Consumer complaint received 2024-08-26
Product: Debt collection — Medical debt
Issue: Written notification about debt — Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company: W&A Intermediate Co., LLC (TN)

Debt collector : Wakefield & Associates , LLC Earlier last year XXXX I found a lot of unknown charges on my credit report. W & A had never contacted myself prior to this. I had never received previous contact from this debt collector so I had to do some researching to get a contact number as I did not recognize any of the debts ( See XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX below ). Contacting Wakefield & Associates they confirmed that it was all medical debts but did not divulge dates or from whom/where the debts were from.

More debts continued to pile onto my credit report absolutely destroying my credit. Eventually they began to send mail with various account numbers for their company and we call them up again. They told me where to look online on their website to view the debts. At the time when I checked their online records all it stated were various unrecognized names/companies/investment groups, unrecognized dates, unrecognized amounts and on the XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX amounts they had included interest on supposed medical debts which I am not sure is actually legal. There were no procedure info, hospital/doctor office/lab info etc. At this stage I had contacted XXXX to remove these unrecognized debts from my credit report but W & A had managed to convinced them that the accounts were legitimate. I then decided to contact the XXXX  after being unable to get anywhere with W & A to use the XXXX as a mediator to try and get any clarification. I had requested any and all verification of the debt, W & A took far longer than a month to send a verification letter.

The debt verification sent was just a list of the supposed debts and amounts including on some the interest accrued. None of the amounts or original creditors were recognized. 
Trying to access the online account at this point is now impossible for some reason. 

We try again to verify the debt at a later date and get access to the online account. Still unable to gain access to the online account but am still unable to log in, the lady on the phone from W & A is unable to help but explains how to manually request debt validation through email. My husband fully requests everything and anything they have. This time two letters are eventually sent on day 29 after requesting, these are again the lists of supposed amounts owed and 3 individual pages of 3 of the debts in more detail but yet lacking detail and not really recognized, they have not included hospital/doctor office location, procedure code, diagnosis code and on two of them for again XXXX XXXX do not include patient DOB, date of procedure or even original amount or provider name. 

Below is the apparent debts and details as listed. From Debt " Validation '' Letter XX/XX/XXXX which is the last time they have been in contact with me Creditor - Service Date - Amount Placed- Placed Date - Balance XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I am covered by 100 % financial assistance between XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Some of these dates relate to the dates I had financial Assistance however W & A refuse to honor it saying that the dates are either not covered or it is not from the correct provider, however the problem with that is then these are not my debts as I only attended a single hospital during those dates which gave the financial assistance.

W & A does not explain what the debts are especially XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX debts are, where they are from or where they acquired them so it is impossible to verify. 

W & A constantly changes my account number so it is impossible to keep track on the online portal... I may have even more than they show in the letters I have received.

The multiple letters of " Verification '' do not actually verify or clarify anything, on the one that might actually verify the dates do not match up to anything they have listed and the XXXX XXXX related sheets don't show anything other than amounts and unrecognized dates. 

In my view Wakefield & Associates have not verified ANY of the debts, they have not even shown where they acquired the debts or basic information that could lead to my own self verification. They have negatively affected my credit score/record whilst all the time on the phone saying that they have all the details without release any real details. 

I can provide letters, account numbers, the " verification '' letters and show that they are trying to mislead with constantly changing their own account file number for me making it impossible to view the accounts online. Being in contact with the hospitals I have attended they say that I owe nothing from those dates. 

I feel that I have been more than patient in giving them two chances to validate the debt including giving them more than 30days through the XXXX. I feel as if they are purposefully obfuscating my ability to view the account online. I believe that they are either hiding greater detail of the debts from myself or are actually unable to properly verify the debts which may mean that the debts are not legitimate especially because over the last year the debts themselves have been added to or removed making it all the more difficult to actually keep track. They have been difficult to deal with, slow and even refusing to accept the financial assistance which other debt collectors have honored however even the hospitals/doctors offices that I have attended do not recognize the debts. All this over the last year has caused great mental anguish, stress and even indirect financial hardship through the incredible amount the credit score has been affected.

I demand that they remove the debts and remove it from my credit history and that Wakefield & Associates , LLC be penalized