Consumer complaint received 2021-07-04
Company: Atlanticus Services Corporation
State: AZ
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Account status incorrect

Complaint:
In XXXX I was solicited for a credit card with Fortiva out of the XXXX  XXXX XXXX. I accepted the card for a credit line of {$750.00}. I used the card for nearly two years and paid as expected during that period. Sometime in the second year I paid my account AFTER the closing hour of the due date and was told about two weeks later that my account had been closed for non-payment. I called and was told there was no one else I could speak with other than the representative on the phone and nothing I could do. I decided it wasn't worth any more hassle so I just started to pay the balance of the card off to get rid of it. After a couple of months doing this, I found there were additional fees being charged that I did not know about and could not get any answers to when I called so I just decided I would pay the thing off which was less than {$200.00} due. I tried to go online to make that payment but could not access the online service, I believe I waited a couple of days to determine if it were a computer update or glitch and tried again but could not get on so I left a message that I needed someone to call as I could not get on the service. I decided to just mail a check and be done with it. That check was never cashed. In a few months, I got a letter telling me the account had been sold and to wait to hear from the new vendor. I never got any notice of who to pay until about a couple of months after that I got another letter from a collection agency this time telling me I now owed them over XXXX XXXX dollars. I was so shocked that I called the number on the letter and spoke to a very rude lady. I explained that I did not know the file had been sent to collection and that I did send a check for the amount due but as of that date it was not cashed. I also told her I did receive a letter a few months back that said the account had been sold and to wait for the information on who I would be paying and maybe that was why my check never got recorded. I also stated that I never got any notification of the new vendor and only received this notice a couple of months after the letter. She was not concerned and just kept repeating that I owed this money and to keep it OUT of collection to pay the balance due. I told her I was not paying anything until I got an itemized statement showing exactly WHAT THIS WAS FOR since even my credit line was not that much. About two weeks after that she sent me a letter again demanding payment for the now over XXXX XXXX  dollars due. I called and told her until I received a breakdown of these charges I was not paying anything because I did not owe this amount and I was not able to pay this bill because I had no knowledge of who to pay for months. She was even XXXX and clearly could care less. At the end of this, I never got an itemized statement from her and did not hear from them again. I was sick in late XXXX or XXXX of XXXX and was trying to deal with that and the rising medical bills along with this. As it turns out my credit sank in the first quarter of XXXX so once I was well, I and my family worked tirelessly to get this credit back in good standing. I have done that to where my XXXX  number is now XXXX BUT apparently, the number used by the mortgage companies is a different thing and that was showing as XXXX! I again was shocked as I've not had this happen before and I was trying to determine what was going on when I saw the " severe delinquency '' notice on the report which was attached to this credit card showing SEVEN MONTHS of non-payment and now a balance of over XXXX XXXX dollars! I immediately disputed the amount with all three bureaus to no avail. Actually, XXXX  did take the money due off but not the 'severe ' delinquency. I was refused a mortgage just this last month because of this mess that will continue to ruin my credit for several years due to no fault of my own. I have worked very hard to get my credit back and if you'll note on the Fortiva account I had this for two years, paid as agreed until they show starting in XXXX of XXXX I was late and continued not to pay for months on end. I couldn't pay what I didn't know but now I am being harmed by this continuous ruse. I think they never cashed the check because they could run up the 'balance ' to that XXXX XXXX they had shown in the end. If you will notice as well, the only delinquencies I had were in the first quarter of XXXX where myself and my husband and sister were paying off bills for my medical expenses incurred in the last part of XXXX which put my credit in the tailspin that I have dug out of for the past year and a half. This mess started well before that. I have written the AG of Missouri to help with this as the card was issued from their bank. They only sent it to the AG in Az which was not where the card originated so I'm expecting a note to that effect from the Az XXXX. I also sent a complaint online to Fortiva last week telling them they misrepresented my amount due and the nonpayment as I could not access the online account and besides I had sent a check for the amount I believed to be the balance since I could not get the system to tell me what was due. I told them the check was never cashed but I still could not pay the bill because I had no knowledge who or what I owed!. I have not heard back from them at all. Unfortunately, I do not have the letters. I of course did not keep them and have no proof other than my credit report that shows I had missed payments for other vendors after my illness in the first quarter of XXXX ONLY and all months prior and after that were paid on time. I just need help in getting this mess off my record so that I can get a mortgage and live my life again. It's a shame that one credit card can do so much damage! I appreciate any consideration you can give. I am a retiree on a pension and with SSA so what I receive each month is based on those amounts but I still continue to pay my bills and even save some money to where I could buy another home if I just qualify!

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