Consumer complaint received 2020-07-12
Company: Allied Collection Services, Inc. (Nevada)
State: TX
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
I was a customer of XXXX for many years and when I reached the end of my final 24 month contract, I decided to purchase my XXXX for the remaining price which was approx {$130.00} so I could have it unlocked and use it with another carrier. Over the course of 24 mos, in addition to my cell phone bill, I paid approx {$480.00} in monthly payments towards the phone, an XXXX XXXX. 

Since my contract was fulfilled, my options were to return the XXXX XXXX and upgrade to a newer XXXX at a higher cost for 24 additional mos ( which they pressured me to do numerous times ), return the phone to XXXX and disconnect service, owing nothing except the final bill which was set up on auto pay OR purchase the XXXX for the remaining balance which would make the phone mine and as agreed XXXX would unlock the phone and I would keep it and be able to use it with another ( less expensive ) carrier. 

I paid the {$130.00} to XXXX over the phone using my debit card and when I was transferred to the department that unlocks paid for phones, I was told that the XXXX representative did not apply the {$130.00} towards the XXXX balance but instead towards my final bill which was not yet due and was set up to be paid using auto pay, per usual. Upset by the deceptive practice, I felt that XXXX did not want to lose me as a customer and therefore was trying to avoid releasing the phone to me and unlocking it. I immediately called the billing dept back and questioned why this was done as it was very deceptive and also illegal because my bill was not even due yet, so how funds I paid to buy my phone ( and clearly discussed that with the representative who then transferred to have the PAID OFF phone unlocked ) were instead applied towards a future bill, not yet due ... I dont know. 

I had a lot of trouble with XXXX over the years and by this point I was very much ready to leave XXXX, their service is extremely expensive compared to competitors and I had been counting down the months until my contract was fulfilled so I could purchase my phone and leave, on good terms of course. At this point, I decided that I no longer wanted to do any more business with XXXX so I asked them how I could return the phone to them because they refused to apply the {$130.00} towards the phone and instead kept it for my future and final bill. 

I was instructed to take the phone to the XXXX  store near my home and that they would take care of it. My final bill had been paid and I was no longer a customer of XXXX at this point. I purchased a new XXXX XXXX from XXXX a XXXX  activated service through a prepaid carrier the following day, the same day I returned the XXXX XXXX to the XXXX store. Locked XXXX  are useless and can not be used through XXXX or or any other company, XXXX knows this and I know this. Everyone knows this. It would serve me in no way to keep a phone that was unusable, especially since it would have cost me {$130.00} anyway. 

I returned the phone to the XXXX  store near my house where I had been many, many times over the years and was familiar with many of the employees. When I returned the phone, it was put into a bag, sealed, I signed a form, they looked at my account and said that I was paid up and thank you for your business. That was it. 

About a 30 to 45 days later I begin to receive phone calls and voicemails from XXXX saying that I owed them money and it took me several weeks days to get in touch with them but when I finally did, I asked them to look up my account but was informed that there was no longer an account for them to look at they said. I knew this wasnt true and finally after several calls and many hours on the phone with multiple different people and supervisors I was told that I still owed the {$130.00} for my phone as well as my last bill. 

I explained that I turned my phone in and that I had paid my last bill, what Id been saying for weeks. They denied having access to my account since it had been closed over 30 days prior, denied receiving the phone, basically told me that they had no proof that I paid the {$130.00} because once my account was closed all my account information was lost but that I still owed them for the phone and the final bill. I was dumbfounded. 

I was able to track down the amount paid to them for the XXXX that was instead applied towards my final bill deceptively on a debit card statement at a bank account thats no longer open today and even with that I never heard back from anyone and continued to receive the runaround. I requested that the cameras be viewed at the XXXX  store to show that I returned the phone and they told me that was not possible but that they believed me and would look into it. I requested a police report be filed against the store but was told that that was not possible nor necessary. 

XXXX claimed to have no record of my account after its closure and I no longer had access to my account at that point either so eventually I finally gave up on XXXX knowing that I paid them in full and after being told by a supervisor not to worry about it, that it was probably a big mistake. I sensed a cover up but was also relieved to be done with it, trusting theyd do the right thing. 

Months later I see that XXXX has sent this account to collections and it is now on all three of my credit reports as a negative account in collections, which is completely false. In addition, they are claiming that I owe them nearly double the amounts of the phone they say I did not return as well as the final bill that I have proof that I paid that they claim I did not. They have inflated the amount due and can not give me any explanation. 

The last time I contacted XXXX was about four months ago and was told that because it was sent to collections it was no longer in their office and I need to call the collections company. This is after I was promised it would be taken care of and after I did everything right and honest. 

I have disputed it with XXXX XXXX and XXXX  but because XXXX claims to have no records of my account details and I no longer have access to login into that account ( it was suspended the day I closed the account and turned in the XXXX ), I can not get proof of any of this and I think that is XXXX intentions. Each of my dispute has been denied. I am very upset about this and feel that I was the victim of a crime, I was lied to, stolen from, and now Im being billed again and my credit affected negatively. 


***DISPUTE FROM XXXX  : XXXX XXXX Personal & Confidential Date Generated XX/XX/XXXX Report Number XXXX divider About Dispute Results Our reinvestigation of the dispute you recently submitted is now complete. If we were able to make changes to your credit report based on information you provided, we have done so. Otherwise we have contacted the company reporting the information you disputed, supplied them all relevant information and any documents you gave us with your dispute, and instructed them to : review all information we provide them about your dispute ; verify the accuracy of the information ; provide us a response to your dispute ; and update their records and systems as necessary. 



If an item you disputed is not in the list of results below, it was either not appearing in your credit file or it already reflected the requested status at the time of our reinvestigation. 


Here are your results ALLIED COLLECTION SERV Account XXXX The information you disputed has been verified as accurate ; however, information unrelated to your dispute has been updated. Please review your report for the details. 
XXXX icon Updated You can contact ALLIED COLLECTION SERV at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX , NV XXXX or ( XXXX XXXX XXXX After your dispute : Account Name ALLIED COLLECTION SERVIC Account Number XXXX Account Type Collection Responsibility Individual Date Opened XX/XX/XXXX Status Collection account. {$520.00} past due as of XX/XX/XXXX. 
Status Updated XX/XX/XXXX Balance {$520.00} Balance Updated XX/XX/XXXX Recent Payment $ XXXX Monthly Payment {$0.00} Original Balance {$350.00} Highest Balance {$0.00} Terms 1 Months On Record UntilXX/XX/XXXX Payment History XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Historical Information Original Creditor XXXX Comment Account previously in dispute - investigation complete, reported by data furnisher Reinvestigation Information This item was updated from our processing of your dispute in XX/XX/XXXX. 

Balance History XX/XX/XXXX {$520.00} Balance {$0.00} Scheduled Payment {$0.00} Paid

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