Consumer complaint received 2015-04-29
Company: Alternative Revenue Systems, Inc
State: CO
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.)
Issue: Disclosure verification of debt
Sub-issue: Not given enough info to verify debt

Complaint:
I am being harassed by a collections agency, who according to XXXX complaints and others that have been shared publically, are very good at scamming additional fees from people who can not afford it. They have very clearly avoided contact with me, and have refused to provide me with an itemized account of the fees they are charging me, even after I agreed to pay. Now, despite the fact that I agreed to pay on XXXX XXXX, they are unwilling to accept my money and have filed in court for additional fees that have more than doubled the original amount. They have provided false names, they have refused to let me speak to anyone above them, claiming that they ( multiple people using the same name ) are XXXX XXXX, the supposed owner of the company. According to the state website, the owner is a XXXX XXXX XXXX, not XXXX XXXX. 

Here is my story, and I hope that someone can help to force them to act ethically and honestly. I am a XXXX veteran, as is my husband, and we are trying to raise our XXXX children on XXXX income. We can not afford to be scammed out of our money. 

I received a call in late XXXX ( XXXX ) regarding an account I had not been using at XXXX. I was told the amount I owed, which seemed excessive. I agreed to pay the amount less any charges beyond an overdraft fee. The young man stated he would call me back after he spoke to his manager regarding the fees. 

He called my husband 's phone in early XXXX ( XXXX ), who, due to a XXXX, told the man to contact me. It was n't until XXXX XXXX the I received a call stating that I had to appear in court on XXXX XXXX, 2015. I explained that I could not appear, but that I had previously agreed to pay the amount. He advised me he was no longer willing to settle and that I had to appear in court. I asked to speak to his manager, at which time he told me that he, XXXX XXXX, was the manager. I did n't believe him due to his demeanor, and stated that I would then like to speak to the owner. He then told me that he, XXXX XXXX, was the owner. 

After stating several more times that I was willing to pay the amount, he told me the amount was now more, including additional fees and attorney 's fees. I asked him the amount so that I could pay it, but he could n't provide it. Instead he told me he was no longer " willing to settle ''. I told him it was unfair because a ) I had already agreed to settle the first time I was contacted but never received a call back ; and b ) because I had never received an itemized account despite several requests. He became very angry and hung up on me. 

I tried calling back the same day and left a message with a young man that stated I had to speak to " XXXX XXXX ''. I told him that I was fully aware that no such person existed and the young man became flustered and stated he would have the owner call me back. I received no return call. My husband then tried on Monday, the XXXX, and was told 3 separate times that " XXXX XXXX '' was unavailable. I called again on XXXX XXXX, and finally the mysterious " XXXX XXXX '' answered the phone. I asked, again for the itemized list and was told that it was filed with the paperwork at the courthouse. I asked him if he was n't supposed to legally provide me with any documents that were filed in court, and he explained that because it was an initial meeting, he did not, that it was only required prior to a hearing. I then asked him several more times, and he repeatedly told me I could access the documents at the courthouse. I finally stated " so you 're refusing to provide me a copy? '' and he finally agreed to mail me out a copy. 

I have researched this company, and I fear that they are master scam artists. They purposely did not call me back, and and instead, filed at court so that they could receive additional fees, despite the fact that I told them I was more than happy to pay what I owed. Even now, they are refusing to accept my money.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation