Consumer complaint received 2019-09-10
Company: WAKEFIELD & ASSOCIATES, INC.
State: TX
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
Approximately a month or so ago, my girlfriend received a notification on her phone saying that a significant change in her credit score had taken place. This was due to a new account being added to her credit report from a creditor by the name of Wakefield and Associates on behalf of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX appears to be a group of physicians located in XXXX XXXX, Texas outside of XXXX. According to our XXXX  search XXXX appears to be a apart of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. which is no longer an open business.

The amount the creditor is asking for is {$1400.00} and the account was opened on XX/XX/XXXX. Not only would she have been completely covered by her place of employment, ( which at the time was XXXX ), but we reside in XXXX XXXX and have never once received medical care from XXXX XXXX, TX, nor does XXXX  cover the XXXX XXXX area according the various websites describing XXXX.

The reason i'm making this complaint primarily is due to the inherently sketchy nature of these two businesses. If you search XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on XXXX, it doesn't have a website, nor does it have a photo of the location. All the info on it is from various secondary sources and most of it doesn't corroborate each other.

If you read the complaints on google or any type of comment regarding XXXX, every single one rates it as a scam due to either, no ER or physician visit, no notice or bill, or living nowhere near the coverage area. Some even have company covered insurance AND received no medical treatment.

Here is an example : XXXX XXXX 4 months ago Received a letter that I was in collection because I went to the ER when I was pregnant back in XX/XX/XXXX!!! And I get the collection bill now!! And I had XXXX!!!! What Im the world is this!? What kind of clinic is this that tells u More XXXX XXXX 2 months ago Yall honestly got to stop sending me dept collectors mail. I have never been to this clinic and never will. I don't know how yall got my information. But, yall need to stop. I will go there in person to resolve this issue!

H 5 months ago This place popped place popped up on my credit report as a collection for {$1100.00}, anyone been successful in getting it off their credit file? Im filing disputes now. What a mess!

XXXX XXXX 4 months ago I received a bill from this company and they are very rude. My bill was sent to XXXX billing for ER visit or something. I escalated calls and was simply asking to get XXXX  code disclosure. They are undertrained and unfamiliar with billing More Minding my own Business 6 months ago I don't live in this city and I got a collection notice. This is fraud and I am filing a police report and filing a dispute. This company stole my information. People, please take charge and fight this company they are stealing people More XXXX XXXX 5 months ago FRAUD!! Reported XXXX $ Sent to collections. I called the company, and they arent finding me in records. They say its a patient not seen situation, and blamed the ER and Hospital.

These were just a few of the 60+ similar complaints against this company.

Wakefield and Associates sports a similar track record in 100+ negative review, many of which indicate that the commenters believe the company is involved in the scam somehow. Originally my girlfriend and I attempted to contact Wakefield and Associates and on the other end of the receiver it just sounded like yelling and carrying on. Realistically it sounded like someone's living room. The next time we phoned them, the line was just answered as " Hello? '' We explained the basic details of our issue and were immediately asked for a full social security number. When we said " we were not comfortable providing that information over the phone '', she just asked for it again as if we hadn't said a word. The loudness and " living room '' sound in the background continued.

I understand that all y'all do is a basic investigation and share the details to the authorities and the companies, but I feel that this ACS is committing some type of fraud in regards to sending false accounts to creditors. For every medical issue my girlfriend went to a doctor for, she had an address here in XXXX XXXX, TX, yet at no point did she ever receive a single notice or explanation as to what is owed. She has also been covered by XXXX and briefly by XXXX 's workers compensation during the entire period in question. Something is incredibly fishy here.

We would like to know what, officially, the account on her credit report is for, where it came from, when it occurred, etc.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation