Consumer complaint received 2020-08-28
Company: Renton Collections Inc.
State: WA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Communication tactics
Sub-issue: Frequent or repeated calls

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I went to XXXX XXXX for an emergency. I was there for an hour and they were very nice. I then received a bill in the mail for nearly XXXX XXXX dollars. I contacted XXXX XXXX and told them that I work retail and would be unable to pay the amount owed. I then submitted a number of documents to their Financial Assistance department and they, very wonderfully, approved my financial assistance for 100 %. The exact wording is Your request for a financial assistance has been approved for 100 %. This is a one-time benefit that covers date ( s ) of service XX/XX/XXXX. Absolutely nowhere in the letter does it say that it excludes anything in any way. After that I didn't hear anything. I then got a call from another company that said I owed them close to XXXX XXXX dollars if I remember correctly. I promptly called them and told them XXXX had covered everything 100 %. They told me they were not XXXX XXXX but a doctor group. I said I understand that, but their physician works in XXXX XXXX and they, in turn, are covering the bill 100 %. They then asked me for, and I sent them, a copy of the paperwork I have on the matter. They call me again and said I owed them close to XXXX dollars. Again I said the debt did not exist. I then sent them another copy of the document from XXXX XXXX with the amount covered ( 100 % ) circled, and a line on the second page that tells me to provide the paperwork to any other provider that needs to see it. The only other provider in this situation would be this physician 's group and if they were demanding compensation to contact XXXX. After that I never heard from them again. Cut to 6 months later and I am getting 3 or 4 calls a day from XXXX, WA. I did not believe I owed anything so I figured it was one of the many scam calls I get every day. That went on for a few months and then Covid 19 hit. They stopped calling for a time and then suddenly I saw a negative report on my credit. I contacted  the XXXX and the State of Washington and provided a copy of the document in question. I then got a response from Renton Collection Agency that was very aggressive but said to send them the paperwork. Then today, at XXXX XXXX. I got an email from them that said the paperwork wasn't valid for the debt. I promptly called them and was connected with an employee named XXXX. I tried to be polite and he immediately got aggressive. I, in turn, raised my voice. He said he refused to listen to me. I just started talking. I was determined he was going to hear me. I never once used W fowl language. He said the paperwork wasn't valid and I said to him no where on the document does it say excluding attending physician or excluding anything for that matter. I told him legally, without that, I believed I was in the right. Wording is crucial in documents such as these. And please not that the document clearly covers me for everything at XXXX, including care from other providers. XXXX refused to accept or acknowledge that he should indeed be taking it up with XXXX XXXX and not the retail worker in XXXX who's debt was 100 % covered. He promptly told me the call was being recorded, I said I was glad, he then said he had another call and hung up on me. I immediately came here to file a complaint.

Company public response: Company disputes the facts presented in the complaint
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation