Merchants' Credit Guide Company

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/28) */
Thank you for the opportunity to address Mr***' concernsWe will be happy to work with Mr*** in the manner desired if he will call our Director of Operations, *** *** at (XXX) XXX-XXXX ext***
***
***
President
Merchants' Credit Guide Co

Merchant’s has two accounts that they are reporting illegallyThey never sent me any of the certified notification letters that are required by the FDCPA, they can’t give complete verification of the account with the complete payment history and signed contracts, and they never even sent the FCRA letter that is required days before reporting on my creditThey are doing everything wrong and not only don’t have legal right to report on my credit but they are actually violating federal law

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms*** concerns. I am sorry Ms*** feels she was treated unfairly. We have reviewed the call. Though we know Ms*** circumstances are difficult, a $20/month payment schedule would take months to resolve this
account. Nevertheless, we will agree to a $20/month payment schedule due to hardship. We ask that she try to accelerate the payment schedule if circumstances improve. We have tried calling several times since receiving Ms*** complaint to set up the arrangement, but we have not yet received a return phone call. She can call the Manager directly at (*** ***. He is aware of the situation.*** ***
President
Merchants' Credit Guide Co

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr*** concerns. We received this account back on 9/5/14. We have spoken to Mr *** on several occasions. He never told us this was for a Workers Comp injury. For the record, this is not a hospital account. This
is for the radiologist who read the x-rays or scansToday, we will reach out to the credit bureaus to have this collection item deleted from his credit reports. In addition, we will send a letter to Mr*** confirming this deletion.*** ***, President
Merchants' Credit Guide Co

I called Merchants Credit Guide several times to request a settlementEvery time I called they told me a settlement could not be offeredI spoke to the billing department on 8/23/for Hinsdale Hospital in Hindale, IL and Bolingbrook Hospital to gather the total amount of debtThey let me know that I could call Merchant Credit Guide to lesser and settle that amountI called 8/Merchant Credit Guide and they told me my settlement expired on May I was never made aware in writing or verbally that a settlement was offeredI believe the did this on purpose so that I would not be able to get a settlementI also believe that the total amount due has exceeded whats old

Merchants Credit Guide Co continues to call me telling me I owe $from a bill from 11/1/2013! I checked with the provider of the service and they had confirmed to me that there are no outstanding bills, all have been paid in fullthey continue to harassthis alleged bill is for medical servicesI thought medical information is supposed to be confidential? how did they get this private medical information?

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr*** concerns. We received a $1,account for collection from our client on 1/12/15. After several attempts to contact Mr*** we received a letter from Mr*** on 4/20/informing us to Cease and Desist contact and that his only
income is Social Security and he could only send $to $a month. At that time we closed Mr*** account from further collection attempts. On 4/23/15, 5/4/15, 5/20/15, 6/23/15, and 7/13/we received Consumer Dispute Verifications from the credit bureaus to which we verified and responded to the credit bureaus. At no time have we received a direct dispute from Mr*** asking for the documentation as referred to in his complaint. On 6/23/15, we began receiving monthly payments of $from Consumer Credit Counseling. We have received a total of payments of $dollars each. Mr*** balance is now $1,053.00. There have not been any fees or interest added by our company. There have been no violations of any collection laws. The Statute of Limitations in Hawaii is years from the last date of service or payment. The Statute of Limitations prohibits anyone from pursuing the collection of a debt by filing a lawsuit, or threatening to file a lawsuit, to collect the debt. It does not preclude the attempt to collect voluntary payments. We have not filed a lawsuit nor have we threatened to file a lawsuit. The last payment received on this account was 4/20/16. We will continue to adhere to Mr*** Cease and Desist request, though we will send Mr*** the account documentation requested here. At this time, we are unable to remove this collection item from Mr*** credit reports.*** ***, PresidentMerchants' Credit Guide Co

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meI am upset with the fact that it took years for thos tp be removed and the amout of time I spent calling back and forth and finally having to take time out of my schedule to file this complaint against Merchants Credit with the ***
Sincerely,*** C***, Jr
*** ***

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr***' concerns. On October 23, 2014, when we called Mr***, we were told never to contact him again. It is our practice that this "Cease and Desist" supersedes any subsequent request for any type of communication. Therefore, Mr
*** is correct, we did not provide him the validation of the debt. In the interest of good faith and resolution of this matter, today, we placed the order with the credit bureaus to remove the collection item from Mr***' credit reports. Please allow the credit bureaus a few days to update their databases. We have mailed Mr*** a copy of the Universal Data Form sent to the credit bureaus confirming the deletion. In addition, we have mailed Mr*** the account documentation he originally requested. Upon review of this documentation, it is our hope that Mr*** will resolve the debt accordingly. *** ***, PresidentMerchants' Credit Guide Co

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** *** Response is awesome and expected could be better but it is satisfactory to me as I am on limited income

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/03/26) */
Thank you for the opportunity to address Mr***'s complaintFirst, I would like to set the record straightI have reviewed the telephone calls with Mr*** and the letters that were sent to himNever was he offered or
promised to have the trade line deleted or removed from his credit report upon paymentHe was told it would be updated as paid in fullMr*** paid the account on 10/28/and it was updated as paid in full with the credit bureaus on 11/17/When Mr*** called us on 3/24/15, he demanded the trade line be deletedThe call was escalated to a supervisor whom Mr*** was yelling at and speaking to in a way no one should, so she ended the callThe supervisor escalated the complaint to the manager who later called Mr*** to explain the situationMr*** answered the call and responded yelling and using inappropriate language and hung up on the managerThe manager called that one time, and not again
Mr*** apparently does not understand that when an account goes to collection, a separate "collection" trade line can be reported
Nevertheless, in the interest of consumer relations, we have deleted the trade line and sent Mr*** a letter confirming the deletion
*** ***
President
Merchants' Credit Guide Company

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr*** concerns. Merchants' Credit Guide Company is a licensed collection agency in the state of Illinois. We have been in business for years. We are a contracted Business Associate of the client who sent us the accounts for
Mr*** I do not know who Mr*** spoke to at the provider. We have sent him itemized statements of the accounts placed for collection once. I will send them to Mr*** again along with the name and phone number of the provider's Director of Patient Accounts to verify our role with the provider and the status of his accounts. If Mr*** has an explanation of benefits or a cancelled check indicating these accounts have been resolved, I would encourage him to provide it. In accordance with the laws that govern our industry, we recognize Mr*** demand for all communication regarding these accounts to cease and have closed his accounts from any further communication. Please know this closure does extinguish the debts. They remains due*** ***, President
Merchants' Credit Guide Company

A few years ago, I was involved in a hit and run accident and both my son and I were injured in the accidentI filed a claim with the insurance company and they were responsible for paying the medical claimsShortly after, I received a medical bill and in good faith I paid a portion bill even though the insurance company was responsibleThe person I spoke with told me this was not reported to the credit agencies and I'm in now in the process of buying my first homeI'm very responsible and take my credit seriously, but as a result of this collection that's on my credit report, I'm being told I can not buy a home for my familyIn my opinion, this malicious type of behavior is not right, and I will be filing a formal complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the States Attorney Generals Office & the FTC as Merchants has violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, unless Merchants remedies the situation

I am sympathetic to Mr*** situation, but he never sent proof of payment to us. I will be happy to follow up on any evidence that this was previously paid. Please ask him to send it to me or email it to me. Upon receipt, I will do my best to find out what happened. *** ***, PresidentMerchants' Credit Guide Co.*** ** *** *** *** ***
*** ** ***@collectmcg.com

Merchants Credit Guide Co.,Dan ***, Owner” The basis for my dispute is
ALLEGED balance of $- was required to notify me prior to 7/6/2016, or no later than days
after
Merchants Credit Guide Co.,Dan ***, Ownerfailed to notify me about reporting derogatory info
to Equifax, Experian, and Transunion In section 603(p) U.S.Css 168s-2(a)(7)(A)(I); “The
notice required under subparagraph (A) shall be provided to the customer prior to, or no later than
days after7/6/2016, furnishing the negative derogatoryinformation to a consumer reporting
agency described in section (p),’ U.S.Css 1681s-2(a)(7)(B)(I)Plus broke commercial law
under UCC ? that all notices were timely and properly given by dated certified mail receipt
They were not metI asked for documentation & received no response
Also, Merchants Credit Guide Co.,Dan ***, Owner" failed to give me my "Mini-Miranda" five
days prior to placing this derogatory item on all of m

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/17) */
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr***'s concernsWe have investigated the history of the account with our clientUnderstanding that the funds may not have been returned by the ** directly to *** but instead to Mr
***, the bottom line remains Mr*** received and is in possession of the funds that were intended to address the debt to ***Due to the circumstances, we are certainly willing to work with Mr*** regarding the credit reporting of the debt assuming we can work out a manageable repayment schedule, should he need oneAs for the finance charge that has been added, I believe we can get it waivedAgain, it lies with Mr***Like it or not, Mr*** received the funds that were to address this debtThe most expeditious way to get this resolved would be for Mr*** to pay this off directly
*** ***
President
Merchants' Credit Guide Co
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/06/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
My issue is that I was a ** employee and a patient who was retaliated against by the ** by blowing a whistle on misconduct by ** employeesI was threatened and even had people access my records who shouldn't have who also also collaborated stories to try to get me arrestedYou would be doing this country and our veterans a disservice by your actionsIf *** and your company are unhappy with the fact that the ** took something from you, than take a number like the rest of usIf I agree to your terms, than I take responsibility for what the ** has done just so things are more convenient for youI will not take responsibility for organization that is corrupt and I would expect that *** would stand up for their Veterans and tell the ** that the people who protected them should be treated better than thisIf I submit to your request, what about the next veteran? The ** and *** created debt letters out no-where to harass me and then caused the issueI am sure you are aware that *** is a Graduate School that teaches people to be CPA's but yet they agreed to give the ** money that they didn't owe? That does not speak well for the school who is educating our future leadersI understand people make mistakes, but the ** offers the ability for me to waive the full amount that is owed if they make a mistakeYour request is more of a convenience for you and the school than a concern about my well beingI am not going to relinquish my rights to file a complaint against the ** because you see me as an easy targetEthically I cannot pay you because this is a ** issue and if I don't stand up to this non-sense, than it will keep a culture going that abuses veteransWhy don't your company and *** support Veterans and help us fight our battle with being real change to the ** instead of attacking the people who defended your FreedomI do not owe you the moneyThe Fact remains that the ** stole it from you and you agreed to itThe Fact that the ** put the money in my account is irrelevant to you

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr*** concerns. We received a $1,account for collection from our client on 1/12/15. After several attempts to contact Mr*** we received a letter from Mr*** on 4/20/informing us to Cease and Desist contact and that his
only income is Social Security and he could only send $to $a month. At that time we closed Mr*** account from further collection attempts. On 4/23/15, 5/4/15, 5/20/15, 6/23/15, and 7/13/we received Consumer Dispute Verifications from the credit bureaus to which we verified and responded to the credit bureaus. At no time have we received a direct dispute from Mr*** asking for the documentation as referred to in his complaint. On 6/23/15, we began receiving monthly payments of $from Consumer Credit Counseling. We have received a total of payments of $dollars each. Mr*** balance is now $1,053.00. There have not been any fees or interest added by our company. There have been no violations of any collection laws. The Statute of Limitations in Hawaii is years from the last date of service or payment. The Statute of Limitations prohibits anyone from pursuing the collection of a debt by filing a lawsuit, or threatening to file a lawsuit, to collect the debt. It does not preclude the attempt to collect voluntary payments. We have not filed a lawsuit nor have we threatened to file a lawsuit. The last payment received on this account was 4/20/16. We will continue to adhere to Mr*** Cease and Desist request, though we will send Mr*** the account documentation requested here. At this time, we are unable to remove this collection item from Mr*** credit reports.*** ***, President
Merchants' Credit Guide Co

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/01/26) */
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mr***'s concernsI have been in recent contact with Mr*** regarding this complaintWe have deleted Mr***'s trade line from his credit bureau report and sent him a
confirming letterIn addition, we contacted our client and provided them Mr***'s VA informationOn 1/21/15, our client mailed the claim and medical records to the VAWe expect this to resolve the matter
*** ***
President
Merchants' Credit Guide Co

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms*** concerns. There are three accounts. One for the date of service 8/28/for $279.00, another for date of service 9/3/for $279.00, and one for date of service 4/16/for $362.00. Though the provider did not receive the
insurance information at the time of service, they have verified that she was eligible for coverage for the two accounts for $each. The provider verified the third account for $was denied for lack of coverage, resulting in the account becoming a self-pay obligation. We have taken steps to delete the two accounts for $and will send Ms*** letters of confirmation of these deletions. The account for $remains due. We are sending Ms*** the account statement for her review. We suggest Ms*** contact the insurance company to have this reviewed. They may reconsider it. If the provider tries to re-bill the claim, the insurance will deny it again.*** ***
President
Merchants' Credit Guide Company

Thank you for the opportunity to address Mr*** complaint. The allegations presented in the complaint are inaccurate. Mr*** has never called our company asking for verification of the accounts listed in the complaint. His insurance did not cover all these accounts.
There are self-pay balances after insurance. Regarding Mr*** HIPAA concerns, we are a contracted Business Associate of the clients we represent. The information provided by our clients to collect payment is well within compliance of HIPAA. On January 29, 2017, we received a faxed letter stating he disputed the debt and refused to pay. On April 20, 2017, we received a letter from Mr*** asking for verification of the accounts placed in our office for collection and reported to the credit bureaus. We are gathering the account information from our clients to provide Mr*** the information requested. Upon receipt, we will forward the information to him. There has been no violation of Mr*** rights. We are happy to work with Mr*** to come up with a manageable solution to these accounts