Consumer complaint received 2018-11-07
Company: Recovery One, LLC
State: CO
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
On XX/XX/18, XXXX XXXX XXXX installed a non-OEM windshield in my car. I gave them a check for {$100.00} for the deductible. Later I realized the error that the glass wasnt XXXX glass. After much runaround and sending of photos of the windshield, XXXX agreed it was an incorrect windshield and agreed to have it replaced by XXXX or directly by the dealer. The XXXX representative told me if I went to the dealer, it may take weeks to get the {$100.00} reimbursed and I would have to pay the dealer another {$100.00} in the meantime. Together the XXXX representative and I decided the best approach was to place a stop payment on the check and resubmit the payment at the time the windshield was replaced. I had the windshield replaced at the dealer on XX/XX/18 and XXXX paid the dealer the full amount owed. I assumed ( correctly ) that they had waived the {$100.00} deductible for my inconvenience. I never heard anything more about a debt owed to XXXX until I got a call from Recovery One debt collection. The first call was a robo-voicemail that was cut off at the beginning and difficult to understand but I did hear the word XXXX. If they are counting this as an attempt to contact me, that would be an unfair practice. The voicemail would need to be clear and complete for a consumer to be determined to ignore it. I later got a second voicemail from a person to which I responded. This call lasted 1 minute and consisted of a person berading me for the debt I owed. I attempted to tell her that XXXX was aware of and agreed to the stop payment and that she should go back to them to confirm. She responded, loudly and firmly Im not XXXX and I have a right after 30 days to send this to Collections and thats what Im going to do and she hung up the phone. I tried many time to call back but she refused to answer her phone and there was no voicemail. Since the call was recorded I hope you can hear first-hand how she treated me. I called XXXX back and they apologized profusely, agreed the {$100.00} was waived and said they would pull it from Collections. 

My issues are twofold. 1 ) I need assurance that temporary record of a collection will not become part of my credit record. 2 ) I want to ensure nobody else has to go through what I did. 

I pay my debts and and have a perfect credit rating. But indebted consumers have many reasons why they might not be able to repay a debit on time. Those people are probably already downtrodden and embarrassed and stressed. If they take the time to respond to a call such as the one I received, they should be treated with respect and dignity. I agree with debtors being held accountable but nobody deserves to be demeaned or belittled in the process. Just because the agency has power over the consumer, they have no right to be disrespectful. They should also be required to listen to an explanation and get to the bottom of it rather than say their piece and hang up the phone. In short, they should conduct themselves professionally at all times.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation