Consumer complaint received 2021-03-03
Product: Debt collection — Medical debt
Issue: Communication tactics — Used obscene, profane, or other abusive language
Company: HEAD MERCANTILE CO., INC. (OH)

A medical bill that I could not afford was sent to SOS XXXX XXXX in XXXX, OH. On XX/XX/XXXX I was at work and the receptionist told me someone named XXXX urgently needed to speak to me. She was a debt collector for the SOS Group. I could not continue to tie up our businesses only line so I offered to call her back from my personal cell phone. When I retrieved my cell phone I noticed I did have a missed call from the number less than one minute before they called my workplace. 

I immediately called Miss XXXX XXXX back and she explained this was an effort to collect debt for a medical procedure. I could not afford the entire bill, around {$2100.00} ( this was one bill of many from a medical event that in total was so high I surpassed my out of pocket insurance limits for the year and still owed ) and offered to arrange a payment plan. I explicitly asked Miss XXXX if this would keep the collections debt from being reported to the credit bureaus ( as I have been asking each collector for this event ) and she assured me it would. We went ahead and set up automatic payments to my card to be deducted each month. 

In mid XXXX my debit card has suspicious activity and my bank froze all of my accounts to investigate until I received my new cards in the mail. The card on file was affected but when they called me, on the Due Date of XX/XX/XXXX, I explained the situation and provided my new card which I had just received and activated the day before. 

On XX/XX/XXXXaround XXXX XXXX. I received an email from XXXX stating there was a new account on my credit report. I investigated and was shocked to see it was a collections account with HMC GROUP which I have never heard of. I called the phone number provided multiple times on XX/XX/XXXX until they opened and explained I didnt know what this debt was. Imagine my surprise to find out the HMC Group was also the SOS Group and I had been reported for a debt I was in a payment arrangement with. I do not remember the name of the representative I spoke with at this time. She was very rude, accused me of lying about being told this would avoid the debt being reported to credit bureaus and was raising her voice. She said she would forward my complaint to a supervisor but I could not speak to them now. 

I decided to call the number again as I was not satisfied with this answer. This time I was connected to Miss XXXX XXXX, who I had originally spoken to in XXXX. I again explained how she assured me this wouldnt be reported. As someone who temporarily lost their job in the pandemic and then had an additional almost month out of work unpaid due to the medical event in question, my finances took a huge hit and it was a stretch for me to afford the monthly payment I agreed to and only did so to save my credit. I asked to cancel my Payment plan if our agreement wouldnt be honored and Miss XXXX made threats including being sued, denying she ever agreed to these terms ( a few co workers were in the break room with me during the initial conversation on XX/XX/XXXX and have said they remember me explicitly asking this ) and raising her voice. As I was asking to speak to a supervisor she actually said things like just pay you bills next time and Im not arguing over this with you and hung up. This is absolutely unacceptable behavior. I have worked in customer service myself and that would never be tolerated under any circumstances. I was crying and emotional due to her lies but I didnt swear at her or call her derogatory names. 

I of course called again and this time was connected to a nice representative named XXXX. This complainant is not at all about her but about the company as a whole and the previous representatives. She apologized profusely and stated multiple times the manner in which I was just treated was unacceptable. Without asking, she offered me the direct line for her Supervisor and advised me to report the behavior. Because she was so kind I agreed to reinstate the payment plan until this dispute is settled. I have no issue paying what I can but I do have an issue with being lied to about this not being reported to credit bureaus to get me to enter this arrangement. 

I have now left 2 messages for the supervisor on his direct line ( I was told his name is XXXX XXXX ) with my name, phone number and the situation. I have not been contacted.