or documentation, of the event as reported to CARFAX. The customer requested to know the name of the organization that reported the damage information, and CARFAX is not permitted to disclose that information to the public. The customer is encouraged to consider any change to the vehicle that was considered or performed from that timeframe, even a change the customer would not consider damage, and provide any related documentation, such as an estimate or final repair bill, to CARFAX for further research.

• Initial Complaint

  08/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  They are making a fake account that we never agreed to or signed up for and trying to charge us. They are still trying to set up an account and I have told the office to hold off all billings received as there is no signed contract and they are phishing my accounts payable department for money.

  Business response

  08/30/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. Organizations that subscribe to CARFAX services are granted access for a fee that may change based on the number of locations that participate. When additional locations are opened or that utilize CARFAX services under a parent account, CARFAX may require an additional service fee for those additional locations. In this case, an additional business was established by this organization and CARFAX inquired about the nature of the additional location, after discussing the details with the organization, CARFAX did not require an additional account and/or fee for the location.

  Customer response

  08/30/2023

  I got this resolved last week, thanks for your time and consideastion into this matter.

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received a very flawed car history report from Carfax on August 4th, 2023 that is disrupting the sale of my car and/or trade-in. I received this report from the dealership that I was selling the car to. There are damage reports on my car history that never occurred. I have contacted carfax and sent them a history of claims from my insurance company. It's been four days, and they have not resolved this issue. You can't call them. They do not have the right to disrupt my car purchasing process and take days to resolve it, when they have absolutely no stake or investment in the purchase of my car. I am having a hard time understanding how an independent company has all of this power on my purchasing process as a consumer.

  Business response

  08/30/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX received a request to research accident and damage records reported for the vehicle in question. To address the customer's request, CARFAX's research team researched the vehicle's history and documentation provided by the customer. Based on the results of the research, CARFAX provided the following findings to the customer:
  
  CARFAX verified that a record of an accident was reported on an official police report for the vehicle as occurring on 6/09/2016. The CARFAX Report was updated to include details of the accident including the severity of the damage sustained based on the police report. 
  
  We found justification to remove the damage events dated 07/25/2018 and 10/08/2020.
  
  The insurance letter provided by the customer displayed a wind/hail claim for the date of 03/22/2017. The record on the date of 11/18/2017 is considered to be affiliated with repairs required for the claim on 03/22/2017.
  
  CARFAX's support team is happy to update the record on 11/18/2017 to support that it was wind/hail related. However, we would need a copy of the final insurance estimate and/or the final repair order for review. The customer may provide this documentation by email or fax to ###-###-####.

• Initial Complaint

  08/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received a report for my car from a dealership. The carfax states my car has a branded title after speaking to the dmv and bank who holds the title, they both agreed that the title is clean and has never once been marked branded.

  Business response

  08/16/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this customer concern. CARFAX received a request from the customer to research a brand for the vehicle. CARFAX explained to the customer that CARFAX is not reporting that the vehicle has a title brand. Instead, CARFAX is reporting that the vehicle was deemed a Total Loss by an insurance company. Please note that not all total loss vehicle's end up with a state issued title brand. It depends on the state and their damage threshold amount. It may meet the insurance company's damage threshold but not the states.
  
  The customer may contact the DMV and request the title history on the vehicle, and with this information, they will be able to obtain the name of the insurance company that acquired the vehicle when deemed a Total Loss. Once the customer has the insurance agency information, the customer may contact the agency and request their assistance with correcting their records, as appropriate. If the insurance agency determines they deemed the vehicle a Total Loss in error, the customer may ask them to provide a letter, on their letterhead, and submit the letter to CARFAX for further research.
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We Discovered on 6-19-23 when a Carfax was run on our truck be cause we were trinig to trade it in that there was a report of "severe damage to front end by an animal" in Dec 2021 in ontario Canada. We also discovered from looking at the car fax that there were multipul times from 2020 to present that i showes our truck was being registered in Ontario Canada as a gray Truck (ours is obiously Black) around the same time as us registering it in Michigan. We filled out the appropiate form with Carfax and get nothing but automated responces from them. We had our truck inspected the show there was no evidence of it ever being iin any kind of accident. Their false iinformationhas reduced the amount of mony people are willing to pay for our truck on a trade in by as much at $20,000.00 We need this addressed now. The value of our truck is going down because of the false information Carfax is suppliing to people.

  Business response

  08/14/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. CARFAX strives to research and resolve all customer requests as quickly as possible. There are many factors outside of our direct control that affect the time required to research a request, including the response times of third-party providers with which we may need to conduct research. This customer's request is still being researched and we are currently awaiting records from another agency and unfortunately we have not control over how and when they conduct their business. CARFAX has, and will continue to provide updates to the customer so that they can be assured their request is being researched. The customer will be notified immediately after the research is concluded and we appreciate the customer's ongoing patience and understanding.

• Initial Complaint

  08/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  19 July in the process of finding a good used vehicle, ordered a CarFax report using my credit card my email for a **** being seriously considered. No report was provided and when I went to the site on the emailed receipt found it was not indicated as ordered. I ended up purchasing that **** without the benefit of the CarFax report; so, demanded the credit card charge be refunded. Have been getting emails saying the case under research, under research, under research, under research, and each time telling them tired of this and just wanting my charge refunded - no luck. I guess I will be challenging the charge on my credit card as a failed merchant while adding what must be yet another "failure to produce pre-paid services" complaint against CarFax. I will wait until 07 August, it being 04 August now, to see if via BBB that the refund is provided. If CarFax keeps any records, they will be able to confirm that I have NOT received the report which by now is moot! ////////////19 Jul Confirmation# *******************   Approval Code ****** CARFAX Report Quantity: 1 $44.99 ////////////04 Aug Case #******** is still being researched

  Business response

  08/14/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to assist with this customer concern. At the time of purchase, a customer must create a password for their account, sign in to the account, enter the VIN, and Run the CARFAX Report. The Report is not sent to the customer until these steps are completed. We are sorry to hear that this process was not clear to the customer. CARFAX received a request for assistance with retrieving the Report. To resolve the request, CARFAX's support team provided the customer with a direct link to the CARFAX Report. When the customer indicated they no longer needed the Report, CARFAX provided the customer with a full refund. We strive to respond to customer requests as quickly as we are able, and we are sorry to hear that our response time did not meet the customer's expectations.

  Customer response

  08/16/2023

  [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.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩