Consumer complaint received 2023-09-01
Company: ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC.
State: NC
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Credit card debt
Issue: False statements or representation
Sub-issue: Attempted to collect wrong amount

Complaint:
Back in XX/XX/XXXX I filed a dispute with XXXX for the account shown in my credit report from MIDLAND FUNDING whose address is : XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX, MI XXXX. 

Midland Funding responded to the dispute as the current status is being reported correctly, the paying history is being reported correctly and all balances were updated They updated the balances, past dues, and portfolio status. 

The following errors were reported, and it is illegal to report false information. This had continuously affected my credit, ability to find rent, purchase a home, a car ; anything that requires credit verification because of their false reporting and negative impact on my report. I request that they cease all collection and close any account due to false reporting. I never had any agreement with Midland Funding to begin with. These are all the errors and false information they are reporting and continue to report to the credit bureaus : 1. Per court case # XXXX, Court final judgement was for {$4700.00} ( amount owed to XXXX XXXX ) and {$360.00} ( XXXX Filing Fee, which includes an extra {$5.00}, and XXXX service fee ) for a total of {$5000.00}. As you can see on page 4 of the Dispute response, Midland Funding was reporting a balance of {$5300.00} in XX/XX/XXXX. Having an unauthorized and false reported amount of {$220.00}. They were not granted any additional interest nor fees. ( Attached affidavit of cost to which they sworn to ) 2. Another falsely reported item is their Past due balance on page 4 of the dispute response. They reported a past due amount of {$3800.00} and the report beneath it says {$3700.00}. What is the {$34.00} difference?

3. They say that the last payment was XX/XX/XXXX, yet no payment is shown in XXXX nor XXXX and a reduction of the balance was done from {$4100.00} to {$3700.00} ( {$390.00} difference, unsure for what ) 4. Moving to the response I received from Midland on XX/XX/XXXX for letter I sent them XX/XX/XXXX. They show a purchased date from XXXX XXXX of XX/XX/XXXX when it was XX/XX/XXXX. Midland stated there was an accrued interest of {$790.00}, which no interest fees were approved by the court to be charged. 
5. Midland presented a schedule of payments that add up to {$2500.00}. In a hypothetical picture, if you subtract this amount from the {$5000.00} in # 1 above, the balance given is {$2500.00} and the reported balance on the top right-hand corner of their response is {$3600.00}. not even adding in the interest would bring us to that amount. 
6. Using the numbers, they provided their beginning balance would have been {$5500.00} less their reported payments of {$2500.00} would give a balance of {$2900.00}, their balance is showing as {$3600.00}. 
7. Midland reported on this letter a total payment/adjustment of {$2200.00} and the amounts shown on the table add up to {$2500.00}. Not sure why there is a {$320.00} difference there. If you add the current balance of {$3600.00} plus their reported payment/adjustments it gives you {$5800.00}, {$790.00} difference of the unallowed charges. 
8. The additional amount authorized by the court for their expenses or cost was {$360.00} they are stating accrued interest of {$790.00}. another difference of {$420.00}. 
9. Midland reported the current balance to be {$3600.00}, if you add {$4700.00} ( original Purchase Balance ) plus XXXX ( accrued interest ) it equals {$5500.00} less reported payments/adjustments of {$2200.00}, the balance should be {$3200.00}. Another unexplained difference of {$360.00} here. 
10. In XX/XX/XXXX I contacted Midland Credit Management who had sent numerous mails and called me several times to make a payment. In good faith, I agreed over the phone to pay them half because I had gone through several financial difficulties and was just starting to work. I spoke to the representative and mentioned I could not pay the full amount ; I was a single mother at the time and was barely making ends meet. He mentioned they could offer a plan to pay {$2400.00} and they would mark my account as settled for less. I never received a written response or settlement letter. I made and initial payment of {$260.00} in good faith and monthly Midland Credit management withdrew {$220.00}.

11. I noticed on my credit report that these payments were either wrongfully being reported or not being reported at all, instead my balance would increase monthly and seemed to never reduce. In both XXXX and XXXX, I filed a dispute so they could correct their information and they always responded as correct, which false reporting is illegal and against consumer rights. I immediately stopped paying them, shy of one payment only. I will not pay them once more cent for all the paid and stress they have caused me. They can take the {$2400.00} they withdrew from my account and consider this account paid. 
12. Midland does not live up to their ethics, as to treating consumers with respect and compassion and integrity. What type of integrity is it to report false information and have so many loops whole differences on your reporting. Why would you collect money from a consumer, to then not report it or report they paid less to no amount. In my case I reached out to midland, I tried to put an end to the stress and to make an arrangement and in return I get negative impacts on my report and a monthly increase of this debt for no reason. 
13. I have included screenshots of the Midland Credit Management portal, showing payment made. After making 11 consecutive payments the balance never seem to be reduced. As of XX/XX/XXXX they showed a balance of {$3600.00}, meanwhile their XX/XX/XXXX response showed a still incorrect balance of {$3600.00}. another {$11.00} difference for what? Amount owed was {$4700.00} + XXXX = {$5000.00} less {$2200.00} equals {$2800.00}. This is {$800.00} less than there reported balance of {$3600.00}. 
14. Midland Funding did not provide an itemization showing what all these different charges are because they know they are false reporting and adding charges that are not correct.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief