Consumer complaint received 2019-06-21
Company: Collection Bureau Services, Inc.
State: MT
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Sued you without properly notifying you of lawsuit

Complaint:
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Case # XXXX Plaintiff : XXXX XXXX Case number : XXXX Account number at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX I, XXXX XXXX XXXX, the separated husband to XXXX XXXX, ( Plaintiff ), deny any responsibility or direct ownership to the accused filings by the Collection Bureau Services Inc. of the Justice Court of Records, for the city of XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, Montana. ( Case number XXXX ) My evidence to support the above declaration is as follows. On two subsequent visits to the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, the plaintiff self-admitted herself for non-life-threatening medical issues, both undenounced to me at the time and neither visit was I physically present at the hospital. 
On both of the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX bills, it clearly stated that the plaintiff was not only the Patient but she was also the only listed Guarantor at both visits. 
Additional to this, for both above mentioned visits, the plaintiff incurred outstanding bill amounts. 
Please see below the breakdown for both visits : 1. XX/XX/XXXX for services totalling {$190.00} 2. XX/XX/XXXX for services totalling {$300.00} The second hospital visit is the current outstanding amount that I am presently detailing in this letter. 

To provide you with supportive context, the first visit noted above, in XXXX of XXXX, the plaintiff allowed a past-due balance owing to go into default, resulting with the account being handed over to the Collection Bureau Services Inc. ( A collection agency ). At this time, it was unknown to myself that there was any outstanding debts. When I received an alert from XXXX, the credit agency that I use in monitoring my credit report, I was perplexed with the current alert for an outstanding balance of {$200.00} and it being in collections. I have always kept my accounts in good standing, so this new alert of delinquent funds owing, was an outright shock to me. 
Upon further investigation, I was able to track the debt to the plaintiff, and after attempting to arrange payment with her, to clear the amount owing, realized through her own admission, that she was not going to pay this bill. Due to the negative reporting impact to my credit rating, I then chose to make the necessary payment arrangements myself. I then made the payment in full on XX/XX/XXXX for {$200.00}, to clear my name and credit, regardless of my responsibility for this amount and at the refusal of the plaintiff declining to handle the delinquent account herself. 
To my own disbelief, I then received a second alert, from XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, stating an amount owing of {$320.00} in a rears to the same previously paid to, collection agency. When I requested information from the plaintiff, she stated that she had again sought medical attention at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and she was again negligent in paying her hospital bills and that we were again being sent to collections for her debt. 
I asked the plaintiff if she would be making the necessary payment arrangements, to which she replied, she does not have a job right now and is not going to make a payment. Please keep in mind, that at the time the bills were incurred, the plaintiff was working and employed. I then attempted to make payment arrangements with the collection agency, to which I was flat out denied ; being told that I was unable to clear this account and that they would be settling this before the courts. 
I had tried severally to attempt payment arrangements for the now new balance of {$320.00} ; which is the amount reflecting on my credit bureau alert. The original amount at the time of the plaintiffs hospital discharge was {$300.00}. 
Since I am in the legal process of filing for a divorce from the plaintiff, I have been striving to support and clear all outstanding-connected debts incurred during our timed married. This is clearly supported when I paid the first outstanding balance of {$200.00} owed from XXXX and now, with my attempts to clear another debt, personally unrelated or incurred by myself, from XXXX. 
In order to absolve myself of the negative impact indirectly meted to me, both financially inconvenienced and the impact to my credit rating, I sought the support of the collection agency responsible for the payment. It was my hope to swiftly handle the rectification of this account ; to deter any further detriment to my person. It was an outright shock to me, that I was denied allowance to make the payment, as I previously had in XXXX of XXXX, for a similar debt owing from XXXX and was denied the right to mediate and settle the account, as I had with the previous amount owed, to the Collection Bureau Services Inc. for this new debt. 
Attached are supportive documents for your further review and I await your swift and favourable decision. If you have any additional questions for me, please feel free to contact me at the above noted email or number. 
Respectfully, XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation