Consumer complaint received 2015-08-25
Product: Debt collection — Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.)
Issue: False statements or representation — Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company: Credence Resource Management, LLC (FL)

The collection agency is Credence Resource Management aka Credence XXXX. They have aXXXX XXXX bill from when I was at a company conference earlier this year. Because I had not yet completed my deductible for the year, I initially owed about {$950.00} on this debt. Because I was sick for much of the beginning of the year XXXX I was not able to pay this bill in full to the original creditor, XXXX XXXX XXXX. The only payment options I was offered by the original creditor was the balance over 12 months, which I could not afford. 
The account was placed into collections on XXXX/XXXX/15 with Credence. Everytime I go online or call in, my balance has gone up again. I initially called them on XXXX/XXXX/15. They did not check to make sure I was the right person and only told me they were debt collectors after we had spoken for quite a while. That day I went online and made a payment for {$10.00}. 
I called in again today to make another payment and I spoke with XXXX XXXX XXXX or XXXX? ) and he was unable to answer questions about the account, the interest rate and the collection fees so he put a manager on the phone, XXXX XXXX. XXXX states that Credence RM is charging 6 % interest per annum on my account, however in the just 24 days they have had the account, the balance has increased by {$28.00}. On top of this they charge a {$5.00} processing fee for online payments or debit card payments. I noticed that 6 % per year should only be $ XXXX/year on a balance of {$950.00}. I asked manager XXXX XXXX about this, he said it was so much because the annual interest accrues daily. I asked him if this is not different than 6 % per annum he stated and he said I need to talk to their attorney, XXXX XXXX, in their " concern '' department which they also call their legal department. He repeatedly stated only the attorney could explain the math to me. Then XXXX offered me, for today only, that I could pay the original balance of {$950.00} ( guess I would just lose the payment I already made ) today and he would not charge me the interest that has accrued so far. I explained to him that I have been sick since the beginning of the year and just do n't have that much available. 
While I was on the phone with the XXXX the manager, I tried to locate the attorney XXXX XXXX through XXXX and my state bar association, but was unable to locate any attorney by that name. XXXX spelled the name for me after I insisted several times. I asked the manager XXXX what state the attorney is licensed in as I was unable to locate any contact information for him. He then admitted XXXX XXXX is not really an attorney, just a staff member in a different department. 
The collection agency is willing to let me make small payments but they ( NOT the original creditor ) are charging me interest on this medical bill, at a high enough rate that will mean I will never pay this off, only watch the interest grow and balance get larger while I pay the collection agency to collect my account and pay convenience fees for the " pleasure '' of that collection.