Consumer complaint received 03-09-2016 about Debt collection (Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.)) with AFNI INC. (CA).
Issue: Disclosure verification of debt
Sub-issue: Right to dispute notice not received

Complaint: Back on XXXX XXXX I contacted AFNI INC because there was an XXXX account that was on my credit report. I had disputed it the month prior and had received investigation results from the credit bureaus stating that the account had been verified with the collection agency AFNI. Because I 've had my XXXX account since it was XXXX XXXX I was very disappointed and frustated to see that there is a debt owed to XXXX and that it was being verified. 

When I spoke with AFNI I spoke with a representative named XXXX. Besides the fact that it took 21 minutes to be able to get a hold of a regular collector, I was very concerned to hear that the debt stemmed from an account I co-signed for a friend from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX. Although I did sign for this account, I was never once notified that there was ever any deficiency balance. Because the service lasted the entire 2 year contract with no notifications of any money owed, I asked where the bills were being sent to. I was given an address that I never lived at. 

When I asked the collector where the collection agency was sending the collection notices I was more shocked to hear they said it was my address I live at now. I was shocked to hear that because I 've only lived at my current address for 2 years. This debt originated in XXXX until XXXX. This was years before I lived at my current address. Furthermore, I 've never received any notices that they claimed were sent to my address. When I asked if they had ever tried calling me they also gave me XXXX numbers that did not belong to me. They did state that no phone contact was ever made. 

When I asked if I could simply pay the debt and have it removed from my credit report because I have never received any notification of the debt and therefore never given an opportunity to dispute the debt they said no because they never " got any return mail. '' I then asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor who spoke with me was named XXXX. I re-explained the situation to XXXX on how I only found out about this debt because I saw it on my report recently. I was never notified about it by mail nor by phone and now that I am finding out about it trough the credit reporting, I would like to take care of it and have it removed from my credit report for that same reason. The supervisor said no because she claimed I was receiving notices and that they sent me the notices to my current address. Furthermore, she said that XXXX XXXX XXXX had provided an e-mail address of XXXXXXXXXXXX and therefore I had been contacted. I informed the supervisor that I 've never had that e-mail address and that now I was gravely concerned. I 've had the same yahoo e-mail address for over 10 years and that is n't it. She also said she got my address for this debt from XXXX XXXX XXXX which is highly unlikely since my current address did not exist at the time this debt originated from. After much arguing and deliberating back and forth, she simply tried to transfer me to another supervisor and then to the customer relations department. I was sent straight to a voicemail. 

I understand that this is possibly a debt I owe. I did sign for it many years ago and the possibility that a balance exists is something I wo n't deny even thought the fact that the phone service was completed raises many questions its even legitimate. My concern is that I 've never been given notification of the debt and therefore never been given the proper chance to dispute it or even acknowledge it 's legitimacy. As I quoted the law to the collection agency ( XXXX ) a statement that unless the consumer, within XXXX days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid by the debt collector ; The law says after receipt of notice not simply when they sent it. Because they have no proof that this was ever received by me, they are in violation.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation