Consumer complaint received 2023-07-10
Company: McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff, Inc.
State: OH
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt was paid

Complaint:
We transferred three cell phones from XXXX to XXXX in XXXX of XXXX. We were supposed to get XXXX new phones when we transferred our numbers, but two of the phones were on back order so we waited to port those two numbers. I received a bill for the first line and have records that I paid that bill. 

The other two numbers were not ported until the end of XXXX, and one of the numbers didnt port properly so it needed changed. XXXX sent me a bill for {$110.00} for the later two lines because they mistakingly put those lines on a separate account instead of on the same account with our first phone. I called XXXX to tell them all of the phones should be on the same account, and as such our promotions should have been applied, so they transferred those two lines to the account with the previously opened line as it should have been. When the transfer happened we were told our previous account would be cleared and closed out, as we were incorrectly charged, and new ( accurate ) charges were being moved to the new account. We also didnt receive one of our {$200.00} device credit promotion as promised for transferring lines because there were issues with the number porting. 

I continued to receive bills from XXXX for {$110.00} for the account that was supposed to be cleared and closed, for months. I have records that I called EVERY month for four months to get this taken care of. Every time I called I was assured the account had zero balance and was closed. I took notes of who I spoke with and also asked them to notate our XXXX account with those notes. I stopped receiving bills for the account in XXXX so I assumed they had finally cleared the balance. 

In XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, I tried to upgrade a phone on our account and was denied due to an unpaid final bill. I called XXXX to check on the bill and it was the {$110.00}, which they stated, once again, should have been cleared and there was no balance owed. I was informed from XXXX that the account had been sent to collections and the woman I spoke with at XXXX told me she would inform the collections agency that the bill was not owed. 

I have been receiving calls from the collections agency several times a week for this account since. I have spoken with the collections agency XXXX times, through phone and email, to inform them of what happened and explain that XXXX has cleared the balance. The last time I spoke with them they asked for the notes that mentioned who I spoke with at XXXX and the dates, which I sent immediately after hanging up. 

Both companies are not being helpful in the current state and I dont want this on my credit report. XXXX is still telling me the amount isnt owed, and the debt company is telling me it is owed. Im having trouble getting anyone at XXXX to talk to me about the account because they say once its been sent to collections its out of their hands. If they have had XXXX different employees tell me the debt is no longer owed and it was a mistake on their part, theres no reason I should still be getting calls from a debt collector for this money.

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