Groman's Music

This is in response to your June 30, e-mail regarding the complaint issued against us by [redacted] *** Our records indicate the following: July 18, – *** Distribution ( [redacted] Water) sent us Mr***’s account for collection in the amount of $ July 19, – A collection notice was mailed to Mr [redacted] providing him his consumer rights and the option to pay the account within days to prevent it from being sent to the credit reporting agencies We assume delivery of the notice because it was not returned by the post office July 31, - [redacted] Distribution reported a $payment to us and asked us to adjust the balance by an additional $for return of their cooler This left a balance owing of $ August 3, – A second collection notice was mailed to Mr*** It too was not returned so we assume delivery August 22, – We coded the unpaid account to be sent to the credit reporting agencies to be listed in Mr***’s credit reports December 11, – We received a letter from Mr [redacted] asking us to settle the account for $and an agreement it would be removed from his credit reports(copy attached) December 12, – We responded with a letter we were not in agreement with the terms of his letter and if he paid the account we would update the account but it would not be deleted(copy attached) May 18, – Mr [redacted] called and spoke with our collector *** He told her he was calling to settle the account She told him there would be no settlement and that when paid we would update the account to show it paid and closed on his credit report He said he would be mailing a cashier’s check to us that day This call is recorded and I have listened to it There was never any mention from either party that the account was to be deleted in exchange for the payment We simply do not do that May 21, – We received Mr***’s payment of $ May 26, – A request was sent to the credit reporting agencies to update the account’s balance to show paid in full June 13, 2015- I received an e-mail asking if we would remove the account from his credit reports (copy attached) June 15, – I mailed Mr [redacted] a letter explaining why we don’t delete paid accounts(copy attached) Please note that our records for this account do not match the accusations made in Mr ***’s complaint in that: We did contact him about this account The two collection notices mailed to him in were not returned so we assume delivery In July a payment was reported by our client and notice the cooler had been returned Although not substantiated, the timing of this activity coinsides with our collection notices sent in early July Mr [redacted] contacted us for the first time December 11, so he knew as early as that date, if not earlier, that the account was in our office for collection but his complaint insinuates he learned about the account when he pulled his annual credit report in May No agreement was made by anyone in this office that we would delete his account after it was paid We only remove accounts for the following reasons outlined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act: The account was placed for collection in error The account can no longer be re-verified The account is too old to be reported None of these reasons apply to Mr ***’s account Sincerely, Terry GT [redacted] Vice President & COO

Mr [redacted] has also submitted a complaint regarding his Duke Energy Carolinas account to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Listed below is our 12-9-response· 11-25-– Duke Energy Carolinas sent the account to our office for collection in the amount of $ The account is for power service provided in the name of [redacted] at a service address of [redacted] **, Unit #***, Durham, NC It was connected on 8-1- · 11-26-– We mailed Mr [redacted] a pre-collection notice which included his consumer rights and validation notice Our notices are sent through the National Change of Address Register (NCOA) and also coded as “Change Service Requested” This means if a new address is on file with the post office, the piece will we forwarded and we’re notified of the new address We do not show any mail was returned so we assume our mail was delivered · January 23, – Having received no response from Mr***, we mailed him a collection notice It provided him with days to pay the account to prevent it from being sent to the credit reporting agencies That date would have been February 26, When that didn’t happen, we sent the account to the reporting agencies on March 18, Mr [redacted] should please note under § 809(a) [U.S.C1692g(a)], a debt collector must provide a consumer with notice of certain rights afforded to the consumer under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) Those rights were in our 11-25-notice to him The FDCPA “requires only that such validation notice be ‘sent’ by the debt collectorA debt collector need not establish actual receipt by the [consumer].” Once a debt collector is able to establish proper and timely mailing of the validation notice, courts presume it was received shortly thereafter unless the consumer can produce evidence to the contrary Without any evidence the notice was returned, the inference would be that the validation notice was not returned, thereby establishing receipt of the notice by the consumer · June 11, – Mr [redacted] called to inform us he had paid his account directly to Duke Energy Carolinas on June 10th We advised him to allow some time for the payment to be reported Our collector specifically noted that Mr [redacted] understood the account would be updated to show as paid but it would not be removed · June 12, – We posted the payment Duke Energy Carolinas reported to us We reported the balance update to the credit reporting agencies the same day · June 18, – We received a dispute from [redacted] Mr [redacted] told them the account was closed and paid before it became a collection account We responded the account was correct as placed but the balance should be shown as paid · June 18, – We received a dispute from [redacted] that Mr [redacted] told him he was not liable for the account We responded the account was correct as placed but the balance should be shown as paid · June 26, – We received another dispute from [redacted] claiming the account was paid before it became a collection account We responded the account was correct as placed and paid · July 13, – We received another dispute from [redacted] claiming the account was inaccurate We responded the account was correct as placed and paid As someone who is familiar with the importance of credit I am sure Mr [redacted] can understand why it is important for potential creditors and others to have as much information as possible to make an accurate assessment of an individual’s credit worthiness Our agency consistently reports accurate, verifiable and factual accounts to the credit reporting agencies Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act collection accounts remain a part of your credit for seven years from the date of delinquency We treat everyone the same and we don’t request the removal of paid accounts from the credit reporting agencies unless an error has been made, the account is too old to report or can no longer be re-verified Base on the information available to us none of those circumstances apply to this account We suggest that he consider adding a consumer statement to his credit files explaining the circumstances surrounding the account The statement would be made available to those who access his credit file in the future We have shared to Mr***’s complaint to the Revdex.com with Duke Energy Carolinas and listed below is their response: We do not show where the customer contacted us to advise he was moving and request for the service to be taken out of his name The Duke Energy account closing was not dependent upon the lease termination for his apartment complex We do not run social security numbers to see if our customers have moved from a locationThe customer is responsible for contacting us and requesting for the service to be taken out of his name The customer was originally billed for service thru 10/14/ The account was scheduled for disconnection due to non-payment on 10/20/ We mailed the customer a bill on 9/15/advising of the balance at that time of $ The bill also included a disconnect notice advising the customer that the past due amount of $should be paid by 5:p.mon 10/17/to avoid disconnection The last payment we had received at that time was on 6/9/ We received a call from another individual on 10/20/who stated that he and a roommate had been living at the location for at least months and that the previous tenant had the service still in his nameWe conducted an investigation and confirmed that the new tenants moved in on 8/16/ The new tenant also agreed to assume responsibility for the charges from the time he moved in We adjusted the billing on account [redacted] to bill [redacted] thru 8/16/instead of 10/17/14, reducing the final bill balance from $to $ The new tenants were held responsible for the usage from 8/16/forward We received a call from [redacted] on 6/10/and he wanted to pay the balance on the account A payment of $posted to the account 6/11/ He also requested that we send him something showing that the debt had been paid in full and provided us with his email and mailing address We can provide the customer with a Charge off Paid letter; however, it has to be mailed business days after the payment posts to the account to ensure the payment does not return The letter was mailed and emailed to the customer on 7/17/ The customer also requested a month bill history, which was mailed to the customer 6/11/ The customer chose to leave the service in his name and is responsible for the billingThe bills were mailed to the address the customer providedThe customer made no attempt to contact us to provide us with a forwarding address nor request the service be taken out of his name

Due to the nature of the complaint, we will respond to Ms [redacted] via written communication and provide her with validation as required by the FDCPA Ms [redacted] should allow days to receive our response

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: 12291515 I am rejecting this response because: You are reporting to the Credit Report Agencies as Interstate Credit Collections against my SSN [redacted] Date of Birth 8/24/1977. Account Number 833051X. You purchased an account for pennies on the dollar and I do not have nor had I ever had a contractual agreement with you. Your Claim is Unverifiable. You do not have proof that your company has the right to collect from me or report false information to the credit reporting agencies. You do not have any documentation where my signature is noted that I went into an agreement with you regarding any account that I have or that I have ever had. Which makes your Claim Unverifiable. Yet again, you have failed to provide me with a copy of any viable evidence, bearing my signature, showing the account is being reported accurately. Be advised that the description of the procedure used to determine the accuracy and completeness of the information is hereby requested. Additionally, please provide the name, address, and telephone number of each person who personally verified this alleged account, so that I can inquire about how they "verified" without providing any proof, bearing my signature. As per FTC opinion letter from Attorney John F. LeFevre, you should be aware that a printout of a bill or itemized document does not constitute verification. I am again formally requesting a copy of any documents, bearing my signature, showing that I have a legally binding contractual obligation to pay you the alleged amount. Be aware that I am making a final goodwill attempt to have you clear up this matter. The listed item is inaccurate and incomplete, and represents a very serious error in your reporting. I am maintaining a careful record of my communications with you for the purpose of filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Attorney General's office, should you continue in your inaccurate non-compliance of federal laws under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the corresponding local state laws. I further remind you that you may be liable for your willful non-compliance. Failure on your behalf to provide a copy of any alleged contract or other instrument bearing my signature may result in a small claims action against your company. I would be seeking a minimum of $1,000 in damages per violation for: [redacted] Defamation [redacted] Negligent Enablement of Identity Fraud [redacted] Violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (including but not limited to Section 807-8) [redacted] Violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (including but not limited to Section 623-b) You will be required to appear in a court venue local to me, in order to formally defend yourself. I demand that you remove all inaccurate false reporting for Trans Union, Equifax or Experian at once. P.S. Please be aware that dependent upon your response, I may be detailing any potential issues with your company via an online public press release, including documentation of any potential small claims action. Cc: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Cc: Attorney General's Office Cc: RevDex.com Regards, Shameka [redacted]

Based on the information provided by Ms [redacted] in her complaint, I am not able to locate an account in our system I suggest Ms [redacted] contact our office at 800-325-so we may assist her further

We will request deletion of account # *** from Ms***'s credit report

Due to the nature of the complaint, we will respond to Ms*** via written communication and provide her with validation as required by the FDCPA. Ms*** should allow days to receive our response

The original complaint received did not provide enough information for us to locate an
account. Based on the additional information provided by Ms***, we have been able to locate the account in our system. Due to the nature of the account, we will respond to Ms*** via written communication at the address provided in her complaint. Please allow days for us to complaint our investigation of her complaint. If Ms*** would like to contact our office directly, she can reach us at 1-800-325-

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint:
I am rejecting this response because:
I never received ANY notices regarding this account (please provide an address in which you sent these notices to and I can provide you with a letter of residency from any of my landlords from that time, the letter in December was NOT sent by me, but by a Credit Repair Organization, in which I no longer do business with due to reasons I will not provide, and the email I sent you was used as Goodwill Intent BEFORE I filed my Revdex.com complaint, in order to give DataMax a chance to make good on their promiseLike I stated before, if you can place something on my Credit Report, you can remove it as wellI will make other arrangements and contact other resources if you cannot provide adequate information as to these notices I "supposedly" received in before the account was placed in collections.
Regards,
*** ***

The account referenced in this complaint: Duke Energy *** was turned over for collection on 09/03/ The consumer was given written notice that the account had to be paid in full within days from 09/03/to prevent the account from listing on her credit file The
account was paid in full 08/11/2015--almost a year later The account is listed on her credit file as a paid collection

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint:
I am rejecting this response because:The statement given by the third party entity did not address my main concern in my original disputeI am not disputing or asking for debt validation, I am requesting these items be removed from the following credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TranUnionThis is on the line of unreasonable publicationThis company, which I hold no contract with nor have received services from, reported a collection account against my social security number in the amount of $with the aforementioned credit agenciesConsidering this business doe not have a contract with me for goods or services they have provided no proof of a signed contract with Data MaxI have agreed to satisfy the balance with the originating companyI demand the business remove the negative report against my SSN at any credit reporting agencyIn addition, the business have no contact in any form with me regarding this account now or in the futureLastly, agree to remove my personal information from all accounts in the companies database
Regards,
Kendra ***

They have failed to verify or show proof of a contract.assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejeThey cting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint:
I am rejecting this response because:
Regards,
Kenyeta ***

RE:
windowtext 1.0ptpadding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt">
Account #
Client
Amount
Date Sent to Collection
Date Paid
***
*** *** ***
$
08-22-
12-16-
***
*** *** ***
$
12-31-
12-18-
***
*** *** ***
$
01-07-
12-18-
This is in response to Mr***’s
complaint to the Revdex.com regarding the accounts referenced
above Our records indicate that collection notices
were sent to Mr*** for each account noted above and none were returned by
the post office so we assume delivery.
Each notice provided Mr*** with days to pay the accounts in
full to prevent them from being sent to the credit reporting agencies.
As someone who is familiar with the
importance of credit I am sure Mr*** can understand why it is important
for potential creditors and others to have as much information as possible to
make an accurate assessment of an individual’s credit worthiness. Our agency consistently reports accurate,
verifiable and factual accounts to the credit reporting agencies. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
collection accounts remain a part of your credit for seven years from the date
of delinquency We
receive requests like Mr***’s on a regular basis and, upon the advice of
our legal counsel, treat everyone the
same. We don’t request the removal of
paid accounts from the credit reporting agencies
We are sorry to hear of Mr***’s
health issues and suggest that he consider adding a consumer statement to his
credit files explaining the circumstances surrounding the accounts. The statement would be made available to
those who access his credit file in the future.
There are three credit reporting agencies within the United States. They are listed below with their mailing
addresses for his benefit. He will need
to mail his consumer statement directly to them with his name, current home
address and social security number
Equifax: P O Box 740256 Atlanta, GA 30374-0256
Trans
Union: P O Box 390 Springfield, PA 19064-
Experian:
Experian Way Allen, TX
Sincerely,
Terry
GT***
Vice
President & COO
Read More Customer Complaints:
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[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint:
I am rejecting this response because:as before mentioned---there was NEVER a letter of "cease and desist" nor anything stating that I "refuse to pay" sent via fax from meIf so, please provide PROOF along with the other items in my previous response as you have days from the day you received itThere has been an ongoing dispute in which your company still has not verified any of the items requested. Be advised this is not a refusal to pay, but a notice that your claim is disputed and validation is requested. Under the Fair Debt collection Practices Act (FDCPA), I have the right to request validation of the debt you say I owe you. I am requesting proof that I am indeed the party you are asking to pay this debt, and there is some contractual obligation that is binding on me to pay this debt.This is NOT a request for “verification” or proof of my mailing address, but a request for VALIDATION made pursuant to USC 1692g Sec(b) of the FDCPA. I respectfully request that your offices provide me with competent evidence that I have any legal obligation to pay you. If your offices are able to provide the proper documentation as requested in the following declaration, I will require days to investigate this informationAlso, during this validation period, if any action is taken which could be considered detrimental to any of my credit reports, I will consult with my firm’s managing attorney for suitThis includes any listing of any information to a credit-reporting repository that could be inaccurate or invalidatedIf your offices fail to respond to this validation request within days (now DAYS) from the date of your receipt, all references to this account must be deleted and completely removed from my credit file and a copy of such deletion request shall be sent to me immediately. It would be advisable that you and your client assure that your records are in order before I am forced to take legal action. CREDITOR/DEBT COLLECTOR DECLARATIONPlease provide the following: • Agreement with your client that grants you the authority to collect on this alleged debt.• Agreement that bears the signature of the alleged debtor wherein he/she agreed to pay the creditor.• Any insurance claims been made by any creditor regarding this account.• Any Judgments obtained by any creditor regarding this account.• Name and address of alleged creditor.• Name on file of alleged debtor.• Alleged account number.• Address on file for alleged debtor.• Amount of alleged debt.• Date this alleged debt became payable.• Date of original charge off or delinquency.• Verification that this debt was assigned or sold to collector.• Complete accounting of alleged debt.• Commission for debt collector if collection efforts are successful Please provide the name and address of the bonding agent for INTERSTATE CREDIT COLLECTION in case legal action becomes necessary. Your claim cannot and WILL NOT be considered if any portion of the above is not completed and returned with copies of all requested documentsThis is a request for validation made pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
Regards,
Mark ***

I am rejecting this response because:
It was my mistake in trusting my friends who took over my lease to make payments to, and close, the account with Duke Energy after my friends terminated the lease in August (Duke Energy would not allow me to transfer the account to them because these friends are international students without social security numbers.) I had learned my lesson--that some "friends" do not keep their promises -- by paying what they owed to Duke Energy as soon as I found out (in June 2015) about their failure to take care of the Duke Energy accountSince these friends are international students, I have no way to collect from themI never knew that I had to provide the post office with a forwarding address, since I had never expected any mail to be sent to me at the address that I vacated (because I assumed the Duke Energy account would be closed by my "friends" when they terminated the lease in August 2014)Therefore, I was not aware of any of the events related to the Duke Energy account after May (when I left the apartment) until June (when I saw the collection item on my credit file)I have not yet consulted legal advice on the point that you do not have to prove mail delivery to me, but given that I have already made Duke Energy whole, it would be helpful to me if the collection item is removed from Equifax's credit file, especially when I never received any of your letters (as can be verified by the manager of the apartment)I do not understand your insistence on leaving this item on my credit file, since it does not reflect my behavior as a consumer -- I have never deliberately left a debt unpaid in my lifeBut if you are not persuaded to remove it, I will work with the credit agency to seek deletion of this item
Regards,
*** ***

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ***

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint:
I am rejecting this response because: You are reporting to the Credit Report Agencies as Interstate Credit Collections against my SSN *** Date of Birth 8/24/Account Number 833051XYou purchased an account for pennies on the dollar and I do not have nor had I ever had a contractual agreement with youYour Claim is UnverifiableYou do not have proof that your company has the right to collect from me or report information to the credit reporting agenciesYou do not have any documentation where my signature is noted that I went into an agreement with you regarding any account that I have or that I have ever hadWhich makes your Claim Unverifiable. Yet again, you have failed to provide me with a copy of any viable evidence, bearing my signature, showing the account is being reported accurately. Be advised that the description of the procedure used to determine the accuracy and completeness of the information is hereby requested. Additionally, please provide the name, address, and telephone number of each person who personally verified this alleged account, so that I can inquire about how they "verified" without providing any proof, bearing my signature. As per FTC opinion letter from Attorney John FLeFevre, you should be aware that a printout of a bill or itemized document does not constitute verification. I am again formally requesting a copy of any documents, bearing my signature, showing that I have a legally binding contractual obligation to pay you the alleged amount. Be aware that I am making a final goodwill attempt to have you clear up this matterThe listed item is inaccurate and incomplete, and represents a very serious error in your reporting. I am maintaining a careful record of my communications with you for the purpose of filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Attorney General's office, should you continue in your inaccurate non-compliance of federal laws under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the corresponding local state laws. I further remind you that you may be liable for your willful non-compliance. Failure on your behalf to provide a copy of any alleged contract or other instrument bearing my signature may result in a small claims action against your companyI would be seeking a minimum of $1,in damages per violation for: * Defamation * Negligent Enablement of Identity Fraud * Violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (including but not limited to Section 807-8) * Violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (including but not limited to Section 623-b) You will be required to appear in a court venue local to me, in order to formally defend yourselfI demand that you remove all inaccurate reporting for Trans Union, Equifax or Experian at once. P.SPlease be aware that dependent upon your response, I may be detailing any potential issues with your company via an online public press release, including documentation of any potential small claims action. Cc: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Cc: Attorney General's Office Cc: Revdex.com
Regards,
Shameka ***

Based on the information provided in Ms*** complaint, I am unable to verify that we have an account in our system. Ms*** should contact our office at 1-800-325-for assistance

Account #*** Amount Owed: $708.00Responsible Party: *** ***Patients: *** * ***Client: DrTodd RTibbs, DDS, PASent to Collection: 10-30-2009Our records indicate the information noted above for this account We also have the responsible party's
social security number and date of birth on file from our client's records If Mr*** does not think this account is hers we will need to see a copy of her ID / Driver's License and her social security card She can fax a copy securely to 336-777-or mail a copy to DataMax-Interstate Credit Collections, Coliseum Plaza Court, Winston-Salem, NC We ask that she please include a copy of this complaint or reference the account # *** After we validate her ID, if the account is for a different *** ***, we will have it removed from her credit reports If she had additional questions, she can also speak with one of our collectors by calling 800-325-4013.Sincerely,Terry T***Vice President - COO

Based on the information provided by Ms. *** in her complaint, I am not able to locate an account in our system. I suggest Ms*** contact our office at 800-325-so we may assist her further