Consumer complaint received 2018-09-18
Company: AmeriCollect
State: FL
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
XXXX has listed a false debt on my account for almost 2 years now. I have submitted multiple complaints of which the status is changed multiple times. 

I had received two separate collection notices from XXXX XXXX XXXX which I knew to be inaccurate, although it took me a while after equifax denied my initial complaint. 

I was eventually able to certify that I was in fact correct, and that Americollect -- the company involved -- had violated the fair credit reporting act and the fair credit collection act -- by knowingly lying, stating incorrect information, claiming to have verified a debt that in no way verifiable, and was not a valid debt, claiming not to own the debt, and claiming to have not bought it but to represent XXXX XXXX directly. None of this was true XXXX XXXX sold them the debt, which they lied about The fact is XXXX XXXX was one of 17 providers that were part of the XXXX that I had on both of my legs in XX/XX/2016. They neglected to bill my insurance, for which I paid my co-pay in full, and every other vendor was paid who billed the correct insurance. 

XXXX XXXX - through no fault of my own- billed the wrong insurance. They never notified me of that. The next thing I heard was from collections. I explained to them that it was simply impossible because even if it was the scans before my XXXX -- the highest co-pay I have is {$150.00} for an advanced XXXX or ultrasound. There were two charges for {$180.00}. I paid one of them thinking that it was accurate only for the second one to appear! They then lied again, and claimed that there were two different views so I was billed two different times -- again a Iie. 

I have disputed this and provided correct information -- including telephone recordings with Americollect and the confirmation from XXXX XXXX that the debt was not valid. 

XXXX  has refused to take this off my credit report - despite the fact that is clearly inaccurate -- they have no way to backup their claim that it was somehow confirmed because it does not exist. 

I have repeatedly requested to know by what means they confirmed the debt considering the original creditor confirmed to me that it was invalid. That fact means nothing to them -- although they are required to do it under the law. 

As a result I have had an open collections account for over XXXX years from this fraudulent bill that they refused to remove. 


In addition Americollect has violated multiple parts of the fair credit reporting act and the fair debt collection act in their illegal and unethical pursuit of a debt that is not my responsibility. 

It is a result of the mistakes of a medical provider to fill out forms correctly. 

XXXX XXXX did try to submit the forms two years late -- when they realized what happened but were turned down by Florida blue. 

The timing was a little off. 

Again, not my fault and not my problem. 

I paid my full co-pay for my entire procedure - their medical billing mistake is not my responsibility. 

If the surgeon had forgotten to bill my insurance and called me later and said that I owed {$17000.00} because he made a clerical error, again the problem would be with him, not with me, I paid my bills. 

I paid for my XXXX, and now I am being illegally double charged fraudulently and XXXX and Americollect refused to abide by the law

Company public response: Company believes complaint caused principally by actions of third party outside the control or direction of the company
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation