Consumer complaint received 2020-06-08
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: False statements or representation — Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company: ERC (FL)

- On XX/XX/XXXX I went to an XXXX  store with my wife to buy an XXXX. While there the salesman offerred us a special joing XXXX/XXXX  " special '' because we were buying an XXXX. The special was that XXXX would install their system for free and that we would only have to pay about $ XXXX/month for basic service ( we only considered it for our young son to watch cartoons on basic service, we don't watch any premium services ). They explained only our first bill would reflect some fees ( totaling about {$130.00}, that we had to pay ( that would be " rebated '' ) and that our service would be about {$30.00} thereafter. 

- On XX/XX/XXXX they installed the system - The first bill we received in XXXX was for {$70.00} ( almost twice what we had agreed upon ). I called to dispute, sitting on hold for more than an hour waiting for various people to help me. They apologized and said it would be corrected on the next bill. 

- The next bill came in XXXX and was also $ XXXX ( twice what was represented. ) I called again to dispute and again sat on hold for more than an hour. At this point they said they couldn't discuss until the account was not delinquent so I paid the {$150.00} amount ( for 2 months ). Again, they told me the amount would be corrected on the next bill. 

- The next bill came in XXXX and was even higher at {$82.00}! Again I called to complain, again sat on hold for more than an hour and again was told it would be " escalated & corrected ''. I told them if they couldn't correct the constant billing errors to take back their equipment and cancel my service. They apologized profusely and assured me this time it would be corrected. It never was. 

- The next bill came in XXXX and like the others before was more than twice represented, again I sat on hold for more than an hour and again was told they couldn't discuss until the account was not delinquent so I paid the {$130.00} amount ( for 2 months ). Again, they told me the amount would be corrected on the next bill. 

- The next bill came and FINALLY, after 5 months, was the correct amount at about {$30.00}. 

- This would only last about a month, as the next one came in as before at double that again. By XXXX we were back to XXXX XXXXmonth and {$110.00} past due and I had a new regular monthly job waiting on hold for hours at a time XXXX. 

- By XXXX I was feeling like I had been straight out defrauded and shaken down ( every month needing to do multiple hour+ long calls ) So I contacted XXXX to speak to a manager about being defrauded and filled out an XXXX/XXXX  dispute form. They told me that they couldn't help me because the contract I had was actually with a " division of XXXX that was especially for XXXX  and not XXXX itself '' and that I'd need to contact the XXXX/XXXX. I contacted the XXXX/XXXX  and was told the exact opposite. Each phone call an hour plus and each phone call ( that I wasn't disconnected, transferred or hung up on afte waiting an hour+ ) ended in me being told they couldn't help me and that I'd have to call the other. 

- By XX/XX/XXXX, I was given a FINAL NOTICE that my service would be terminated and that I owed {$130.00} ( I had been double charged and been double paying for almost a year at this point ), called for another hour+ call and told them to come pick up their equipment that I had been defrauded and didn't want the service anymore. They said they would send someone to pick up the equipment. As usual, they never did what they said, no one showed up, and on XX/XX/XXXX the disconnected my service and said I owed ( somehow 5 days later ) now {$150.00}. 

- My bank checked my credit which to my shock showed a XXXX collection of {$680.00}!!! I have been defrauded by XXXX/XXXX  an now they have also ruined my credit!!!