Consumer complaint received 2021-12-30
Company: WAKEFIELD & ASSOCIATES, INC.
State: GA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive enough information to verify debt

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2021, Wakefield & Associates reached out to me via text message, I will provide a screenshot, claiming that I owed an alleged debt to inphynet primary care phy se pc. For starters, I did not authorize any employee of Wakefield & Associates to contact me via text message, especially when they had no legal right, seeing that the Trump Administration had just allowed Debt Collectors to contact people via text, social media, and other platforms as of XX/XX/2021. In a cease and desist oral communication letter, I did ask them to provide documentation where I gave them consent to text me about this debt, which they did not provide when they mailed me their letter. 

Within the span of 11 days, I received a letter from Wakefield that stated that they were collecting an amount of {$1300.00} on behalf of their client. I responded to this letter by sending them a debt validation letter, this will be attached too, asking for more information such as who is their client, official documentations from said client, contract bearing my signature, and for Wakefield to provide additional information on themselves, their licensing, and if they were initially contacted by " their client '' to collect this invalid debt. 

In the beginning of XXXX, after the 3rd, which is when Wakefield drafted their response and mailed it to me, they were only able to send me a " Account Itemization. '' No contracts bearing signatures, no additional financial information such as tact on interest, late fees, no financial breakdown of how their client arrived at the alleged amount, and whether or not the name on the document is their client. Nor did they send any contract between " their client '' and Wakefield as well as their license. In fact, when it comes to Wakefield and their license, they inserted their " license number '' and " Permit number '' at the bottom of their document. Question. How is someone supposed to know if those numbers are authentic without any official documents from said states that they were issued in? This did not sit well with and raised further suspicion about Wakefield & Associates. Yes, I researched their licensing information, but nothing surfaced during my discovery, which transitions into a major issue when it comes to this " Account Itemization. '' Again, all of this will be attached. 

After attempting to draw more information surrounding their licensing and permits in the states that they expressed in the letter, I decided to dig a little more into who inphynet primary care phy XXXX pc was. Using the information they provided on the Account Itemization, which contained a Tennessee address, the semi-correct address associated with inphynet primary care phy se pc is XXXX, GA, but it also extends to other addresses scattered in Georgia. Correct me if I am wrong, but that is providing false information, which can result in serious penalties. So when I crafted my " Failure to Validate Debt '' letter, I informed them that providing false information can result in serious issues. So again, I had asked Wakefield & Associates to send me official information, which would have consisted of official documents from " their client '' and their official licensing information. 

XX/XX/XXXX, Wakefield & Associates printed a duplicate of their XX/XX/XXXX response as well as a copy of the Account Itemization, by the way, it still has the same incorrect address on there. 

Overall, not only did Wakefield & Associates fail to validate this invalid debt, but they also provided a false address when it comes to " their client. '' Thus, this raises alarming issues when it comes to this invalid debt. 

P.S. Cease and Desist Letter is attached to Debt Validation Letter. Third Page.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation