Consumer complaint received 2021-07-29
Company: WAKEFIELD & ASSOCIATES, INC.
State: GA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt was paid

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2020 I was approved for full financial assistance due to financial hardship for a hospital procedure at XXXX  XXXX Hospital in XXXX Ga, including anesthesia charges. I underwent the procedure on XX/XX/2020 and got a letter stating all charges where charged off under the financial assistance program ( it is under XXXX ). It was made clear to me that would cover all vendors and in fact I have the hospital itemized billing that shows a charge off including the anesthesia services. This letter provided by hospital itemizes every single procedure and vendor and the price total as well as a zero balance due. A couple months ago I received a letter demanding a payment from XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX with an 800 number. There was no detail nor information regarding what procedure they were referring to, nor any other details. This was not a verification letter. I attempted to call the 800 number but either it was busy or I would get a call center in XXXX and the person on the other line would hang up or they couldn't speak English or couldn't find me in the system. Since it seemed like a scam I attempted to reach the anesthesiology vendor office that had provided the services ( which was already covered according to my records provided by the hospital ) But the person I was able to reach at the office refused to provide any information except to refer me to that call center in XXXX, and when I called them again I was hung up on. So I assumed this letter was a scam, as the anesthesia services were paid for. Today, I received notification from one of the credit bureaus that that Wakefield and Associates, a collection agency, placed a notice on my credit report and bureaus regarding this non-valid collection/debt from XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX, which has already been paid for. After receiving the collection notification today, I called the hospital where my procedure took place and were this wrongful collection stems from. I was able to speak to a financial assistance coordinator by the name XXXX, who verified that effectively, I don't owe any moneys to neither the hospital nor the vendors ( IE anesthesiologists ) as the hospital pays off the vendors through the financial assistance fund. She advised that often, XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX will " double dip '' by attempting to collect moneys from patients from the hospital system 's financial assistance program due to the cumbersome way XXXX 's billing system is designed. Making it difficult for them to realize that a service has already been paid for ( They receive the money through a financial fund without properly applying it to the patients records, creating confusion and erroneous debt collections ) She advised us to call them again and explain I was a financial assistance patient, but the person I spoke to ( XXXX XXXX ) refused to even listen to me stating that she couldn't give out any information about accounts under collection and asked me to call the 800 number ( call center in XXXX ) When I did, yet again, the rep on the other line kept repeating " how will you pay your debt today? '' in a strange monotone voice even after my repeated attempts to explain to them that this was an erroneous debt collection and I had documentation to back up this. Instead the rep just hung up. I want this erroneous collection immediately erased from my credit records in ALL credit reporting agencies.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation