Consumer complaint received 2026-03-11 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: McCarthy, Burgess & Wolff, Inc.
State: OH

Complaint narrative:
I am disputing an alleged debt related to my cleaning business account with XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX In XXXX I deposited approximately {$750.00} of my own funds into my XXXX account to purchase service leads for my cleaning business. XXXX also added approximately {$250.00} in promotional credit, bringing the total available balance to approximately {$1000.00}. My understanding was that the service operated on a prepaid basis and that lead purchases would stop once the prepaid balance was exhausted. I did not knowingly authorize any charges beyond my prepaid balance and I did not agree to any credit extension or post-pay billing arrangement. However, after the prepaid balance was depleted, additional charges were apparently generated on the account. I was not clearly informed that charges would continue beyond the prepaid balance and I never knowingly authorized additional spending. When I discovered the alleged balance, I disputed the debt and requested validation. On XX/XX/XXXX, I submitted a written request for debt validation under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ). In that request I specifically asked for : A copy of the original signed agreement proving I owed the alleged debt Proof that the collection agency was legally assigned to collect the account A complete itemized statement explaining the alleged charges After that request, the collection agency continued sending notices and contacting me without providing the requested documentation. I followed up multiple times and repeated my request for proper validation. My written communications were sent on : XX/XX/XXXX initial debt validation request XX/XX/XXXX follow-up communication XX/XX/XXXX additional communication regarding the dispute XX/XX/XXXX formal final notice regarding lack of validation XX/XX/XXXX request for confirmation that the file had been closed In these communications I clearly stated that I disputed the debt and demanded full validation before any further collection activity. Instead of providing proper validation, the collection agency sent a brief response dated XX/XX/XXXX stating that the alleged balance was {$1200.00} and identifying the creditor as XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX. The document included a basic account summary listing lead charges but did not include : a signed agreement authorizing the alleged debt proof that I agreed to charges beyond my prepaid balance proof that I agreed to any credit or post-pay billing arrangement documentation showing the collection agencys legal authority to collect the debt Despite my written disputes and requests for validation, the collection agency has continued sending collection communications attempting to collect the alleged debt even in XXXX calendar year. I dispute the validity of this debt because I never authorized charges beyond my prepaid balance and I never agreed to incur additional debt beyond the funds I deposited. I am requesting that the company either provide proper documentation proving that I authorized these charges or remove the disputed balance and cease all collection activity.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief