Consumer complaint received 2019-08-26
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Franklin Collection Service, Inc. (CA)

A few days ago my husband and I were looking at our credit reports. We decided to take a look because we received a reminder about the XXXX Data Breach and how they were settling with consumers. We figured we better take a look to see that nothing fraudulent was on the report in case we needed to make a claim ourselves. What we saw was a collection company called Franklin Collection Services.

At first I didn't know what the account was about since there is no  account number or much information about the account. My husband called the number listed on the credit report for Franklin Collection Service and figured out it was for an XXXX account. We  did have XXXX in the past for both internet and landline services and we had a horrible experience with them. After months of bad or no service, repeated calls for repairs that would take sometimes multiple weeks for a serviceman to come, and outright torture with customer service, we cancelled them. We notified them properly of the cancellation however and didn't just decided to ignore them. All that is besides the point. 

When my husband spoke with the representative for Franklin Collection Services he was very courteous and simply asked them if he could simply pay whatever XXXX was claiming was owed and have it removed from my credit report so we could all move on with our lives. The representative said no. My husband informed the representative that he understood that she was a collector but that there were a lot of discrepancies with this account and that the amount owed was contested. First of all, no one ever notified us that this bill was owed. We confirmed it because the collection agency gave us a wrong address. Secondly, no one ever called us to inform us of this debt at least not to my knowledge. I will admit that because I've been getting so many spam calls, robo-calls, and the fraudulent environment that we currently live in, I am a little hesitant to just speak to anybody or give my personal information over the phone anymore. Regardless of that, I didn't know I owed money to XXXX. 

When my husband began explaining this to the representative, the representative told him they can't remove accounts from the credit report because they are just a third-party collector and are hired to collect. My husband being the clever man he is asked her point blank, " if you are just hired to collect, then why are you credit reporting? Also, since I am offering to pay you, why will continue to report it on my wife 's report afterwards? '' Her response to that was that XXXX  didn't allow them to remove accounts from the credit report. Again, my husband thinking outside the box asked this question. " Franklin Collection Services is on my credit report and not XXXX. What does XXXX have anything to do on whether you credit report this or not? '' The representative began giving a lot of confusing answers and basically trying to impress upon us that they are just a third party collector that has no power or say over anything except to collect. My husband quickly retorted that if that was truly the case then why report at all? After a back and forth argument and explanations from both the collector and my husband, the collector advised my husband to file a dispute letter to have XXXX  remove this account. We considered doing so but decided we needed to speak to a supervisor first. 

The supervisor 's name was XXXX. He was much more courteous and understanding than the collector but ultimately the talks with him broke down as well. During the conversation with him, my husband informed him of everything that had transpired with XXXX   and with the previous representative he had just spoken to. XXXX said he understood but pretty much gave us the same answers. My husband began giving him more details such as how XXXX never gave us proper service. He began describing that on at least three different occasions, we spoke with XXXX  to come repair their devices or their internet connection because we would receive no service at all. Furthermore, because there was no internet, our landline also didn't work. Whenever we called XXXX for repairs, they wouldn't send a technician out for a week and sometimes maybe more. We fought with XXXX over this on several occasions and asked why we were paying a monthly bill for services not rendered. Finally after several months of going back and forth with them of us having no service and XXXX not sending techs for a week or more, we informed them we were leaving them. 

After telling XXXX all of this he said that there was nothing he could do because XXXX never credited us with anytime other than the pro-rated last month for cancelling midway through services. Because of that he didn't see a valid dispute and would simply ask XXXX  for validation of debt. My husband then asked if that entailed an actual response to our complaint or simply a ledger or itemized statement of what their charges were? XXXX said the latter. My husband then asked how that is any type of response to our dispute? XXXX  can claim we owe them for monthly services but how does that address the fact that we would go without internet and a phone for over a week at a time. Or all the time spent on the phone with XXXX being dealt terrible customer service with complete carelessness from their side. Or about the fact that because we would work from home and without internet or landline service we either couldn't work or our work was extremely inefficient therefore costing us time and money? XXXX just said that all he could do is ask for validation. 

I hope you can understand that this is extremely unfair. Owing someone money is one thing. Someone telling you money is owed to them when they arent providing you with service is another. Someone not telling you money is owed and then sending you to collections when they know they were not providing you with their promised services and you notified them on multiple occasions about it is yet another. What XXXX is doing is wrong. This debt is not legitimate and what Franklin Collection Services is attempting to tell me is also wrong. This debt is highly disputed, not valid, and to keep this on my credit report knowing full well the situation of what XXXX has done means Franklin Collection Services can no longer feign ignorance or that they have no say in the matter. They are the ones credit reporting this on my credit report and need to stop before I decide to escalate this matter further.