Consumer complaint received 2016-09-21
Company: R.M. Galicia, Inc.
State: CA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.)
Issue: Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt was paid

Complaint:
Had account with XXXX. Paid my bill every month. 6 months ( XXXX to XXXX ) after opening account, utility co sends bill for {$940.00}. When I called they claimed they did n't read my meter properly because they could n't get to it and this was the " back bill ''. Strange thing is, they turned my gas off due to potential leak the week prior to receiving this bill because the meter reader said the meter was acting weird which tells me they obviously had access. Meter was on side of house in front, no gates/dogs/other obstacles. When I called and explained this, the customer service rep told me ( exactly ) " well, you must have moved your fence recently ''. Instead of acknowledging their error, they accused me of basically relocating my fence lines to inhabit access and then moving them back, which due to the yard set up would have been physically impossible. Gas bills typically run approx {$60.00} a month. Not only did I pay between $ XXXX each month, they are trying to tell me my gas bill was really an extra {$150.00} a month which is n't feasible. We left at XXXX every day and came home around XXXX. Did n't run the wall heater, only used electric heaters and rarely cooked because the oven did n't work and the stove was sketchy. I spoke to neighbors ( who would have been even more difficult to reach due to the dirt road further down in winter ) who used their gas all day every day with fireplaces, heaters, ect and they all vouched for never seeing a bill over {$100.00} and that was worst case scenario. The gas company has refused from the beginning to provide any sort of proof/documentation after repeated asking. They refuse to send me back receipts of all my paid bills. There is no possible way my gas bill was anywhere near {$200.00} a month. They insist they did n't have access ( because I apparently like randomly picking up my fence and moving it around I guess ) even though they proved they did when the meter reader shut off the gas due to a glitch on the meter. As far as I am concerned, my bills were paid, I cut them a payment every month for what they billed me for, I do n't owe them a dime more. This collection account is pure fraud. They are trying to collect money not owed to them, they know it 's not owed and that 's why they ca n't provide a single shred of legitimate documentation and refuse to provide me with a full disclosure on every bill sent to me and the payments made. When a company attempts to accuse you of manipulating landscaping and bully you instead of providing the information requested, they know they are wrong. I have disputed this through the credit bureaus numerous times and have gotten nowhere. I 'm tired of seeing this fraudulent charge on my report and having to explain this ridiculousness every time I go to get a car or rent a house. This collection company has either been totally duped by XXXX or they are even more crooked then the utility company by continuing to collect on a false debt.

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