Consumer complaint received 2020-08-12 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Sentry Credit, Inc.
State: OR

Complaint narrative:
Dear Consumer Finance dot Gov : I am having difficulty with a Collection Agency that refuses to do the basics to let me clear up the false claim by XXXX XXXX that I owe them any money. 
1 ) The copy of the contract that they sent me is too small to read and they will not send me a new copy. 
2 ) A ) They read me an answer from XXXX XXXX saying that the contract said that I broke my contract with them by not supplying a working phone line. I asked for a copy of that letter and Sentry Credit said they would mail it to me, but they did not. 
B ) I also told them that I had proved to XXXX that I did supply a working phone linethat has worked for 15 years and is still working. I have attached a copy of a recent email with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX saying that he checked it last year and he just checked the phone line at the alarm box, and it is still working. This is enough to prove that I did not break the contract and that they did by not making sure their 15 yr old alarm equipment was in working order. 
3 ) I was with XXXX XXXX for 15 years. I had a 5-year contract that expired but they now say there is a hidden clause in the contract that renews it every year. And they say I did not supply a working line as required by the contract., which is not true. 
4 ) I have proved to them many times and XXXX has also spoken to XXXX XXXX who told them that the line has been working uninterrupted. 
B ) What was not working is the XXXX XXXX. First the Sound Equipment stopped working leaving me with only door alarms, which  is not what I signed up for. But then the cellular back up that they provided me stopped workingbut showed on my keypad that it was working when it was not. 
XXXX demanded I sign up for another 5 yrs. of contract in order to get them to fix their equipment or if I would not sign another contract, they wanted {$5000.00}. I told them I was firing them. They told me then I had to pay them for another year of service when I had not been getting any service for last year while we argued it out and now it is totally disconnected and they want over XXXX dollarsand then they lied and said I was a month behind in my monthly payments which was not true.they never sent me a past due notice and I paid my bills monthly. Now they have ruined my credit trying to get money for a system that has not worked for quite some time. I keep telling XXXX and Sentry Credit that you can not charge someone when you are not providing them with the service you are supposed to provide. And now they have added interest too! 
5 ) The credit agency sent me some letters that they say XXXX sent me but that I never received. It seems that XXXX and Sentry credit have been working together doing this scam on many of their other customers too and it has been lucrative for them, as they falsify paperwork and refuse to accept proof of their broken and outdated old equipment, they rely on gaslighting and causing harm to their customers credit in the middle of a pandemic no less! I have been in business for 35 years and I have always paid my bills and have never had anything bad on my credit record. But what is the defense against 2 companies who are willing to lie and break laws to line their pocket at the expense of an honest hardworking XXXX older woman. I would call these people predators who have no moral compass nor any respect for the law nor do they seem to care if they break the law because they have a system of bulling people with less money then them into paying for nothing else but to clear their credit record. But they chose the wrong target this time. I will stand up and speak truth to power. 
I need them to : A ) Void their false invoiceand give me an updated copy showing I have a XXXX balance. 
B ) I also need them to contact the credit agencies and tell them that they made a mistake and there are no funds due and to delete this false invoice from my credit record. 
C ) I need to know which credit agencies they reported this false invoice to and I need them to in writing provide me with proof that they cleared up this mistake showing that I never owed any money to XXXX  or Sentry Credit. This false claim to funds from me has been disputed from day one. 
D ) I need the girl who keeps calling me from Sentry Credit to mark my records as void and closed and that they were disputed from day one. 
E ) If they refuse to drop this case, they must mark the invoice as DISPUTED and they need to stop talking over me when I am trying to explain to them that I have proof that I dont owe them any money. I have my computer TECH guy who is willing to testify to the fact that their equipment had not been working for some time before I cancelled my service with them. I also have the XXXX XXXX Technician who is willing to testify that it is their equipment that is old and faulty and not the phone lines that we have proven over and over to be in good working order. 

F ) AGAIN I MUST RE STATE THAT NO ONE CAN BE EXPECTED TO PAY A BILL FOR A SERVICE THAT THEY ARE NOT RECEIVING AND NO ONE CAN BULLY A PERSON INTO SIGNING A NEW CONTRACT WITH A COMPANY WHO IS NOT PROVIDING SERVICE BUT INSTEAD REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE PROOF BUT INSTEAD CHOOSES TO BULLY AND GASLIGHT TO try to GET illicit FINANCIAL GAIN. And in any case, they have now ruined my credit in the middle of a pandemic so how do they expect me to borrow money to pay them. They seem to have no common sense. 

G ) Please find the attached email from XXXX XXXX saying that the phone equipment was working last year when he checked it and is still working now. 

H ) Thank you for any help in bringing them back to an ethical stance. 
Respectfully, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, Washington is the credit agency that is not following the law and is trying to collect a dept that is disputed and FALSE. 
XXXX XXXX is the alarm company from XXXX Oregon who is trying to get money that is now owed. If anything, they owe me for me paying them for so long when I didnt realize they were just crooked, but I assumed they would in the end get their equipment to work, but alas. 

PS I didnt mention that XXXX XXXX buys their employees XXXX XXXX cars so the employees go along with doing their bidding.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation