Consumer complaint received 2017-10-30
Company: CMRE Financial Services, Inc.
State: CA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
The following letter was sent to the collection agency CMRE ( on XX/XX/XXXX ). It contains the letter I sent to XXXX XXXX XXXX after they deceived me with a Switch and Bait while awaiting care in their Emergency Dept. on XX/XX/XXXX. 
The following is the letter I sent to CMRE. 

CMRE FINANCIAL SERVICS, INC XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Ca XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX The debt you refer to is NOT VALID. READ LETTER BELOW. 

To : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
XXXX XXXX Ca XXXX XX/XX/XXXX Re : your letters of XX/XX/XXXX ; XX/XX/XXXX ; XX/XX/XXXX. 

This matter is resolved. Your clerk, a XXXX/XXXX XXXX XXXX employee, on XX/XX/XXXX, at sometime between XXXX and XXXX XXXX, called me to Window 3 in the Emergency Dept. waiting room, and informed me that my visit that day would be free of charge. I took her at her word. This is classic Bait and Switch, and will be treated as such by me and my representatives. Your first letter of XX/XX/XXXX, stated that I may qualify for a full or partial discount. With an annual income of {$8000.00}, a full discount should be given, but when I called to request it I was brushed off and instead sent 2 more threatening letters, promising to send me to a Collection agency. 

The following has also been forwarded to the Office of Governor XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, American Hospital Association , Office of Civil Rights. 

This incident is a Bait and Switch deception that XXXX XXXX XXXX deceived me with. On XX/XX/XXXX, I was in the waiting room of the Emergency Dept. at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, Ca. I had checked in with the triage nurse. I was in XXXX XXXX with XXXX XXXX ; this had been going on for some 8 days. With no health insurance, I had tried to live with it, but XXXX XXXX and XXXX caused me to visit an Urgent Care that day, which sent me to the hospital. After five hours of waiting, a XXXX XXXX XXXX clerk/employee ( the hospital is run by XXXX ) called me to Window 3. SHE CALLED ME ; I DID NOT REQUEST TO SPEAK WITH ANYONE! This was sometime between XXXX and XXXX XXXX. She informed me that my visit that day would be free of charge. I showed her my XXXX XXXX XXXX card, and informed her that I did not have XXXX XXXX XXXX ( which covers Emergency Room visits ). However, she reiterated that my care that day would be free of charge. I had been considering leaving the ED at this point, as at age XXXX I was so weak that I could no longer sit up, saw those with less pressing health concerns ( such as a XXXX XXXX in the XXXX! ) given a bed, and was extremely weak being unable to eat or even drink water without great pain. However, a mere several minutes after this XXXX clerk called me to Window 3, I was given a bed in the Emergency Dept. Since XXXX informed me that my visit that day was free, I decided to stay. 
I was diagnosed with XXXX, a common problem for many over the age of XXXX. I received a XXXX with XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and a XXXX. The emergency physician, XXXX XXXX, XXXX, spoke to me for about 30 seconds, but at no point did he examine me! 
Now here 's the Bait and Switch scenario. Some weeks later, while still recovering, I received 3 bills : one from XXXX for {$5800.00} ; one from XXXX XXXX XXXX for {$1000.00} ; another from XXXX XXXX XXXX for {$420.00}. ( This bill did not even state what it was for! I am assuming it was for reading the XXXX XXXX. ) These bills total to {$7200.00}! For a simple diagnosis at that! 

CMRE, IN ATTEMPTING TO TERRORIZE ME REGARDING THIS BAIT AND SWITCH SCENARIO VIA XXXX, YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN THEIR FRAUD AS WELL. FRAUD IS A CRIME, BOTH CIVIL AND CRIMINAL. I WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY THUGS SENT TO TERRORIZE ME SO A GREEDY, FOR PROFIT HEALTH CARE COMPANY CAN BAIT AND SWITCH ME AND CHARGE OVER 4 TIMES WHAT XXXX WOULD PAY! TO REITERATE : XXXXXXXX XXXX  EMPLOYEE INFORMED ME MY VISIT WAS FREE OF CHARGE FOR MY XXXX XXXX, XXXX EMERGENCY DEPT.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation