Consumer complaint received 2026-03-07 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Federal student loan debt
Issue: False statements or representation — Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company: SMITH, ROUCHON & ASSOCIATES, INC.
State: MS

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting a complaint regarding a collection account related to my former student account with XXXX XXXX XXXX that is currently being reported by Smith , Rouchon & Associates , Inc . The collection account reports a Date of First Delinquency of XX/XX/year>. However, my student account records show that this date does not match the timeline of the charges on my account. According to the official student account statement provided by XXXX XXXX XXXX, significant institutional charges for housing and a meal plan were not posted to my account until XX/XX/year>. Prior to that time, my financial aid had already been disbursed and a financial aid refund of {$2500.00} was issued to me on XX/XX/year>. At the time the refund was issued, my account did not reflect an outstanding balance and showed excess financial aid. Because my account had a credit balance, I was also able to make purchases through the campus bookstore system during that period. This indicates that the account was not delinquent at that time. Despite this timeline, the collection account reports a delinquency date of XX/XX/year>, which predates the posting of significant charges to the account and appears inconsistent with the financial aid refund issued in XX/XX/year>. In addition, when I contacted the collection agency to dispute the debt and request verification, the only documentation provided was a basic student account statement. No detailed verification, contracts, or documentation explaining how the delinquency date or balance were determined were provided. The collection agency also repeatedly informed me that the balance owed was {$4000.00}. However, the student account statement that was later provided did not reflect that amount. After I questioned the balance and requested documentation, the amount associated with the account was later changed. This suggests that the balance being collected may not have been accurately verified before collection activity occurred. If I had not challenged the amount, the incorrect balance may have continued to be reported and collected. Meaning, they never verified it themselves and went with what XXXX XXXX XXXX " told '' them. Because the reported delinquency date does not appear to match the account history and the documentation provided does not adequately explain the discrepancy, I am concerned that the information being furnished to the credit bureaus may not meet the accuracy requirements required under federal credit reporting laws. My XXXX credit report identifies the school as the original creditor and lists the original amount of the collection as {$4000.00}. However, when I reviewed the student account statement from the school, that amount does not appear. Despite this, the collection agency continued to represent {$4000.00} as the balance owed until I questioned it. After I raised concerns, the balance associated with the account was changed to {$3800.00}. This discrepancy raises concerns about whether the amount reported and communicated was properly verified with the original creditor before collection activity and credit reporting occurred. I am requesting that this account be properly investigated to determine whether the reported Date of First Delinquency and the balance associated with the account are accurate and supported by appropriate documentation. I have also submitted a complaint to the XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX regarding the handling of my student account by XXXX XXXX XXXX and am seeking assistance to ensure that the credit reporting and collection activity associated with this account are accurate and properly verified.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation