Consumer complaint received 2022-04-22
Company: Hayt Hayt & Landau, P.L. (FL)
State: FL
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Credit card debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Sued you without properly notifying you of lawsuit

Complaint:
- I originally disputed this debt. I did not sign for this debt or to open this account. My ex husband did so without my approval. 
- The documentation provided showing my signing showed a signature that did not match my signature at all. 
- I was bullied into a settlement and told I would in no way be able to dispute the debt. They basically said good luck proving you didnt sign for it. 
- I set up a plan with the collection agent at that time. In around XX/XX/XXXX I set up online bill pay to them but then in XXXX I was notified that they were going back to court for a judgment. I spoke with them and discussed the payments sent. They confirmed they had not received. We confirmed information and they set up a new settlement with me. I paid {$300.00} up front and was given additional amounts to pay. I asked about if I could set up automatic payments to get the account settled for smaller amounts and they said it would be fine as long as the total amount was paid by the expected end date. I set up these payments and believed all to be well. 
- Some time in XX/XX/XXXX I found out - I dont recall how - that I had been {$80.00} short of the payment plan in error, that the judgement had already been filed against me despite not knowing and not being told that was happening, and that despite my prior payments they were again looking to collect the balance owed. They tried to offer me an additional {$600.00} and change settlement on top of the {$1000.00} already paid. I refused and sent a letter about what had happened. I also asked them to review the recordings of my call with the prior agent. They said they would do so and get back to me but they did not. 
- During this time, my daughter was XXXX- in and out of various XXXX from a XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX. I know this is no ones fault but it is relevant to what was transpiring at the time. I had limited income, and this debt was not mine to begin with. I did my best but when I did not hear anything further, I can not say if I thought this was resolved based on the recording or if it just fell by the wayside. 
- I heard nothing further by mail or email or phone from this issue until receiving the writ of continuing garnishment document served to me by e-service on XX/XX/XXXX. While my mailing address has changed over the years and I had provided my correct address of that time to the collection agency in XXXX they have an address from XXXX on the court docs. My email address and phone number have been the same and on file with the courts since prior to XXXX - and they successfully used it for the writ of garnishment notice after the fact but not any other notices or service. 
- When I called them this month they said the last time they tried to contact me was by letter in XX/XX/XXXX again to that old address. They did not attempt to call or contact me anytime after that and instead 2 and a half years later they filed for the garnishment of the full amount of the original debt minus anything already paid. Additionally when I called they tried to collect $ XXXX over what the total from the amount on their garnishment minus the {$1000.00} I paid.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation