This is meant as the business number for Equifax, but it can still be used for personal account information if you're willing to provide personal information. When I called, I was asked to select 1 for personal and 2 for business questions.
I chose 1 and was asked to choose my language. I was then asked if I wanted to add a short statement to my credit report saying that COVID-19 impacted me or if I had questions about the recent data breach settlement. If neither applied to me, I could stay on the line to speak to the automated system.
I asked the automated system for a copy of my credit report, which it initially misinterpreted as asking to correct errors in my credit report. I said that wasn't correct, and it went through its full menu of possibilities before getting to my credit report as a possibility. I chose that, and the system told me it could send me a credit report through AnnualCreditReport.com or from Equifax directly.
I opted for the latter, and the system said it would be able to do that as long as I entered a few personal questions to prove my identity. Not willing to do this, I ended the call there, as I didn't want to risk doing anything that could end up with my credit report for real.
Overall, I think this is an extensive system that gives consumers plenty of options for getting real assistance. Given that they said I could add a statement to my credit report, it seems like this can be used to speak to a customer service representative. If that's the case, this would be an excellent system, as it gives several options through the automated menu before branching out into more nuanced help.
The system did have some problems with understanding me, but to its credit, it did correct for this by taking me back to a full menu that could find where my issue was. When I got into the menu, I was able to quickly navigate through everything and get to the section where the automated system could connect me with a representative. Had I been willing to enter my personal information, I believe the system would have been able to offer more helpful details.
Because of the need to enter personal details, I would only recommend doing this if you're ready to speak to Equifax about your credit report. If not, I'd say the risk of giving out too much information is too high.