Consumer complaint received 2018-04-05
Company: TD BANK US HOLDING COMPANY
State: VA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Credit card debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
Nordstrom has made multiple errors on my account. They have sent to collections a {$270.00} amount related to a purchase on a debit card which I did not make ( debit card was already closed ) and have sent to collections a {$340.00} credit card bill ( of which over 50 % is late fees and interest ) for a credit card they sent to the wrong address. Of the {$340.00}, I actually owe {$130.00}. 

I was approved for a Nordstrom credit card on XX/XX/XXXX ( I previously had a Nordstrom debit card linked to my bank account ) and was encouraged to make a purchase on the credit card the same day ( before actually receiving the credit card at my new address ). The card was incorrectly sent to my previous address ( the one used for my debit card ) so I could not pay my bill online and Nordstrom policy would not let them take my payment over the phone. By the time I was able to make a payment, I had already been charged late fees and was accruing interest. On XX/XX/XXXX I offered to pay for the items but refused to pay the interest/fees due to the error on Nordstrom 's part ; however Nordstrom refused to accept responsibility for the error and refused to waive the fees. I was left with no recourse other than to withhold payment and the amount of {$340.00} was eventually sent to collections ( {$130.00} original purchase and {$200.00} interest and late fees ), where it has been weighing down my credit score. After the amount was sent to collections, I tried repeatedly to reach an agreement with Nordstrom that would allow me to pay what I owe and get the late fees waived but got nowhere. I tried again in XX/XX/XXXX and finally, after several calls with lower-level call center folks ( and only after threatening to call an attorney ), I was able to get the contact info for " XXXX '' the Recovery Supervisor, whose direct number is XXXX. I reached out directly over a dozen times over the course of about a month and left several voicemails but he has refused to speak to me. Additionally, I found out from the lower-level call center staff that Nordstrom believes I owe an additional {$270.00} related to the initial Nordstrom debit card. However, they have not been able to explain to me what this amount relates to or how it is even possible to owe money on a card that is linked directly to a bank account. This account, which was closed in XX/XX/XXXX, was sent to collections on XX/XX/XXXX and updated on XX/XX/XXXX. I subsequently filed a XXXX XXXX XXXX consumer complaint on XX/XX/XXXX, and received a response from XXXX XXXX, Nordstrom VP of Risk Management, which attempted to pin the blame on me and claimed that a " thorough review  was performed ... and no Nordstrom errors were found. '' My response is as follows : There are multiple inaccuracies/errors in the Company 's response which constitute, at the very least, gross negligence and potentially willful negligence and/or fraud. 

1. The debit account was closed on XX/XX/XXXX, the same day the retail account ( i.e. credit card ) was opened ; therefore, as I suspected, the {$270.00} amount is not valid. The Company has either been negligent in allowing this error to happen or they are intentionally trying to defraud me. This is further supported by the fact that the Company did not give any details to substantiate this " purchase, '' which I requested in the initial complaint ( i.e. what items were purchased? Also, as an aside, why would I try to use this debit card which was linked to a previously closed bank account when I had just told the store employees less than a week earlier that's why I was replacing the debit card with the credit card? And why would it take FOUR DAYS for you to figure out that a {$270.00} purchase was made using a debit card that was attached to a bank account that had been closed? That card would have been declined immediately. ) Additionally, the Company did not make clear until XX/XX/XXXX that they believed I owed an amount related to the debit card all mail that I received ( which was sent to my parents ' old house but I was able to obtain and is still in my possession ) and phone calls seemed to be related to the credit account and there was absolutely nothing to indicate that that the {$270.00} and the {$340.00} were related to different purchases ( it appeared that it was just more interest/fees accruing ). Furthermore, when I reached back out to Nordstrom on XX/XX/XXXX and was made aware about the supposed {$270.00} debit card balance, I explained that I doubted the validity of the amount and that it was not on my credit report. I was very clearly informed that debit card amounts are not sent to collections. Less than three weeks later, the account was placed for collection on XX/XX/XXXX with XXXX XXXX XXXX, as evidenced by the attached excerpt from my credit report. This directly contradicts both the verbal statement made over the phone by the Company rep and the Companys response to the XXXX  complaint response where they intentionally avoid listing the agency and they state that say the account was charged off on XX/XX/XXXX. A review of my credit report as of XX/XX/XXXX shows only the {$340.00} amount related to the credit card. 
2. I maintain that the retail account was opened with an XXXX, XXXX  address and not the previous XXXX, XXXX address that was used when I opened the debit account in XXXX. This is supported by the attached excerpt from my credit report showing the XXXX, XXXX address being first reported on XX/XX/XXXX. I can provide further documentation in the form of a 12-month lease at that address from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX and a 6-month extension to XX/XX/XXXX. 
3. The Company 's assertion that Recovery supervisor XXXX XXXX called 4 times and never heard back from me is completely false. My XX/XX/XXXX cell phone records show that I had 5 total outgoing calls to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX EST ), XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX and had no incoming calls from that number. I left voicemails indicating that I could be reached by cell phone or email but heard nothing. I also called on XX/XX/XXXX prior to making the XXXX complaint and at certain other times as well. Never once did " XXXX '' answer the phone. I was the one who reached out and received no response, not the Company. 
4. The Company failed to mention that when I returned their initial calls ( prior to XX/XX/XXXX ), I  attempted to pay the balance over the phone. However, it is their policy not to accept payment over the phone and I was informed that I would have to pay online or in person at the store. Because I didnt have my physical card and account number ( it was sent to my old address ), I could not pay online. 
5. The Company failed to mention that their " collection calls '' are harassing robocalls that are made multiple times per day ( even right after speaking with the Company ), often during work hours and in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. After several weeks of this, I was forced to block the number in order to avoid being constantly interrupted during meetings at work. 
6. The Company also failed to mention that when I called on XX/XX/XXXX, I indicated that I would be happy to pay the {$130.00} that I owed but that I would pay not the late fees. 
7. The Company failed mention that there were no payment issues during the 23 months the debit account was open. The Company also did not mention that I have remained a solid customer despite being treated so poorly, having personally spent well over {$2500.00} since XX/XX/XXXX at Nordstrom and XXXX XXXX combined. However, I and my family will be boycotting all stores until this matter is resolved.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation