Consumer complaint received 2019-01-27
Company: ERC
State: NC
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt was paid

Complaint:
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, FL XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX Amt : {$170.00} Company : XXXX XXXX XXXX ( On my credit report ) I never had an account with XXXX XXXX XXXX or XXXX  ( I've received a letter from ERC stating I owe {$170.00} to XXXX. 

I have NEVER had an account with XXXX XXXX or XXXX, and I notified ERC, but they won't take it off my credit report and continue sending me letters. 

I had an account with XXXX XXXX XXXX for my business, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I was talking to a woman from their Corporate Office, and she talked me into having a phone. She said the technician would be out to hook it up. No technician ever came out. I never went online due to worrying about breaking confidentiality, and I just starting going online about a year and a half ago while attending XXXX College. Anyway I switched to XXXX because I needed a phone. Once I finally had a phone line ( through XXXX  ), I called the Corporate Office of XXXX, and I explained my situation ( that a woman said a technician would be out to connect the telephone, but no one came out ). A man on the phone told me that they never turned on the phone in the office ( I had the impression the way he spoke that they never turned on a switch, but I'm not sure how they turn on phones ), but i knew no technician ever came out. I explained to the man that I was upset because I received a bill and was going to contact a lawyer because I had to reprint all of my letterhead, business cards, advertising with pens that had my business information on it, essentially everything that had my business information on it. I was irate because three weeks without a phone can kill a business, and it basically killed mine because no one could find me. The man on the phone assured me that my account would be taken care of and I owe nothing. I never heard anything about this debt until about six months ago. 

I am assuming that XXXX XXXX XXXX was bought out by XXXX XXXX because that is who ERC says I owe, but I never had an account with XXXX  XXXX. XXXX XXXX must of been bought by XXXX   because I had a letter from ERC stating I owe XXXX  {$170.00}. I have never had an account with XXXX. I did have a lady come by asking if I wanted cable through XXXX, and I thought it was interesting that she said I did not have to pay a deposit ( which if I truly owed XXXX  they would of asked for a deposit ). I was going to get cable through XXXX, but I called and spoke to a gentleman ( who I believe was in the Corporate Office, or may be Collections ), and he notified me that I do owe them {$170.00} and I have to pay it because they will not forgive this, even though I explained my situation and was told my balance was XXXX when I spoke to XXXX. 

My account for XXXX XXXX XXXX was XXXX XXXX dba XXXX ' XXXX XXXX XXXX. If I felt I owed this debt, I would pay it, but I do not feel that I owe it. The phone was never turned on, and no technician ever came out to my address. XXXX cost me a lot of money when they never turned on the phone and people couldn't find me if they needed me. I was going to hire a lawyer at that time, and now I wish I would have because the matter would of been settled! I told the man from the Corporate Office that I was going to hire a lawyer, and he said he was sorry for all of my trouble and he satisfied my debt, and I owe nothing. 

I do not want each time the account is sold to another company that I will owe this debt. It has been in three different company names now, but I only had an account with XXXX. Please investigate this to the fullest! There is no account with my name dba XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX ' or XXXX  ' names. I switched to XXXX  when XXXX never connected my phone, and I am still with them today! Please investigate because if it is sold to another company, that new company is going to say I owe them when I truly do not! I don't know if the XXXX Corporate Office knew they were being bought and just told me that to pacify me, but I never heard anything about it until years later by different companies. I wish I would of gotten a lawyer like I wanted to when I switched to XXXX  because it did cost me a lot of time and money having to change everything, not to mention the stress of not having a working phone but having bills of a business ( which is a lot more expensive than residential-personal bills ) and no client can find me because I had no phone. Please investigate? Any questions, please contact me at ( XXXX ) XXXX. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation