Consumer complaint received 2022-06-10
Company: ProCollect, Inc.
State: TX
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive enough information to verify debt

Complaint:
In the first week of XX/XX/2022, I received a credit alert and logged in to XXXX to discover there had been a fraudulent claim filed by Park Place Apartments located in XXXX, XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX had established a claim through ProCollect ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in the amount of {$500.00}. 

There are multiple issues with the collection effort. 
1 ) My family had not lived at XXXX XXXX XXXX for more than XXXX and a XXXX XXXX  before this claim was made. 

2 ) When we departed, there was no such claim made. In fact, the management did not return our security deposit at that time. Their reasoning was the carpet needed cleaning. ( The carpet was not stained, nor was it damaged. It was also not new ( as promised prior to moving in the year before ) 3 ) Management at XXXX XXXX had our phone numbers and email as well as knowledge of the forwarding address. Yet no notice was ever received regarding the subsequent claim for unspecified repairs. No such repairs were required either. 

4 ) ProCollect Placed a collection notice at the XXXX Credit Bureau prior to any attempt to notify me either. There was no telephone call or notice from the mail or by email. 

5 ) I filed a dispute with XXXX on the XXXX of XXXX l and they acknowledged it on the 8th. 

6 ) About the XXXX of XXXX XXXX notified me that they verified the debt. But provided no proof of it, which was requested in the original dispute. I had to call XXXX again to obtain contact information for ProCollect. It was not originally provided by XXXX. 

7 ) On XX/XX/XXXX I called ProCollect, and learned I could file a dispute through them by email, which I did. ProCollect did not respond to my email. 

8 ) On the XXXX of XXXX I received an email from a Restoration Specialist at XXXX in response to my second dispute which was escalated to that service about a week prior. 

9 ) Multiple attempts to communicate with the Restoration failed due to only connecting to voice mail. I'd asked the representative several time to use email as XXXX kept us from resolving anything. We never did speak. 

10 ) On the XXXX of XXXX, I received a letter from ProCollect informing me that the collection account had been canceled. There was no explanation provided. 

So, this complaint is about three separate issues. 

A ) Holding the management at the apartment complex accountable for filing a false collection claim. I've already checked with state and local agencies and none of them deal with this type of issue because it is not related to the purchase of a product! 

B ) Neither XXXX nor ProCollect ever responded to my request for documented proof of such debt. 

C ) As evidenced by B above, both XXXX and ProCollect should be held accountable for not verifying a claim before subjecting a consumer to a fraudulent collection effort. Credit bureaus should not be permitted to post and share such data without prior notification to the affected party. Nor should they be permitted to do so without valid documentation.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation