Consumer complaint received 2021-11-08
Company: Renton Collections Inc.
State: WA
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/XXXX I was injured at work and filed my claim with the XXXX per company policy. I was seen and treated by XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX for the injury and provided all the relevant information so that the treatment could be processed by XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX. The payment for the percentage allowed was made by case manager XXXX XXXX within the time period for remittance in XX/XX/XXXX. Renton Collections tried to recoup the amount of my workers comp claim that had already been paid. They harrassed me by repeatedly calling my phone every ten minutes and then called all of the stores where I worked at stating that I could go to jail if I didnt pay it. I told them it was workers comp, it had been paid and not to call me again. On XX/XX/XXXX I got a certified mail legal document from Renton Collections stating that they had now obtained a judgement against both my husband and myself and that they were garnishing my wages. When I called them to find out what was going on the woman told me that I shouldnt have been so rude to tell them not to call me at work and that I needed to pay double the amount now. When I said again that it was workers comp she told me to send my medical records because that was the only way to have it possibly stopped. ( this violates my Hippa rights ) I contacted XXXX &  XXXX and got the remittance date, amount etc and sent the email below. Now Renton collections will not talk to me and the money is already being garnished and taken from my check. 

I sent the following email to XXXX on of around XX/XX/XXXX in order to satisfy their ask via phone for the medical records proving that this was a workers comp issue. 

Hello, After speaking with your agent this morning I was instructed to send the proof that my injury was sustained at work and the appropriate steps had been taken with the state regarding the fact that it was a workers comp claim. 

What else is needed here to remove the garnishment and judgment that is now on my record for something that I am not responsible for? 

Please see attached notice of injury being workers comp from the State of Washington. This was mailed back to them on Wednesday XX/XX/XXXX. 

With Heart. Always. 

XXXX XXXX ( she/her ) I then followed up by phone the next day and was told that my document had just been processed but they couldnt remove the garnishment. I then gave them the name of the XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX case manager, the phone number they could be reached at as they also wanted to find out why they were pursuing this illegally, and the information needed to verify that this item was paid along with a number of the billing department for them to verify the payment. 

I asked for immediate removal of the judgement, garnishment, and negative reporting and was told that their client needed to verify this first and even then they couldnt say that the garnishment could be removed. I told them that they had already garnished my XX/XX/XXXX paycheck and I wanted that money back and even my company has records such as the one I provided yesterday stating that this was a workers comp claim that had been settled. 

I was told by the female agent that she was the one who called me in XXXX and that I shouldnt have been so rude when I told them to stop harassing me while at work. They called every shop I had worked in for XXXX from XXXX XXXX to XXXX Washington stating to the staff answering the phone that they were debt collectors looking for me. It was humiliating. 

I have been irreparably harmed by Renton Collections. Humiliated at work for a debt I never owed, harassed for a debt that I never owed nor should have ever been pursued for, and financially harmed by my checks being garnished which resulted in multiple over draft charges.

Company public response: Company believes complaint caused principally by actions of third party outside the control or direction of the company
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation