Consumer complaint received 2026-05-05 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Aldous & Associates, PLLC
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/year>, while I was traveling abroad in XXXX, XXXX, Aldous & Associates PLLC pressured me into authorizing a {$580.00} payment for a debt I do not owe. The debt was based on charges that accrued AFTER my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX membership had been cancelled in writing on XX/XX/year>, with same-day written confirmation from the gym. Cancellation in writing : On XX/XX/year> at XXXX XXXX EST, I emailed XXXX stating I was cancelling my membership. At XXXX XXXX EST, two minutes later, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX replied : " Receipt confirmed. Thanks in advance for the review & come in for the month you just paid for anytime champ. '' This satisfied my contractual cancellation requirement of " 30-day written notice delivered to the club 's address. '' I had also fulfilled the 3-month minimum term obligation through three monthly payments totaling approximately {$310.00}. Despite this confirmed cancellation, XXXX XXXX XXXX ( the gym 's billing processor ) continued charging me for XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, and XX/XX/year>. The unpaid balance was then referred to Aldous & Associates for collection. Aldous 's first contact with me was an email dated XX/XX/year>. XXXX days later, on XX/XX/year>, I called Aldous at XXXX to discuss the debt. The call lasted 12 minutes. During the call, I orally disputed the debt, stating I had already cancelled. The Aldous representative responded, in substance, that there was a risk of my " credit score dropping or bureau the moment this call ends '' if I did not pay. I authorized a {$580.00} payment under that pressure. The amount was debited from my XXXX XXXX checking account on XX/XX/year>. Aldous 's website ( aldouslegal.com ) states that disputes sent by electronic mail " will not be processed and reviewed '' and that all dispute communications must be mailed to XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX. I was physically located in XXXX, XXXX throughout XX/XX/year>. My XX/XX/year> XXXX XXXX XXXX statement shows continuous transactions in XXXX, XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/year>. I could not reasonably mail a physical letter from XXXX to XXXX within the 30-day FDCPA validation window. This mail-only policy effectively eliminated my federally protected right to dispute the debt in writing within the required timeframe. Aldous 's conduct potentially violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, including but not limited to : 15 USC 1692e ( 2 ) ( A ) : false representation of the character or amount of the debt ( the debt was for charges accrued after a confirmed written cancellation ) 15 USC 1692f ( 1 ) : collecting amounts not authorized by agreement ( the underlying agreement had been cancelled ) 15 USC 1692e ( 5 ) : threat of action that can not legally be taken ( urgent credit reporting threat used to coerce immediate payment ) 15 USC 1692g : validation requirements ( payment was extracted only 4 days after first contact, before the 30-day validation window expired )

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation