Consumer complaint received 2018-01-09
Company: Overton, Russell, Doerr and Donovan, LLP
State: OR
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive enough information to verify debt

Complaint:
I have been making {$35.00} per month payments to repay a {$700.00} medical debt for an XXXX. The original medical account is with XXXX XXXX XXXX, with whom I agreed to pay the monthly amount. I am XXXX and as I discussed with XXXX XXXX, I do not have the income to pay more than this. 

In XX/XX/XXXX I received a letter from Overton, Russell, Doer and Donovan, LLP and discussed this issue with one of their telephone operators. I explained that I was making payments and the person I spoke with said it did not matter, XXXX the company can still report me to a credit collector. I explained that I am XXXX and just moved so my paperwork would take a while to get organized and the persona assured mesa s long as I was speaking to them, there would be no problem. The balance on my account was {$2100.00}. I explained that I only owed {$700.00} and insurance was supposed to cover the remainder of the costs, as they had with all of my other expenses at that time. 

I collected all of the payments and documentation from the insurance company that confirmed that I was covered and mailed these out certified mail, XX/XX/XXXX. 

In the interim I received a letter from some agency ( I can not find the letter as of this moment ) stating that I was covered and these charges would be reviewed. 

I received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, I received XX/XX/XXXX with a new amount of {$95.00} of which I thought was the reconciled balance owed to the hospital. On XX/XX/XXXX I attempted to call in and confirm that it was reconciled and make the final payment. I spoke to " XXXX '' and found out that this was an additional bill. He told me that if I did not have the account number on it, it would not have been looked into. They say they have not received the letter I sent to them previously ( obviously received by XXXX XXXX ) and that the other amount was still open and due. I asked why I have not seen invoices/statements not his and they told me they were a debt collection agency not a billing company. I also requested to XXXX that a request be made to verify this debt and he said they could not do that - it was private information. I asked to speak to XXXX manager, XXXX who reiterated that same information and elaborated that " they just send out notices periodically '', I asked what they base that on and she said it is on a case by case basis ''. So I asked what were the requirements and she said " it is not her department '' and then hung up on me while saying " have a nice day ''. 

I am concerned that with their " notification policies '' that they will submit this incorrect information to the credit report gin agencies and I will lose points on my ratings. I have dealt with this agency before and they should not be allowed to start collections proceedings without the proper documentation and without proper notification to collect debts. I also believe that this practice is detrimental to all Americans who are forced to play within this system. If I have to provide a certified letter to show that they are receiving my information, should n't ; t they have to provide a certified letter to make sure of when I am getting their letters?

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation