Consumer complaint received 2023-03-17
Company: Duncan Solutions, lnc.
State: NC
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a debt collection notice from Professional Account Management ( PAM ) for apparently two or three fines for toll violations in Georgia. The car license plate number provided did not match a license plates that I ever owned. We attempted to contact PAM multiple times sitting in telephone queue after telephone queue for over 8 hours. When we finally were able to connect with a representative of PAM, she informed us that we owed fines for toll violations in Georgia. We informed her that we never had a car with that license plate and further that we have not lived in Georgia in several years. We explained very clearly that this was not our debt. We asked for detailed information to try to determine if they were scammers but the PAM associate could provide no details regarding the make of the vehicle, the color of the vehicle, or anything. Then the PAM associate said that it was up to us to prove this is an erroneous claim. 

We spent 7 days tracking down this issue. We contacted the Georgia DMV, our insurance company for our cars, and the tag office in Georgia where our last car in Georgia was registered. After countless hours chasing the proof that we did not owe this down, we received all of evidence to prove this is not our debt. We have insurance paperwork proving that the license plate in question was not ours, we have a letter from the DMV and tag office stating that we did not own this vehicle and that this temporary license plate was never issued to us. Today, we sat on hold in the PAM queue again for two hours when we get in contact with a representative, they refuse to help us submit our proof and, quite frankly, started quoting their policies on collections while refusing to assist us. 

What happened? 

We sold our car in XX/XX/2021 to XXXX XXXX. In XX/XX/2021, XXXX XXXX sold that car to someone else and issued them a temporary tag. The new owner apparently went on a crime spree around XXXX violating tolls, racking up speeding tickets, and eventually totaling the car completely in XX/XX/2021. We learned in this process that in the state of Georgia when a temporary tag is issued on a purchased vehicle that the temporary does not transfer ownership - a permanent tag is the only way Georgia transfers title. 

This is a well known policy and PAM refused to verify this prior to sending us collection notices and then they further put the burden of proof on us. We have all the proof directly from the state of Georgia but PAM refuses to admit their failures and are doing everything in their power to keep this debt in my name. 

Sending people collection notices and accusing them of crimes without proof and then burdening the accused with having to prove their innocence is not the American way. In Georgia, a toll violation is a crime thats why there are fines. 

Ill end this complaint with a question, How would you like it if you were minding your own business walking down the street when someone walks up to you, accuses you of a crime and then tells you that you have to prove your innocence? For a crime that were not even in the state to commit! 

PAM represents all that is wrong with American tactics for debt collection. These call queues should not be allowed to keep people on hold for hours and the representatives should have proof that you owe a debt before they ever contact someone. In this case, since it is well established that temporary tags are not attributed to the new owner of a vehicle, PAM should have spent the time that they forced us to go through to ensure they are not defaming someones good name.

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