Consumer complaint received 2023-07-15
Company: FISERV INC.
State: TX
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
XXXX ) I purchased a XXXX XXXX for my XXXX brother so that he may better communicate with me while I travel. XXXX order XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for the price of XXXX. 
XXXX ) XXXX then charged my checking account twice on the XXXX and XXXX I understand mistakes happen, it is the after effect that is the issue Caption XXXX ) I reached out to XXXX and they insisted they do not work on the check processes, so they could not help. I needed to go to the bank XXXX ) As instructed I went to the bank and disputed the overcharge which XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX acknowledged and refunded on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ) XXXX then decided to send me to XXXX XXXX. They wanted the XXXX overcharges returned. They also locked my account from making purchases while the dispute is being resolved. 
XXXX ) This is where it gets messy TRS recovery service and tele-check all point the blame at each other. 
XXXX ) When I contacted TRS recovery services they said they have no knowledge about the debit or proof that it is owed, but they have been informed it is valid and they should collect. However, I the consumer must prove my innocence and file documents that they may or may not accept. 
A debit collector should not be able to request a payment without proof of the money owed. 
They said I could reach out to XXXX or Telecheck ( their own company ) to get the proof and submit to them. However, if I did not they would start adding interest and penalties. 
Because XXXX messed up in charging my bank account, then I have to prove my innocence or be penalized. 
I reached out to telecheck - they responded with Inaccurate or unverifiable for other reasons I called tele check and they said yes, they can see the double charge, but I now need to resubmit the claims again and hopefully the second time it will go through. They could not reopen the last claim with the same information.= I have spent 10 hours of my time dealing with this mess caused by XXXX. This cesspool of file a claim here .... now try there ... .. hopefully over there. 
I understand debit collection is and can be an ugly process for valid claims. It is the fungus of the financial system. gross but necessary. However, there needs to be more scrutiny on invalid claims. 
A ) There need to be a penalty paid to the consumer of 25 % for filing invalid claims. Only then will XXXX and others ensure the debit is valid. As long as they can abuse the customer for profit they will. 
B ) The debit collector needs to provide proof of debt in order to request relief. 
C ) The debt collector needs to support more than fax or physical mail. They need to support electronic submissions. 

D ) XXXX locked my account paid on a yearly basis ( for 12 months of usage ) and refuses to agree to extend the account expiration and rending the account unable because of their error. If they block an account for an invalid reason they should automatically extend the life of the account. 
E ) When a financial institution such as XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, submits a fraud claim XXXX should be forced to resolve the issue with the Bank and not be allowed to send the user to collections for at least 30 days. XXXXXXXX XXXX  bankers have been trying to be my advocate through the process, however, they do not have a clean process to challenge and file a claim on the customer 's behalf in a way that drives action on the XXXX side. Even if XXXX sells off the debit they should be required to participate in fixing the issue. 
F ) As a consumer, I would love to know how much a company is submitting in fraudulent/invalid claims against consumers. It should be a published metric for a company. An excessive amount should be met with a penalty and or investigation by the cfcb. 
G ) XXXX XXXX  should be required to provide their legal office on all communications in case a consumer needs to resolve this through small claims courts.

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