Consumer complaint received 2026-03-12 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — I do not know
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: CAINE & WEINER COMPANY, INC.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint against CAINE & WEINER CO. , INC. ( Original Creditor : XXXX XXXX ) to DEMAND the IMMEDIATE PERMANENT DELETION of their fraudulently reported account from my XXXX XXXX and XXXX credit reports. Caine & Weiner is in direct violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), 15 U.S.C. 1681e ( b ) and 1681i, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( FDCPA ), 15 U.S.C. 1692e ( 2 ) ( A ) and 1692g, the California Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act ( CCCRAA ) at Civil Code 1785.25 ( a ), and the California Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( Civil Code 1788 et seq. ). CAINE & WEINER IS REPORTING CONTRADICTORY, IMPOSSIBLE, AND FRAUDULENT INFORMATION I have attached copies of my credit reports proving Caine & Weiner is reporting fundamentally contradictory data across all three credit bureaus. These inconsistencies are not minor errorsthey are proof that this debt is unverified, can not be validated, and must be deleted immediately under both federal and California law. CONTRADICTORY " DATE LAST ACTIVE '' - PROOF OF ILLEGAL RE-AGING : To XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX To XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX To XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX The Truth : A single debt can not have three different " last active '' dates spanning nearly two years. The XX/XX/XXXX dates reported to XXXX and XXXX are impossible because the " Date Opened '' with Caine & Weiner is XX/XX/XXXX. There is no possible way a collection account opened in XX/XX/XXXX had " last active '' dates in XX/XX/XXXX without any reported payment activity. This is a blatant attempt to illegally " re-age '' this debt, making it appear newer than it actually is to damage my credit score unlawfully. This is a direct violation of FCRA 1681e ( b ) ( failure to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy ) and California Civil Code 1785.25 ( a ), which prohibits furnishing information that is known or should be known to be incomplete or inaccurate. INCONSISTENT " LAST REPORTED '' DATE : To XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX To XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX To XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX If Caine & Weiner can not consistently report the same " Last Reported '' date across bureaus, it proves they lack uniform records and are simply guessing at the data they report. INCONSISTENT " DATE OPENED '' : To XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX To XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX To XXXX : XX/XX/XXXX A difference of four days in the " Date Opened '' further demonstrates Caine & Weiner 's inability to maintain accurate records. INCONSISTENT " HIGH CREDIT '' : All Bureaus : {$530.00} Current Balance : {$350.00} The discrepancy between High Credit ( {$530.00} ) and Current Balance ( {$350.00} ) suggests payments were made, yet the " Date of Last Payment '' is blank across all bureaus. If payments were made, Caine & Weiner can not explain when or why the " Date Last Active '' is being reported as XX/XX/XXXX. ZERO PAYMENT HISTORY : The " Date of Last Payment '' is blank across all bureaus. If Caine & Weiner can not provide a date of last payment, they can not verify when this debt allegedly existed or whether it is within the statute of limitations. DEFAMATORY COMMENT : Equifax 's report includes the comment : " Subject has not satisfied debt. '' This inflammatory language is designed to prejudice potential lenders against me and implies judgment or moral failure. It is an improper and prejudicial comment that should not appear on a factual credit report. CAINE & WEINER IS A COLLECTION AGENCY, NOT A DEBT BUYER Caine & Weiner is a collection agency that does not own the accounts they service. They are merely a third-party collector acting on behalf of the original creditor. As such, they have even less standing to report this debt than a debt buyer would. They must be able to produce strict proof that they are authorized by the original creditor to report this information and that the information they are reporting is accurate. DEMAND FOR PROOF OF AUTHORITY, OWNERSHIP, AND CHAIN OF TITLE Under the California Fair Debt Buying Practices Act ( Civil Code 1788.50 et seq. ) and the California Rosenthal Act ( Civil Code 1788 et seq. ), collection agencies must comply with strict documentation requirements to establish their authority to collect and report debts. I formally demand that Caine & Weiner produce the following documents IMMEDIATELY : PROOF OF AUTHORITY : Written authorization from the original creditor XXXX granting Caine & Weiner the legal right to report this debt on my credit reports. PROOF OF OWNERSHIP : The original signed contract bearing my name and signature from the original creditor XXXX establishing that the debt is validly mine. COMPLETE CHAIN OF TITLE : A full, unbroken chain of custody for this specific account showing : The date XXXX allegedly charged off the account. The date XXXX placed the account with Caine & Weiner for collection. The written contract between XXXX and Caine & Weiner authorizing credit reporting. Proof that Caine & Weiner is reporting this specific account ( Account # : XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) with the express permission of the original creditor. FULL ACCOUNTING : A complete payment history from XXXX showing how the {$350.00} balance was calculated, including all charges, fees, interest, and payments, and explaining the discrepancy between High Credit ( {$530.00} ) and Current Balance ( {$350.00} ). PROOF OF XX/XX/XXXX ACTIVITY : Specific documentation proving any transaction, payment, or communication from me in XX/XX/XXXX that justifies the fraudulent " Date Last Active '' of XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. They can not produce this because it does not exist. PRIOR ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE Before filing this complaint, I disputed this account directly with all three credit reporting agencies. The " Comments '' section on my reports confirms this : " Account information disputed by consumer, meets FCRA requirements '' ( XXXX ), " Customer disputed account - reported by subscriber '' ( XXXX ), and " Consumer disputes this account information '' ( XXXX ). Despite these disputes, Caine & Weiner has verified the information as accurate without providing the requested validation and without correcting these fundamental inaccuracies, violating FCRA 1681i, which requires furnishers to conduct a reasonable investigation upon receiving notice of a dispute. LEGAL VIOLATIONS UNDER CALIFORNIA AND FEDERAL LAW FCRA 1681e ( b ) : Caine & Weiner has willfully failed to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy. The contradictory " Date Last Active '' ( XX/XX/XXXX vs. XX/XX/XXXX vs. XX/XX/XXXX ) proves they are reporting data they know, or should know, is false. FCRA 1681i : Caine & Weiner has failed to conduct a proper investigation of my dispute. If they had investigated, they would have discovered they can not verify a XX/XX/XXXX " last active '' date with no corresponding payment activity and would have been forced to delete the entry. California Civil Code 1785.25 ( a ) : Caine & Weiner is furnishing information to credit reporting agencies that they know or should know is incomplete or inaccurate. The inconsistent dates across bureaus are prima facie evidence of this violation. California Rosenthal Act ( Civil Code 1788 et seq. ) : As a debt collector, Caine & Weiner is prohibited from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Reporting contradictory dates that artificially " re-age '' the debt is inherently deceptive and violates California 's Rosenthal Act, which incorporates the federal FDCPA 's prohibitions. California Civil Code 1785.26 : Creditors and their agents must provide notice before submitting negative credit information. Caine & Weiner has provided no evidence that such notice was ever given. FDCPA 1692e ( 2 ) ( A ) : Caine & Weiner is falsely representing the character, amount, and legal status of this debt by reporting contradictory dates and including the prejudicial comment " Subject has not satisfied debt ''. FDCPA 1692g : Caine & Weiner continues collection activity ( via credit reporting ) without providing debt validation. They have failed to provide proof of authority from the original creditor or any documentation supporting the XX/XX/XXXX activity dates. DEFAMATION : By reporting false information and including the inflammatory comment " Subject has not satisfied debt, '' Caine & Weiner is defaming my character and damaging my creditworthiness to potential lenders. This language is designed to prejudice readers against me and has no place in a factual credit report. CEASE AND DESIST - FINAL NOTICE Pursuant to the FDCPA 1692c ( c ) and California Civil Code 1788.17, which incorporates FDCPA protections into state law, I am ordering Caine & Weiner Co. , Inc. to CEASE AND DESIST ALL COMMUNICATION with me regarding this alleged debt immediately. The only acceptable communication from them is written confirmation that this account has been PERMANENTLY DELETED from all three credit reporting agencies. WHY THIS ACCOUNT MUST BE DELETED Caine & Weiner has proven they can not report this account accurately. The contradictory " Date Last Active '' spanning XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX with no corresponding payment history is not a minor errorit is proof that they have no valid records and can not verify the basic facts of this alleged debt. Under California law, debt collectors bear the burden of proving they have the authority to collect and report debts and that the information they report is accurate. Caine & Weiner has failed this burden.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief