Consumer complaint received 2023-02-28
Company: Conduent Incorporated
State: KY
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: False statements or representation
Sub-issue: Attempted to collect wrong amount

Complaint:
As summary to the lengthy notes below : our company, to which I am the President ofXXXX entered into a service agreement with Xerox Corporation in XX/XX/XXXX for the service of a business copy machine. We agreed to pay a specific rate per copy/print made, with one rate for color copies and one for black prints. We are not billed any other feesonly the per-copy rate. Each month, Xerox sends a bill with a specific copy count listed, then extended out to show the amount due based on color versus black. We paid our bills on time, every month from the contract start of XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX. 

In XXXX of XXXX, we noticed our bills changing dramatically ( by 900 % ), and contacted Xerox about the billing discrepancy. We have since provided documentation proving the factual copy counts are much lower than their reported counts, but they have closed the dispute, saying they will adjust the bill slightly, but want to collect the majority of the over-billings. They state they just realized the bills they generated and sent to us XXXX XXXX XXXX were lower than they think they should have been. They feel they can now correct their error and back-bill us through current mis-represented copy count numbers XXXX XXXXpresent. Until the sudden billing change in XX/XX/XXXX, our bills were paid as received, on-time. The newly stated billing shortage on Xerox 's part, if there is one, is not our responsibility to correct. Each bill that was sent to was paid, and paid on-time. As a consumer I have 60 days to dispute a charge, and as a vendor or creditor, they can not change their bills after they've been paid in full, 22 months later. Xerox has closed the dispute and is now pursing collections for the over-billed amount that we do not rightfully owe. They have re-created invoices for 22 months, of NEW amounts due, and expect us to pay the new balances. 

Through this research we were able to prove that Xerox has over-billed for {$11000.00} between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. This amount continues to grow as we are receiving bills every month with erroneous copy counts. 

To compound the issue, they have now re-spooled all invoices in the 22 month period, re-applying our payments to invoices with incorrect and changed amounts. These amounts do not match what we paid for each stated invoice. They are misleading with their billing, with their accounts receivables, and now their debt collection. 

DETAIL OF COMMUNICATION : Disputed Invoices : Invoice # Date Total Billed Charge Description XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$10.00} Meter not installed fee XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$1800.00} Based on copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$10.00} Meter not installed fee XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$1800.00} Based on copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$5500.00} Based on copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$10.00} Meter not installed fee XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$2600.00} Based on copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$25.00} Late Fee XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$10.00} Meter not installed fee XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$2100.00} Based on copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$290.00} Late Fee Total {$14000.00} We have paid the following amounts towards each invoice, based on verified counts from Command Workstations logs : Invoice # Date Agrees to Pay Dispute Reason XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$0.00} Will not pay XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$560.00} Invoice was not based on verified copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$0.00} Will not pay XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$630.00} Invoice was not based on verified copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$1000.00} Invoice was not based on verified copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$0.00} Will not pay XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$2100.00} Invoice was not based on verified copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$0.00} Will not pay late fee XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$0.00} Will not pay XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$640.00} Invoice was not based on verified copy counts XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$0.00} Will not pay late fee Total {$5000.00} ( {$4300.00} paid XX/XX/XXXX, {$640.00} balance due ) DISPUTE HISTORY AND NOTES : XX/XX/XXXX Maintenance contract began. We own our machine. The maintenance contract is billed solely based on usage. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX We received monthly bills and paid those invoices on time and in full. 

XX/XX/XXXX We contacted our account rep to discuss a sudden billing change for the maintenance contract on our Xerox 550 production machine. We expressed concern that our maintenance bill amount had gone from approximately $ 133/month to over $ 1800/mo, without notice or due cause. The maintenance contract is billed each month based on usage, and the usage listed on the bill received did not reflect our actual usage. 

XX/XX/XXXX Our rep advised that she had reached out to our past rep, and he explained that we are not under a maintenance agreement at all. After we corrected the reps by explaining we do have a contract, Xerox asked us to provide copies of our invoices so it could be researched. On XX/XX/XXXX, the invoices were supplied to Xeroxwhich we will note should be a responsibility of the service provider. 

XX/XX/XXXX Our rep then reached out to state Xerox 's listed meter reads ( or copy counts ) for the machine, and asked us to verify. Here are the results from XX/XX/XXXX : Xerox stated color copy counts read 382,048 vs the actual read of 433,899 Xerox stated black copy counts read 166,163 vs the actual read of 270,341 Even noticing the discrepancy, Xerox did not send a tech out to correctly record the meters. 

XX/XX/XXXX Our rep emailed stating he would look into the issue, and that it would take weeks to hear back. It was discussed that the discrepancy must have come from an incorrect initial meter read at the beginning of the contract. 

XX/XX/XXXX Our rep again contacted us and asked for photographs of the machines meter reads. These were supplied as requested. We noted they had just printed almost 150,000 mono impressions for political mailers, which was completely out of the norm our their use. The meter reads were : Color copy counts : 435,341 Black copy counts : 423,087 ( Note : Xerox invoices showed the reads on the most recent invoice to be 398,488 and 170,363 respectively for color and black. ) ( No communication for the next month ) XX/XX/XXXX We contacted our rep by email requesting : A copy of signed maintenance contract Removal of all late fees, because they accrued during the dispute investigation Correction of online billing to correctly list any invoices from XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX as current or paid, because the online system showed them as unpaid, despite Xerox verbally agreeing the account was current Correction of online billing to remove invoices from XXXX and XXXX totaling {$2400.00}, as Xerox had verified those as incorrect and not due. 
Creation of payment plan offer from Xerox so we could address the balance due in a reasonable timeframe Removal of {$10.00} per month charge for manual meter reads Set up of the machine under contract for electronic meter reads, as it was intended from the contract start. 

XX/XX/XXXX Our rep acknowledged the requests and offered to get each item taken care of. 

XX/XX/XXXX Our rep stated in email that Xerox would not be able to adjust any bills in dispute. 

At that time, we chose to investigate on our own and contact legal representation. Our Command Workstation logs show all jobs printed with date and time stamp, user who created the job, number of pages, page size and color/black usage. We then compared the totals of our logs to each invoice and noted discrepancies. This process took weeks to complete. 

XX/XX/XXXX Our rep emailed XXXX to announce the bills from XXXX and XXXX were removed from the online billing account, so they would not show as due. ( Note they are still showing as due in our account as of XX/XX/XXXX. ) XX/XX/XXXX We had yet to receive a payment plan for the balance due, and chose to pay the balance due based on the verified copy counts from Command Workstation logs. We paid a total of {$4300.00}, which was the correct per-copy rate times the factual number of copies/prints made. We omitted late fees from this payment. 

XX/XX/XXXX The most recent invoice for XXXX activity was received, and false copy count numbers were again billed. A clear marker of the disparity is the machines color meter read. XXXX states the final meter read on XX/XX/XXXX was 476,582. The machines meter read 10 days later on XX/XX/XXXX was just 454,361. My client again downloaded the job logs to find that they were charged for 19,230 color impressions versus the actual job logs stating 5,505 color impressions. 

XX/XX/XXXX We provided a written formal dispute notice for 11 bills received between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. 

Since receiving bills in XXXX, we have also added them to the dispute. 

XX/XX/XXXX We received a resolution from Xerox stating : " I have received your request to process credit for the late charge invoices XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX. An internal credit was processed in the account in order to remove the late charge invoices mentioned above based on the adjustments previously process under source invoices XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX. 
We have appealed the resolution, and are reporting the situation for unfair collections practices. We continue to receive late fees during this dispute. '' " Meter read usage was underestimated during all this time, in this case almost 2 years since installation date. 

When current and valid meter read was reported by the customer back on XX/XX/XXXX ( Color 434276, Black 290380- meter read charges billed via invoice XXXX for {$5500.00} ), the system billed the usage to current, in this case generating a high-amount invoice based on what was explained, since meters were not reported for almost 2 years and they were underestimated all that time. See copy of spreadsheet attached to check the meter read trend, for further details. 

This unit does not bill a monthly allowance, however meter rate increase is effective every year ( meter rate effective from XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX ) since unit was installed back on XX/XX/XXXX, so if reversing all invoices showing an incorrect/estimated meter read ( since wrong estimation started ) and processing the rebill, the meter read usage up to date will be distributed among all invoices affected with the applicable meter rate billed on each. '' They have now re-spooled 22 months of bills, with again estimated copy counts, new amounts due, and are expecting all bills to be paid. They are turning the account over to collections.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation