Consumer complaint received 2020-05-11
Company: PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES INC
State: LA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
Portfolio Recovery placed an entry on my credit reports for a XXXX XXXX account that supposedly has a balance owed of {$860.00}, this was done in or around XX/XX/XXXX. Finding the entry on my credit report that month, I sent a written dispute notice to PRA. This notice was ignored. I received no response whatsoever from PRA. 

I received a phone call in XX/XX/XXXX from PRA, asking me to pay this account that had already been disputed. I informed them that since I already had disputed the account, I was wondering why they were trying to collect since they did not ever answer my dispute. I was transferred to a supervisor, who agreed to have the dispute investigated. Since that conversation, the one and only thing PRA has done that I can see is to mark the entry as disputed on my credit reports. PRA is, in accordance with FDCPA, required to send me notice within 5 days of initial communication. I never received this notice, at any time. PRA is additionally required by FDCPA to cease  all collection effort until they complete their investigation and substantiate the debt to the consumer. This also has not happened. During this XXXX phone call, the supervisor told me that he can see where I disputed two prior " debts '' with PRA, both of which were found to be unsubstantiated.

Fast forward to today, I call PRA to get an update since I have not received any word from them. The first person on the phone told me that not only was I lying, but the PRA employee and supervisor I spoke to in XXXX were also -- he claimed that I did not ever dispute any debts with PRA, which he even contradicted barely 10 seconds after. I then asked for a supervisor, who made no sense whatsoever. I was informed that the results of my dispute were already complete and she could see them on her computer, but they don't call consumers to tell them. She said they send it by mail. I asked her why I did not receive any results from them, since she claimed they were complete. Her response is that they have an internal deadline of XX/XX/XXXX to complete their investigation and that they have other customers. Meanwhile, they continued to report this false report on my credit, hurting my ability to obtain credit, because it's not XX/XX/XXXX yet, so they still have time. Seems to me that once they complete the investigation, they should promptly send results to consumers ... .but I guess common sense does not prevail there. As if by magic, the day I call in, they happen to have completed investigation results right in front of them ... .but I have to call and ask for them to be sent to me? 

This entry being on my credit report, without ever being substantiated even though I disputed multiple times, has caused me to be denied credit, which constitutes a real injury for purposes of FCRA. 

PRA is currently under a consent order from the CFPB, which was entered into around XX/XX/XXXX. This consent order can be found here : https : //files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201509_cfpb_consent-order-portfolio-recovery-associates-llc.pdf On page 16, under # 64a, one of the prohibited behaviors that PRA was found to have engaged in is to ignore consumer disputes and instead rely upon the assumption that the debt must be valid, even in the absence of substantiating documentation. This is the basis for my complaint -- I have disputed this account on two occasions prior to today, and have yet to receive any response other than to mark my credit reports as " disputed by consumer ''. Meanwhile, PRA has continued its credit reporting, causing me harm, and being quite dishonest along the way with regard to my disputes.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief