Consumer complaint received 2020-05-23
Company: Great Lakes Capital Management, LLC
State: WI
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Payday loan debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive enough information to verify debt

Complaint:
Great Lakes Capital Management ( GLCM ) called me on Monday, XX/XX/XXXX, regarding a past-due XXXX  XXXX XXXX  account that was with collections ; the representative told me that GLCM is a collections agency and they had purchased the debt from XXXX  XXXX XXXX. GLCM called to set up a $ XXXX/month payment plan with me. I requested that they send proof of the debt via physical mail and my request was denied. I provided my debit card number and was told that I needed to e-sign a payment plan contract that would be emailed to me later that day. 

I researched GLCM that evening and learned that they have an F rating with the XXXX XXXX XXXX  ( XXXX  ) ; the XXXX  site warned that this collections agency has had several complaints recently about violations related to the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The following warning is posted on the XXXX  webpage for GLCM : On XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX  reached out to Great Lakes Capital Management , LLC via USPS regarding a pattern of serious complaints. During the past 36 months, XXXX  received 19 complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practice Act ( FDCPA ). The business failed to respond to seven  of those complaints through XXXX  complaint process. 

XXXX  requested a response to the pattern of complaints and asked the business to voluntarily cooperate in eliminating the pattern by providing a written response outlining specific steps it would implement in order to avoid similar complaints in the future. XXXX  additionally requested general information including the names and full contact information of the business principal officers and responsible management, the physical address of its principal office, copies of required debt collection licensing and bonding/where required, and a completed XXXX  Standard Business Questionnaire. 

As of XX/XX/XXXX, Great Lakes Capital Management , LLC has not responded to XXXX  's request for information or the pattern of complaints. 

XXXX  has concerns about Great Lakes Capital Management , LLC 's business practices and urges consumers to use caution. 

************ I emailed GLCM that evening ( XX/XX/XXXX ), without e-signing the payment plan agreement/contract, and mentioned that I had concerns about their XXXX  rating ; I also explained that I was going to follow up with XXXX  XXXX XXXX  to trace the debt to ensure that it was sold to GLCM. 

When I contacted XXXX  XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, the representative said that the debt/past-due account was sold to another collections agency. Based on my rights under the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, I emailed a debt verification letter to GLCM on Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, which was within 30 days of GLCMs initial contact to me. In my email, I shared that XXXX  XXXX XXXX had not sold the debt to GLCM. I also stated in that email that I do not authorize any payments or withdrawals made from my bank account. As of this writing ( XX/XX/XXXX ), I have not signed the contract with GLCM ; additionally GLCM has not responded to my debt verification email. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, a {$50.00} charge posted to my debit card/checking account from XXXX XXXX XXXX. From my research online and through the XXXX, I learned that XXXX  XXXX  XXXX  is a billing and processing company, and I believe they are a contractor of GLCMwhich may explain this unauthorized charge on my debit card. Even though I never signed the payment plan agreement/contract with GLCM and never received a response to my debt verification email, my debit card was still charged for a debt that GLCM has not proven they own. 

At the end of XXXX, I canceled my debit card and requested a new one to prevent additional unauthorized charges.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation