Individuals might call the Equifax 800-685-1111 customer service number to learn about the company's products or to ask about their credit scores. I called to determine whether my credit score is the same as my FICO score. Although people sometimes use the terms interchangeably, I think there is a difference. When I dialed the number, an automated system answered, "Thank you for calling Equifax Consumer Care."
The automated voice system said I could remain on the line to speak with an agent about being impacted by the pandemic. It provided information about accessing my credit score and credit report for free by visiting myEquifax.com. If I had questions about the 2017 data breach settlement, I could say "settlement" or press 9.
The system told me the call may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance and asked me to say in a few words what I needed. I said I needed to know the difference between credit and FICO scores. The system then said it understood I was calling about a promotional code. However, that was not what I said. It gave me options with a corresponding menu of numbers to press for help with credit reports, fraud alerts, credit scores, and credit report disputes.
The system told me I could say other or press 5 to get help with the website or other issues. Still, that action led to another menu of options. After listening to this menu, which did not apply, I waited. The system asked for my phone number several times. I did not see the point in providing my phone number and other personal information, so I continued to wait. The system finally recommended that I hold while it connected me with an Agent.
An agent answered the line, and I asked her about the difference between a credit score and a FICO score. She said they no longer use the FICO score, and Equifax has a model that generates the credit score. She said FICO comes from a third-party company and suggested I could get my credit score by requesting my credit report.
I did not feel the response satisfied my question about the difference between the scores. However, I give the agent credit for trying. Maybe it's not complicated; the only difference is that Equifax generates one score, and the FICO score comes from a third-party company.
Some automated voice response systems answer inquiries better than others. This system did not recognize my question and gave me unhelpful menu prompts. Many customer service agents are skilled at asking probing questions to ensure they supply the answer a consumer needs. However, I was impressed that I had the opportunity to speak with a human, which is more than I can say for some customer service numbers and automated systems.