Consumer complaint received 2019-09-22
Company: COAST PROFESSIONAL INC
State: TX
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Federal student loan debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
I received a letter from Coast Professional , Inc. dated XX/XX/2019 in regards to an alleged student loan debt that they were claiming I owed to the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of {>= $1,000,000} and that this debt had been placed with their agency for collection ( see attachments ). I was unaware of this debt and chose to ignore the letter. I then received a second letter from Coast Professional , Inc. a week later dated XX/XX/2019 in which they stated that they were considering garnishing my wages ( see attachments ). This alarmed me! I am aware of the practice by debt collection agencies using the courts to get default judgments against consumers who don't even owe the debt. In response to this threat, I wrote a dispute letter requesting that they validate this debt according to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g Sec. 809 { b } and sent the letter certified with receipt through the United States Postal Services ( see attachments ). Without having contacted the U.S. Department of Education, I received their first letter, a Notice of Proposed Wage Garnishment dated XX/XX/2019 claiming that I owed the U.S. Government an alleged debt of {$66000.00} ( see attachments ). Before I could respond to the U.S. Department of Education, I received a third letter from Coast Professional , Inc. ( dated XX/XX/2019 ) as their response to my dispute and request for validation, a letter where they offer to me, as validation of this alleged debt, a copy of a non legible Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Application and Promissory Note - NOTHING else ( see attachment ). The same day that I received this letter ( XX/XX/2019 ) I sent the U.S. Department of Education a certified with receipt letter that disputed the debt and requested that the debt be validated according to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 USC 1692g Sec. 809 { b } along with a completed request for a hearing form that accompanied their letter ( see attachments ). In response to Coast Professional , Inc submission of a single document as validation of this alleged debt that they say I owe, I sent them a second letter, dated XX/XX/2019 ( certified with receipt ), stating that if they were not able, or willing to validate this debt that I would consider the debt legally and financially settled ( see attachment ) and extended the validation period to XX/XX/2019. I received a fourth letter from Coast Professional , Inc. dated XX/XX/2019 stating that the U.S. Department of Education had received my request for hearing and that they intended to garnish my wages if I didn't submit evidence to support my objection of the garnishment or application for discharge of debt. They gave me until XX/XX/2019 as a deadline. Before I could respond to Coast Professional, Inc 's letter dated XX/XX/2019, I received a fifth letter from them dated XX/XX/2019 stating that they had fulfilled my validation request and that my previous letter ( dated XX/XX/2019 ) is a duplicate request for validation. My last letter to Coast Professional , Inc is dated XX/XX/2019 in which I state they have NOT validated the debt and any further correspondences would be used as evidence in my complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trades Commissions and States Attorney General as to violations of the law and my rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( see attachment ). 

I am dumbfounded by this whole experience. If I owed the debt, I just wanted the debt to be validated for accuracy. I've read and believe that I have a basic understanding as to how the debt validation process should go. I am being continuously stressed by Coast Professional , Inc. disregard for the law and my individual rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. I am feeling like I am defending this alleged debt with multiple agencies. Both the U.S. Department of Education and Coast Professional , Inc. have different alleged debt amounts which neither have offered proof of the debt or how they got to this dollar amount. As of XX/XX/2019, I have yet to receive a response from the U.S. Department of Education in regards to the validation of this debt, which I believe would put both myself and Coast Professional , Inc. in a better position to pursue a resolution. Regardless, Coast Professional Inc. has  never stopped attempting to collect on this UNVALIDATED debt and according to their letters are pursuing garnishment of my wages, even during the validation process.

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