Consumer complaint received 2017-07-19
Company: PMAB,LLC
State: NC
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged

Complaint:
PMAB deliberately and dishonestly attempted to collect on a debt that I do not owe and opened an account in my name with a credit bureau, resulting in me being harmed by lowering my credit rating.
I had a disputed account with a hospital. I asked the hospital 's account department numerous times to provide proof I owed them money but they never did, only sending me basic balance statements that did not provide a trail of the balance due. In the past the same hospital had made mistakes on another account, stating I owed money when my balance was XXXX. I had paid thousands of dollars to my account and fully believed my account was XXXX, but on XXXX XXXX, 2017 PMAB sent me a letter stating I owed a balance of {$1000.00}. Also in the letter they offered a 50 % 'settlement ' of {$520.00} if paid within 30 days of the date of the letter. I called PMAB and explained that I did n't believe I owed any money, the hospital had never provided proof of owing a balance on this account, and that I did not want them to contact me again.
I also told them I 'd not make any payment over the phone and make my decision of what to do. On XXXX XXXX, 2017 I RELUCTANTLY sent a check for {$520.00} to PMAB, even though I had NEVER received proof of owing the amount ... well within their 30 day 'settlement offer ' period. PMAB cashed my check and I thought the issue was done.
Today I received a notice from a credit monitoring service saying that an account had been opened in my name ( XXXX was now showing a negative account on my credit report ). The company opening the account was PMAB. I called PMAB and was connected to a XXXX XXXX ( ext. XXXX ). I nicely explained why I was calling and he firmly told me he was trying to collect a debt. When I explained that I had been contacted by my credit monitoring company and asked him why an account had been opened he again said it was to collect a debt relating to the original {$1000.00} balance. He originally did not mention I had made a payment of {$520.00}. At that moment I reached into my file, retrieved the XXXX XXXX, invoice that I had written the date and amount paid. I confronted him as to why they had opened an account with XXXX, placing a negative-past due account in my name. I then began to read their letter stating " Please remit 50 % of the balance {$520.00} to close out your account. '' Again I explained that I had not believed I owed anything, but wanted to completely get them off my back so they would not place negative information on my credit! He then told me I STILL OWED the {$520.00} because I had not contacted them to say I was going to pay the {$520.00}. He acknowledged they had received the payment, but continued saying I owed another {$520.00}, even though I had paid within their 30 day settlement period, because I had not called to tell them I was paying. ( Since this conversation I have retrieved by payment check, it clearly shows PMAB had cashed my check before the expiration of their 30 days 50 % settlement time period. ) There is not doubt PMAB was attempting gain 'another ' {$520.00} from me, even though they showed in their records I had paid the account in full prior to the 30 day settlement period.
After strong words were exchanged I told him I wanted a transcript of this call since I was told it was being recorded. He told me they do not provide transcripts. ( I bet my attorney could get one! ) Eventually he put me on hold and when he came back he told me he would contact the credit bureau and have the new account removed. I asked him for a letter stating my balance was XXXX and that my credit bureau had been contacted to remove the account. He implied it would take 48 hours to process. I told him I 'd give them two weeks to get a letter to me. I 'will ' be watching my credit to make 10000 % sure there is no information on my credit pertaining to this thieving collection company. Lastly, when I once again asked why an account had been opened in my name XXXX XXXX said, " it might have been an oversight! '' Nice ... '' an oversight '' with my credit!!!!!
In closing, it 's absolutely ridiculous that in today 's world, where your credit number plays in the cost of your insurance, home mortgage % offered, and so many other things, that sub-human companies like PMAB have the ability to just place or open an account in my name that will be reported to a credit bureau. By law, any information that might be harmful to an individual 's credit should automatically have a 90 day waiting period after the date that the client has been informed of the intentions of the company to place a report or open an account.
( I have learned since submitting a report to the BBB that my credit report has been harmed. ) Lastly, hospital billing has been horrendously poor, sending invoices without proper documentation, for years. They basically say, " you owe this '' and you 're expected to pay without solid proof. If you do n't pay they send the 'debt ' to a collection agency, and they obviously do n't care if you owe money or not, they just pressure/threaten you with placing the info on your credit report. THIS MUST STOP!!!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation