Consumer complaint received 2023-03-29
Company: The CBE Group, Inc.
State: NC
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged

Complaint:
YOUR COMPLAINT Today, XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email notice from my credit monitoring agency that " a collection '' has been lodged against me and my XXXX  credit score has dropped 58 points, as a result. I almost fainted. The notice said a company that I have never heard of, CBE Group out of XXXX XXXX, Iowa, working on behalf of Charter Communications, filed the collection action in the amount of {$350.00}. Immediately, I telephoned my cable company, XXXX, owned by Charter Communications, and was informed that they had not taken any collection action against me. Instead, this matter appears to be the regurgitation of a bogus cable bill and action taken a couple of years ago when another collection agent employed by Charter Communications, attempted to collect monies from me that I did not owe. I reported the effort ( as follows in this complaint ) to CFPB and Charter Communications promised to cease all collection efforts against me and the collection was stopped, the credit bureaus were informed, the collection was immediately removed from my credit bureau reports and my credit bureau scores were restored to nearly 850 at both XXXX and XXXX. Now, it appears that this erroneous and bogus bill has been sold to another collection bureau, CBE Group, for the same contested amount of {$350.00}. OLD CFPB COMPLAINT # XXXX from XX/XX/XXXX : Out of the blue, I received a letter 10 months ago from a collection company, XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX NY. The letter was dated XX/XX/XXXX, and it was alerting me that XXXX  was collecting a past-due balance of {$350.00} from me on behalf of Charter Communications , of XXXX XXXX , NY. I was baffled and stunned to receive this notice because I had paid my cable bill in total to Charter Communications before cancelling service with them in XX/XX/XXXX and returning the cable box and equipment. I never received any further communication from XXXXXXXX after paying my bill in total, canceling service because I moved to another residence and returning equipment. Immediately after receiving this notice about a bogus bill in my name, I contacted the XXXX XXXX XXXX and filed a complaint against Charter Communications and XXXX XXXX for trying to collect a bill that was not mine and failing to communicate with me the details of the alleged bill : what were the dates of services, what kind of services, what were the original charges, when did the bill become past-due? In a timely manner, Charter Communications sent me a letter notifying me that they will never contact me again or hire any third-party to contact me on the company 's behalf about this bogus past-due claim for {$350.00}. Additionally, I never again heard from XXXX XXXX XXXX. I was satisfied with the responses and considered the matter closed. However, nine months later, I received an annoying letter from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, MN, advising me that they are collecting the same alleged past-due amount of {$350.00} from me on behalf of XXXX XXXX XXXX for unspecified service charges. Again, this was out of the blue, no earlier letters or phone calls. Further, XXXX XXXX, reported this bogus past-due allegation in the amount of {$350.00} as an unpaid collection to XXXX credit reporting services, which lowered my near-perfect credit score by XXXX points from a near-perfect XXXX to a paltry XXXX. Immediately, I filed a complaint against XXXX XXXX, XXXX and XXXX with the XXXX XXXX XXXX I am awaiting a XXXX  response. Charter Communications is the parent company of XXXX. XXXX  should have abided by the decision of XXXX to stop any further actions against me for an alleged debt that they could not confirm as mine and could not specify, qualify or quantify or provide specific details of any kind to me because the charges were not made by me. Instead of ceasing and desisting actions against me based on fraudulent and flawed information, this bogus past-due collection was sold to another collection company to pursue actions against me after I was told by the initial alleged creditor, Charter Communications , that all attempts to pursue this bogus collection would be stopped. # # #

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief