Consumer complaint received 2021-07-24
Company: Procollect Services LLC
State: ND
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Sued you without properly notifying you of lawsuit

Complaint:
A represtative from Pro Collect Services LLC contacted me end of XXXX. Lady on phone stated I had a large debt of multpile bills. I then inquired as to what the bills were. She then proceded to list bills my husband had, procedures performed and alot of activity from the insurance company in reguards to the bills. My husband has never signed an authorized for release of protected health information form with XXXX XXXX, the company Procollect represents. Nor have I signed anything likewise. The only thing allowed to be discussws with me is the amount of bill and request for payment in reguards to my husbands medical bills without a release signed by my husband per XXXX XXXX HIPPA guidelines. XXXX themselves can not give any information about my husbands hospital bills beyond amount of bill and request of payment. I was then transferred to XXXX the owner/manager of Pro Collect. I let her know that the bills were not accurate and were entered as diagnostic when they were actually screening. XXXX even spoke to my insurance company with my permission and they verified that we were billed for diagnostic procedures. Upon this information XXXX continued to demand payment from me for the bills, giving me no time to further look into why they were coded incorrectly. I stated the bills dont seem correct and I needed to look further into it but could pay her {$20.00} in the meantime, as I was currently unemployed do to Covid and we were financially behind because of my husband being out of work while going thru preventative XXXX treatments and surgies out of state. She refused my payment for these verbally disputed bills told me to get a job and she " Would just Sue me then for the disputed bills and get a judgement '' and hung up on me. I then started to research into what had happened with the billing and looking into options for assistance for preventative XXXX screenings if we indeed owed the money as well as appealling the bill with my insurance. I never heard anymore from Procollect on the matter in writing nor verbally until XX/XX/2021 and even then it wasnt communication about the bills and it was communication brought on by myself in an unrelated matter. At XXXX XX/XX/2021 I contacted procollect on the unrelated matter to requests some bills in question. The bills in question ultimately led me to calling XXXX at Pro Collect on XX/XX/2021 at XXXX to request ANY and ALL bills Pro Collect had that were medically related. XXXX then stated that there are bills there " Pending Judgement '' that were in my husbands name and she FINALLY then requested verbal authorization from my husband for me to speak/receive information about his bills. XX/XX/2021 I physically went to Procollect to receive my documentation. Upon receiving the documentation there were 11 bills total that were bracketed off and I asked what those were. XXXX, supervisor at ProCollect then stated that those are bills " Pending Judgement ''. The bills allegedy " Pending Judgement '' were the bills that were disputed by myself in XXXX amd never received any more documemtation from procollect for. On XX/XX/2021 I contacted both my insurance and XXXX XXXX yet again and the coding issue had not been fixed for these bills " Pending Judgement ''. So XXXX sent the bills to be recoded. On XX/XX/2021 XXXX requested that I give her my Insurance information. Not understanding why I asked my insurance company if I should share XXXX with a 3rd party debt collector and they stated absolutely not and only share that with Medical Professionals. On XX/XX/2021 XXXX again asked for my insurance card and I refused as it is considered protected health information and a 3rd party is not entitled to that information. She then claimed the hospital wanted me to share that with them. The same hospital that already had it so I feel this request was extremely deceptive on XXXX part to request such information that ultimately she should have no need for access to. On XX/XX/2021 at XXXX after not finding any legal " Judgement Pending '' at the court house I contacted XXXX at Pro Collect to request more information. XXXX then Stated that we were served for the lawsuit on XX/XX/2021. Knowing that myself and my husband we not home that day I asked who was served. XXXX stated that a " XXXX XXXX '' a older woman was served at my residence on XX/XX/2021. I told XXXX there is no such person that exists and also we were not at home that day. Upon the end of coversation I looked further into the date in question that I was allegedly served with a law suit. I called XXXX back XX/XX/2021 at XXXX and let her know things were not adding up. My husband and I were not at home. It was then XXXX changed the story completely and said " Actually it was a " XXXX XXXX '' younger male that was served at our residence. Knowing no one was at my home by that name nor even exists I told XXXX someone is lying and it was very deceptive of her to change the story after I informed her I was not at my residence on XX/XX/2021. I asked again for the time and she refused to give me that information. To date XX/XX/2021 I have yet to receive any information on the " Pending Judgement '' that was allegedly served upon me on XX/XX/2021 from Pro-Collect for these disputed medical bills. There is no lawsuit of of XX/XX/2021 in any court records. Having the threats of a " Pending Judgement '' out there that was " allegedly served '' upon me for bills not owed has created unneeded XXXX, loss of XXXX  and extreme XXXX XXXX. Especially sonce Pro-Collect ultimately lied to me about who was allegedly served at my residence on XX/XX/2021.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation