Consumer complaint received 2017-07-21
Company: ERC
State: MD
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive notice of right to dispute

Complaint:
XXXX terminated my cellular account & service on XX/XX/XXXX. The termination was executed by a XXXX employee/agent during the course of a telephone call I made to complain about lack of coverage. XXXX has misrepresented cellular service coverage in XXXX prior inquiries I made. The XXXX agent acknowledged XXXX 's lack of service coverage in the area, offered to terminate my account & service, & advised me that I would be sent a return reauthorization number & shipping label to return the XXXX XXXX that I had leased from XXXX ( when I opened the account in XX/XX/XXXX ). I never received the return authorization number or shipping label. Furthermore, notwithstanding my repeated calls to XXXX to have the return authorization & shipping label sent to me so that I could return the XXXX, I never received either -- & was never contacted by XXXX with other instructions. I also attempted several times to return XXXX 's XXXX XXXX to three different XXXX ( brick- & -mortar ) stores. None of the XXXX XXXX XXXX stores or their employees, including store managers, would accept the phone for return. Rather, on every occasion I was directed by XXXX stores & employees to contact XXXX XXXX & to return the XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX. Months went by. I called XXXX repeatedly in XX/XX/XXXX & again in XX/XX/XXXX. In my conversations with various XXXX employees, including self-designated managers, I was advised that my account was closed & that I woudl be contacted ... again ... with instructions for returning the XXXX XXXX. I never received any instruction, return authorization number or shipping label. During the period from XX/XX/XXXXthroughXX/XX/XXXX XXXX, notwithstanding the fact that it has terminated my account & cellular service, was stiull assessing cellular service charges against my account in the amount of {$50.00} per month & assessing the XXXX lease charge of {$23.00} per month. After XX/XX/XXXX, I called XXXX to demand that it stop assessing service & leasing charges against my account & that it send me the return reauthorization & shipping label to return the XXXX XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I called XXXX yet again & spoke with, XXXX, an Account Manager in its Financial Care Division, who advised me that he was submitting an OCA form to XXXX 's Cash Apps Team to have the XXXX Return Reauthorization executed & to have my terminated account updated to reflect the return of the XXXX XXXX, & to have the illegal cellular service & leasing charges assessed from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX & XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX promised me during the recorded ( by XXXX ) telephone conversation that he or someone else from XXXX XXXX XXXX would contact me within 7 days to follow up on the status of the XXXX return authorization & corrections to the billing records reflecting the removal of the illegal cellular service & XXXX leasing charges. XXXX never contacted me. On Monday, XX/XX/XXXX, I pulled my XXXX Credit Report in advance of my plans to purchase a new car later that day. I pulled the XXXX XXXX Credit Report because I planned on financing the purchase of the new car with an auto-purchase loan. The XXXX XXXX Credit Report revealed that XXXX had assigned a {$550.00} debt collection to a debt collection agency named Enhanced Recovery Corporation ( XXXX, FL ). As a result of the adverse credit report & debt collection assignment by XXXX to Enhanced Recovery Corporation, my FICO credit score dropped from XXXX to XXXX. I contacted XXXX again & spoke with two different Account Managers, XXXX XXXX XXXX, in the XXXX XXXX XXXX Division. Both advised me that on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX had designated my account, including the XXXX XXXX -- which is still in my possession ( in perfect condition, boxed, & ready to return to XXXX ), as a ... '' 'write-off '' & that on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX had assigned the write-off in the amount of {$550.00} to Enhanced Recovery Corporation . On thhe same day, XX/XX/XXXX, I called & spoke with XXXX at Enhanced Recovery Corporation. I explained all of the above to her & that I still had the XXXX XXXX & that I was perfectly willing to return it to XXXX or to Enhanced Recovery Corporation. In the debt collection write-up, Enhanced Recovery Corporation advised me that XXXX had charged me {$270.00} for the XXXX XXXX & aprpoximately {$280.00} for cellular service from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX& for the monthly XXXX leasing costs of {$23.00} for the same period, & {$32.00} for the debt-collection assignment fee. XXXX & Enhanced Recovery Corporation refused to accept return of the XXXX & advised me that even if I made payment of {$550.00} to Enhanced Recovery Corporation that same day -- or had XXXX contact Enhanced Recovery Corporation to terminate the debt-collection action, Enhanced Recovery Corporation ... would NOT remove the debt-collection report against me ( to the credit reporting bureaus!!! As my other car was totaled in an accident, yesterday I had no choice but to proceed with the purchase of a new car. Because of the adverse credit reporting by XXXX & Enhanced Recovery Corporation, which resulted in my FCIO score dropping to XXXX, I was forced to agree to an auto-purchase loan with XXXX XXXX at an interest of ... .7.99 %!!! That 's nearly 4.5 % more than the interest rate I would have qualified for with my prior FICO score!!! And furthermore, I had to accept a 72 month amortization level to get my monthly auto-loan payment to an affordable amount, {$370.00}, which is {$65.00} per month more than I would have paid with a 3.5 % auto loan over a 60 month amortization period. I ask that XXXX & Enhanced Recovery Corporation remove the debt -- collection action against me, advise all the credit reporting bureaus of the removal, & that XXXX & Enhanced Recovery Corporation send me a reauthorization & shipping label to return the XXXX XXXX. I also seek compensation for the damages caused by XXXX & Enhanced Recovery Corporation for the escalated finance costs that I was forced to assume in the auto-purchase loan agreement.

Company public response: Company believes complaint caused principally by actions of third party outside the control or direction of the company
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation