Consumer complaint received 2020-08-11
Company: Merchants' Credit Guide Company
State: IL
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive notice of right to dispute

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I received multiple alerts from two separate credit monitoring agencies ( of which I pay monthly to monitor ) that there were changes to my reports. After looking at the information, I discovered that there were five separate collections for {$160.00}, {$78.00}, {$60.00}, {$160.00}, and {$54.00} placed on my report by Merchants ' Credit Guide Company for the same medical group. In an effort to rectify this damaging occurrence, I called Merchants ' Credit Guide to inquire about the debt and get more information regarding  each collection. On XX/XX/XXXX I spoke with an agent that stated his name was " XXXX '' and explained to him that I had no idea about the debt that was placed on my report before receiving the alerts and that I needed validation of the debt. He did not help clarify that issue, but instead informed me upon checking the system I owed over {$6000.00} and he asked me how was I going to pay. After letting him know that I did not want to pay something that I did not even know that I owed, he stated that I started racking up the balance with them back in XXXX. I explained to him that I am working towards purchasing a home and there was no way I could receive notice of those amounts, and intentionally not pay knowing that it could possibly hurt my score. I asked why weren't the notices sent to me and he continued to tell me about the amounts and stated it was not his fault I didn't pay. At that point, he told me that he thought I could " get along '' with a supervisor better, said he was connecting me but hung up. I called back only for the same person ( XXXX ) to get on the phone and tell me he was getting his supervisor on the phone. Once the supervisor, whom stated his name was " XXXX '' was on the line, I proceeded to tell him about the situation, including how I was blatantly ignored by the last agent named ( XXXX ). I asked the " supervisor '' why weren't the notices mailed to me so that I would have a chance to rectify the situation before simply sending it to the bureaus and he began calling out doubts that he claimed I should have received a notice. I explained to him that a letter can easily be generated but that did not mean that it was sent to me, nor that I received it, that's why I was inquiring because I never received anything. He rudely yelled, " Well maybe if you would pick up a phone, you would know something! '' Further more he told me " If you had paid the hospital in the first place you wouldn't even be talking to me! '' I explained to " XXXX '' that he had no idea what a consumer was going through at any point and time and had no right to judge. He basically stated that my comment was bologna and I owed money before Covid-19, telling me to pay my darn bills and kept talking over me. He continued to say that my claims have no validity and any company was just going to " let it go in one ear and out the other ''. I would just like to say that I have never spoken with any company that has been more rude than Merchant 's Credit Guide. There is no way anyone should be allowed to talk to consumers the way they do. I pay monthly to monitor my credit so there is no way I would have simply ignored a notice and I believe they were not properly sent. This could very well be the reason there are so many complaints against the company. I'm not the only consumer claiming that they speak to consumers in a terrible and disrespectful way, make false claims and are very inconsistent with proper notification and proceedings.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation