Consumer complaint received 2024-11-25 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Written notification about debt — Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company: Collection Bureau of America Ltd.
State: CO

Complaint narrative:
I was contacted repeatedly by Collection Bureau of America regarding an alleged balance owed to XXXX XXXX. I was a customer for 12 years. When I sold my house, I terminated service and was advised I had a XXXX balance. The equipment was picked up ( water machine ), empty bottles and full bottles. 

I have not received a statement, call or anything from XXXX since terminating the service in XX/XX/XXXX. Collection Bureau of America contacted me regarding this debt. I requested an itemized statement ; what I received was not itemized and had services included on it that I never had with XXXX XXXX ( I.e., water filtration and coffee maker ). There was no break down and did not appear to even be a statement from XXXX XXXX but something created by Collection Bureau of America and placed on their own letterhead. I responded by email to Collection Bureau of America on XX/XX/XXXX and they did not respond ; I reached out to Collection Bureau of America by phone after 5 days and they said someone named XXXX would call me. She finally did call me on XX/XX/XXXX. I informed her that I did not receive a proper itemized statement within 5 days as required and that her company did not respond back to my email. She blamed that on another department at Collection Bureau of America who sends the emails and acknowledged that they didn't send an itemized statement to me from XXXX XXXX. She said that the person I talked to at XXXX must have given me bad information that I had no balance. Fine, but why didn't I receive an itemized statement from them between XXXX and XXXX? She also stated that they went through the itemized statement with me twice - this is an outright lie. I had to chase them down after receiving no response to my email pointing out that what they sent is not an itemized statement, nor was it even from XXXX XXXX. 

At this time, I have still not received the itemized list of charges. I tried to contact XXXX XXXX to get an itemized statement and they would not speak to me because I'm not a current customer. I did inform them of the situation and they just refer me back to Collection Bureau of America. I acted in good faith but neither Collection Bureau of America XXXX XXXX XXXX have done so. After being a loyal customer of XXXX for XXXX years, I'm astounded and am unable to validate the debt owed. I question that Collection Bureau of America attempted to create a statement on their own letterhead. The lack of communication and rudeness of the people I've spoken to are inappropriate, unprofessional and uncalled for. 

Attached is the " statement '' I received. The only service that I did have was for the water cooler, which shows XXXX. I did not have coffee or filtration services. This is not an itemized bill from XXXX and reflects dollare figures slapped on the Collection Bureau of America 's letterhead. It is highly questionable whether they are really representing XXXX XXXX. I implore the CFPB to intervene as appropriate and hold this collection agency accountable.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation