PDS Mediation Services of Ohio

I am rejecting this response because: the person who called me absolutely asked for my husband's social security number. The caller then proceded to read off not only my son's ss number, but also my father in laws, as well as dates of birth and addresses. Nobody in our family has ever ordered magazines from this company, not do we owe any money for magazines. Also, I never gave permission to have my phone calls recorded, which is illegal in Arizona and Illinois. So thank you for admitting to it, I can now begin legal action against your company. If there are any other issues on behalf of ourselves, or my other family members, feel free to contact our attorney.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/04/20) */
Regarding Revdex.com Case# [redacted], [redacted], it is true that Carolyn J[redacted] attempted to make contact with Mr. [redacted], but was only able to speak to his wife. As far as their contention that Ms. J[redacted] stated that Mr. [redacted] owed a debt to...

the I & I Agency, that is untrue. The debt was actually for a [redacted] at the I & I agency. Unfortunately, and regrettably we attempted to contact the wrong [redacted], and we do apologize for that. Be assured that all of Mr. [redacted]' personal information has been stricken from our records. The request for a summary of the case cannot be sent to Mr. [redacted]. This because of the fact that we have established that he is the wrong [redacted], and any information we were to provide would be in violation of third party disclosure laws.
Sincerely,
Melba J. M[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/04/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The response from PDS Mediation Services does not indicate how my personal information (DOB, Last 4 of SSN, Address and Telephone Number) was obtained for a debt that was not mine. This is a violation of my privacy and a form of harassment.
I am unclear why PDS Mediation Services didn't contact I&I Agency in Kansas City, Missouri directly to speak to the Mr. [redacted] in that office. Carolyn J[redacted] had access to the agency name and address so getting the telephone number should not have been difficult. I was able to reach Mr. [redacted] at I&I Agency on my first attempt. Instead, they incorrectly associated the debt to me based on having the same COMMON NAME. I have never lived/worked in Missouri or paid for a magazine subscription.
I also want to note that there has been seven similar complaints against PDS Mediation Services in nine months. I believe this agency is using inappropriate and probably illegal collection practices.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2016/05/09) */
Regarding the response I filed on April 20, 2016, [redacted], Revdex.com Case #[redacted] that "DID NOT" accept that response from our entity. It appears that Ms. [redacted] (evidently his spouse) who Ms. [redacted] originally spoke with regarding this fiasco (we have yet to actually speak with Mr. [redacted] her spouse) now wants to know how my (his) information (DOB, Last 4 of SSN, Address and Telephone Number) was not mine (his). This is a violation of my (his) privacy and a form of harassment. My response to this query is: Our company uses skip tracing sources such as [redacted], [redacted], [redacted]s, and numerous other entities as well as social media sites available to collection concerns including Google Search. When receiving this skip traced info especially with a common name like [redacted], [redacted], [redacted] etc. we may receive as many as 10 or more "hits" or possible contacts with information pertaining to our search criteria. These names are listed as one through 10 and provide DOB, last 4 numbers or first 5 numbers of the names SS#, Address and Telephone Number(s) and when verifying this info with Mrs. [redacted] she claimed that the SS# was not Mr. [redacted]' number! Since Ms. J[redacted] evidently jumped to the wrong conclusion and contacted the incorrect [redacted] (actually Mrs. [redacted]) who was the first [redacted] on the list, and when made aware of that fact from Mrs. [redacted] she immediately apologized for the mistake on her part and informed her that all information obtained regarding Mr. [redacted] (her spouse) would be stricken and destroyed. I realize this error occurred, and it may have caused some trepidation on behalf of [redacted], however, since we have never actually communicated with Mr. [redacted], only his spouse, I can only sincerely apologize to Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] for the angst my efforts to mediate a debt have caused them. It was unjust, but a legitimate effort, unfortunately, this effort was presented to the wrong [redacted]. I am in possession of the tape recorded effort from Ms. J[redacted], and her attempt to take responsibility for the mistaken identity factor when made aware of that error and I will supply the Revdex.com with a tape recording of that one and only call placed from Ms. J[redacted] and Mrs. [redacted] upon request.
I want to comment on the fact that this query regards how "my personal information (DOB, Last 4 of SSN,") was obtained for a debt that was not mine." Yet when informed of the last 4 of SS# was told to Mrs. [redacted] who then claimed the SS# was incorrect for Mr. [redacted] the process of apologizing and assuring Mrs. [redacted] that Mr. [redacted] info would be stricken and destroyed would seem to me to not reach the standard of "a form of harassment" when in fact this informed us of our error since the info we had was wrong as far as the SS# was not the Mr. [redacted] bearing the 4 numbers associated with her spouse. In regard to the statement "there has been seven similar complaints against PDS Mediation Services in nine months." I believe is incorrect. I answer all complaints and of course we have made mistakes, however I cannot recall a complaint that required me to answer twice an obvious mistaken identity problem that was realized on the first and only call to Mr. [redacted] answered by Mrs. [redacted] and after being informed of our error after verifying the SS# was not [redacted]'s we immediately apologized and struck all info from our records. I cannot agree that our entity is using inappropriate and probably illegal collection practices.
In closing I again would hope that Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] would accept our apologies and realize that a mistake can happen and while it does not excuse our ineptitude on this matter it does not necessarily reach the level of "illegal collection practices" especially when evidently the last 4 of the SS# was the factor informing us of our mistaken identity.
Sincerely,
Melba J. M[redacted]
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 15, 2016/05/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Response from Mrs. [redacted]: Ms. J[redacted] called me twice not once. The first time, she called to speak to my husband. When I informed her that my husband has a common name, she POSITIVELY CONFIRMED his DOB, last four of his SSN, our home address and my telephone number. If the conversation was recorded, my statement can be confirmed with the recording. If there was a mismatch in the SSN, I would have ended the call there but I did not. I told Ms. J[redacted] that I will not pay the debt until I researched the issue. I immediately called I&I Agency to confirm that my husband did not have a debt. I then called the main number for PDS Mediation Services to confirm that a Carolyn J[redacted] worked there. I asked for a supervisor who confirmed she worked there and was extremely rude when I only offered him the case number (assigned by their company) when he asked for my husband's personal information. A few minutes later, Carolyn J[redacted] called to ask me if I spoke to her supervisor and then told me that my husband's name is common so they must have made a mistake. I wish she considered that before insisting it was our debt and wasting my time.
I still believe that PDS Mediation Services collection tactics should be investigated.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/06/07) */

June 7, 2016
Regarding Case Number: [redacted], [redacted] who claims " woman name "Rose D[redacted]" from PDS Mediation contacted me today 6/2/16 around 10HST and claimed that in her office is a civil matter that I had direct involvement...

in? She left a case number [redacted] and to contact her at [redacted]."
"I researched online about PDS Mediation and found that it was a scam company. These are also the same people that tries to contact me and tell me I have an unpaid magazine subscription of $1200?? I've never had such."
I am enclosing a copy of our worksheet from the National Service Corporation with a balance owed of $524.16 for Maxim, Mens Fitness, Popular Hot Rodding, Stuff, and Sporting News Magazines all five to be paid for on an installment plan of $65.62 per month for 12 months amounting to $786.24. Mr. [redacted] made at least 3 of these installments paying with a Master Card beginning with 5108/ending in 3571 and another installment by other financial means leaving a balance of $524.16. Mr. [redacted] was advised that he had a balance of $524.16 and we could work it out on a monthly basis. He said that could work, however he would need to see the debt in question and Ms. D[redacted] stated "I will send you a DocuSign stating the amount owed and if you agree we will work out an arrangement for payment and I will send the agreed upon DocuSign to clarify our arrangement." This DocuSign was emailed to [redacted] on 06/02/2016. We never heard from Mr. [redacted] again until this complaint.
As to his assertions that "These are also the same people that tries to contact me and tell me I have an unpaid magazine subscription of $1200?? I've never had such." I can only respond that the only conversation our entity ever had with Mr. [redacted] was at [redacted] when Ms. D[redacted] spoke with Mr. [redacted] regarding the "DocuSign" transaction mentioned above. Furthermore, Ms. D[redacted] had left a message on [redacted] also on 06/02/2016, however we had another number of [redacted] where she actually made contact with Mr. [redacted] and the aforementioned conversation commenced. So unless that [redacted] is in fact Mr. [redacted]'s wife's number I am not aware of his concern to stop calling her at work? If in fact it was his wife's work number, be assured we will never call it again and please accept our apologies. Regarding Mr. [redacted]'s Desired Resolution: to stop calling any of my numbers and harassing me about a "Magazine Subscription" that I never agreed upon ever. I can assure him our mediation service will never call him again, however after returning the paperwork to the National Service Corporation with a copy of Mr. [redacted]'s letter to the Revdex.com and our response I cannot speak for the NSC's course of action.
In anticipation that I have addressed Mr. [redacted]'s concerns and attempting to acquiesce to his Desired Resolution to the best of our ability, I remain,
Sincerely
Melba M[redacted],
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/06/09) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
In regards to the mentioned conversation with Rose D[redacted], at no time did I agree to payments or indicate that I would be setting up future payments. As explained to Ms. D[redacted], I wanted to investigate the claims presented to me as it appeared to be an abnormal call appearing to possibly be a scam of some sort and requested more information about the matter. Ms. D[redacted] stated that she would send me a document detailing the matter via email. At no time was this an agreement to submit payment nor was it an admission to financial responsibility. This was a clear message I had made to Ms. D[redacted] during our conversation.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2016/06/16) */
Regarding Revdex.com CASE #: [redacted], [redacted] who responded to my response on this case dated 06/07/2016. He now states "at no time did I agree to payments or indicate that I would be setting up future payments." I agree. In the third paragraph of my response Mr. [redacted] was advised that he had a balance of $524.16 and we could work it out on a monthly basis. He said "that could work", however he would need to see the debt in question and Ms. D[redacted] stated "I will send you a DocuSign stating the amount owed and if you agree we will work out an arrangement for payment and I will send the agreed upon DocuSign to clarify our arrangement." I apologize that evidently the word "could" may have been construed as "would." Since I have already agreed to never contact Mr. [redacted] on this matter again I would hope that agreeing with him that "At no time was this agreement to submit payment nor was it an admission to financial responsibility, this was a clear message I had made to Ms. D[redacted] during our conversation." Again I agree totally. As the copy of that DocuSign sent to Mr. [redacted] states, Balance: $524.16 Settlement offer available upon discussion. I hope that paperwork he has and my assurance that he did not make the above statements is accurate as far as Mr. [redacted]'s concerns being met. I apologize for the semantics and his case with PDS Mediation is closed.
Sincerely, Melba M[redacted]

Per Mr. [redacted]'s request, we will provide all of the documentation that he has requested.  In addition, all correspondence will be done by mail only.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/04/22) */
Regarding Revdex.com Case Number [redacted], Mr. [redacted], on April 5th, 2016, or representative, Rose D[redacted] did contact Mr. ** in an effort to mediate a settlement between him and Magazine Service Co..
I have reviewed the recording of the...

call, and I cannot find any evidence that Mr. ** was threatened or forced to resolve this matter in any way.
Also, I can assure you that Magazine Service Co. is a legitimate firm, and Mr. ** has a debt with them.
However, since Mr. ** is uncomfortable doing business with us, we have refunded his $60.00 payment, and returned his file to our client. Mr. ** will not hear from our firm again unless he finds that he has reason to initiate contact.
I hope this resolves this to Mr. **'s satisfaction.
Sincerely,
Melba ** M[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2016/04/26) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
What a bad practice that this company had. I will never deal with them anymore

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/24) */
Reference to Complaint Number [redacted] Mr. [redacted] who states "this company has contacted my wife numerous times to collect for a company that does not exist." Ms. [redacted] was left a message once and responded to that call on July 30, 2015. ...

That conversation consisted of apprising her of a debt owed to the Magazine Service Corp. located in Virginia Beach, VA. Who Ms. [redacted] had entered into a contract/agreement with in 2006 for a package of magazines to be paid for on a Paid during Service contract/agreement of $19.99 a month for 21 months. She paid 242.88 in installments of $19.99 including late fees leaving a balance of $176.91 including late fees recorded at that time, that for some reason she neglected to pay. Our efforts to mediate a settlement on this balance was reached and agreed to by Ms. [redacted]. (Copy of that recording available on request) That transaction was recorded on July 30, 2015 and Ms. [redacted] asked to call our rep. back in a half hour to finalize this transaction so she could think about it. To my knowledge Mr. [redacted] was never contacted or spoke to by our entity. We will comply with Mr. [redacted]'s "Desired Settlement" request to "cease and desist" all contact with Ms. [redacted], however his assertions of "numerous calls to his wife" is incorrect. She was called once, left a message to which she responded, then entered into a seven minute mediated settlement agreement. His assertion that the debt she owed to a "magazine company that does not exist" is also incorrect. The fact that Ms. [redacted] was willing to pay her balance and verified the fact that she had made twelve previous installments to this non-existent company that is located in Virginia Beach, VA. seems to indicate Mr. [redacted] is unaware of the facts surrounding this transaction.
Possibly the fact that Ms. [redacted] was Ms. [redacted] when entering into this contract/agreement with the Magazine Service Corp. may have caused this misunderstanding that generated this complaint (copy of our paperwork enclosed) however, we will close our effort to reach a mediated settlement with Ms. [redacted] as Mr. [redacted] has requested and send this inquiry, our response, and leave the solution to the Magazine Service Corp.
Sincerely,
Melba *. M[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/08/30) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I do accept the response from the business and in an attempt to help them manage their practices more efficiently, here is some helpful information on debt collection in the named states.
https://www.debt.org/faqs/americans-in-debt/consumer-virginia/
"Virginia has a statute of limitations of six years for nearly all debts, including written contracts, oral contracts and open-ended accounts such as credit cards. That means that once such a debt is six years overdue, creditors can no longer attempt to collect the owed money. The time period is a year shorter for promissory notes."
https://www.debt.org/faqs/americans-in-debt/consumer-ohio/
"Ohio's statute of limitations is six years regardless of the type of debt. The time limit is counted from when a debt became overdue or when a borrower last made a payment, whichever happened more recently. If it's been more than six years, a creditor cannot sue a debtor for debt collection purposes."
The statute of limitations for open ended accounts in Iowa is 5 years. I do not have a web address with this information but it is easily obtained through a simple google search.

Regarding complaint number:  [redacted], [redacted] who claims "SAY I OWE SOME KIND OF MEMBERSHIP, I never signed to have membership of nothing, they even called me at work, which is inappropriate I just want them to stop calling me” According to our records our rep. Alexandria (Alex) H[redacted]...

called Ms. [redacted] at [redacted] on 07/19/2016 at 01:56 PM leaving a message on a Spanish voicemail.  Ms. H[redacted] then called [redacted] at 01:59 PM, this call was answered as "[redacted]" and asked for [redacted], the woman/employee asked who was calling, Ms. [redacted] identified herself from PDS Mediation services and was put on hold for approximately two (2) minutes and then was informed by this woman/employee that Ms. [redacted] was unavailable.  Our rep. then left a message with this woman/employee and stated "I will remove this number from our list."  To my knowledge nobody from our company has ever spoke to Ms. [redacted] nor do we call regarding any type of "membership."  As far as her Desired Outcome/Settlement, it appears "Stop calling Me." is her goal.   I can certainly honor that request since our goal is to mediate a debt and if we cannot communicate that effort verbally there is no reason to further that attempt.  In closing I can supply you with the two calls resulting in messages being left with the actual tape recordings to verify our position upon request.  Sincerely, Melba M[redacted]

Regarding  Revdex.com, assigned ID of [redacted] who claims he was left “a very harassing voicemail “ telling me that a civil action might be taken against me from a magazine company from back in 2007.  He then received a second phone call...

only two minutes later from this company from a Melody.  She proceeded to tell me the same story as she did in the voicemail and told me that I need to make a payment today to clear this debt or legal action might be taken, etc.      In reading this complaint I see that Mr. [redacted]’s Desired Resolution:   “No further contact by the business.”  I can and will comply with his request.  However, in our defense; we are sent Paid During Service debt from P.D.S. magazine companies who have sent this debt to at least two different collection agencies who have deemed this debt to be non-collectible.  The last of these agencies the [redacted] forwarded this particular debt to us to attempt a mediated settlement before the [redacted] exhausts all other legal means including possible litigation if our mediation efforts were to fail.  As far as the statute of limitations is concerned, Mr. [redacted]’s contention that the six year statute is valid is correct, however if any attempt or attempts at paying this debt were discussed, or agreed to during this previous six years then paid even on a partial basis could be construed as a payment or even a promised payment, this could be construed as still valid depending on the jurisdiction litigating this particular account/debt.       I only wish to make Mr. [redacted] aware that we here at P.D.S. are not the creditor, only the mediator between the [redacted] Corp. and Mr. [redacted] at this juncture, so hopefully this response will ease his mind and our advice to the [redacted] will be to honor the statute as Mr. [redacted] suggests.   Sincerely, Melba M[redacted]

I would first like to apologize to Mr. [redacted] for his negative experience with our company, and I can assure him that this issue has been addressed with Ms. M[redacted]. I do agree with Mr. [redacted] that when he requested to be contacted by mail that request should have been...

honored.     While we do maintain that this is a valid debt, we will honor Mr. [redacted]'s wishes and discontinue all contact, and remove his information from our data base.     Sincerely,     Melba M[redacted]

I have reviewed the facts surrounding Ms. [redacted]'s complaint. Let me start by offering my apologies for Ms. [redacted]'s negative experience with our company. It is clear that our representative, Kelly M[redacted] overstepped her authority while attempting to resolve Ms. [redacted]'s...

account. Be assured that the matter has been addressed with Ms. M[redacted]. She will be given a chance to be retrained, and any further complaints of this nature will result in her termination. I'm sure that Ms. [redacted] would agree that failure to remember this account does not necessarily mean that it is not valid. That being said, however, we will not contact Ms. [redacted] again regarding this matter. In addition, I have spoken with [redacted] and given the circumstances regarding this complaint they have agreed to write off Ms. [redacted]'s account. I sincerely hope that this will resolve this matter to Ms. [redacted]'s satisfaction.

First I would like to apologize for Mr. [redacted]' experience with our company. Many of his point are correct. The statute of limitations for legal action on this case have, in fact, expired. While we are prepared to provide the information he requested we believe that this...

will not be necessary.     We have spoken with our client, and given the nature of Mr. [redacted] complaint, we have agreed to stop all activity regarding this case. We will write off this account, and assure Mr. [redacted] that he is under no obligation regarding this account.     I hope Mr. [redacted] will find this resolution satisfactory.     Sincerely,     Melba M[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/08) */
In response to Revdex.com Case # [redacted], [redacted] who states "Barbara G[redacted] of PDS Mediation contacted my personal cell informing me of a debt I owed to [redacted]s." First of all we called a Ms. [redacted] who entered...

into a contract/agreement with the [redacted] for a series of magazines to be paid at the rate of $39.90 per month for 24 months. She paid $39.90 by credit card as the initial payment and then made 6 additional monthly payments by credit card including late charges leaving a balance of $623.50 before choosing to stop making payments. Our representative Barbara G[redacted] was informed by Ms. [redacted] who evidently is now the wife of Mr. [redacted] that her last name now is [redacted], that the [redacted] was allowing us to attempt a mediated settlement on their behalf, however if we were unsuccessful in our efforts Ms. [redacted] would be exposed to the URS contemplating other more stringent methods to obtain their monies including possible litigation which would eventually cost more than $1400.00 and then informed Ms. [redacted] that she could settle this account over the phone for $290.80.
To my knowledge [redacted] or our entity has never had a relationship with a Mr. [redacted] until Ms. [redacted] called Ms. G[redacted] back from a message left at 11:05 A.M. on 08/25/2015. At 12:04 P.M. Ms. [redacted] called our rep. Barbara G[redacted] who explained the situation with her and at that time evidently this call was on speaker phone and Ms. [redacted] informed our rep that her husband was also involved in the call. So Mr. [redacted]'s contention that "I have no recollection of ever signing up with this company, but it was a long time ago so I was almost convinced that it must be true." seems to be correct since he never did any business with the [redacted]. Evidently Ms. [redacted] who was in fact Ms. [redacted] at the inception of this contract/agreement with the [redacted], and who had agreed to the possible settlement with our rep. but wished to discuss the situation with her spouse first is the actual person who now claims "I have no recollection of ever signing up with this company, but it was a long time ago so I was almost convinced that it must be true." According to the paperwork we work from forwarded to us by the [redacted] (copy attached) shows a record of letters, and messages from 2011 through 2015 sent to [redacted]. Based upon this assumption I have concluded that Mr. [redacted]'s Desired Resolution: "Ensure no fraudulent activity is being conducted." Can be addressed thusly; A report to the credit bureau would not be issued from the URS until they choose to do so which would be after they have exhausted all of their legal means to settle this debt and of course it would pertain to Ms. [redacted] not Mr. [redacted], furthermore our call was merely an attempt to mediate a solution for Ms. [redacted] rather than suggest a litigious solution to the URS. Therefore, I will assure the [redacted]'s that PDS Mediation will forego any contact with the [redacted]'s regarding Ms. [redacted]'s alleged debt, while denying any allegation that "this is a scam." And return any and all materials from [redacted] along with your query and our response. Our settlement offer is still available; however the [redacted]'s will have to initiate contact since I have assured them of our non-involvement going forward.
Sincerely,
M.J. M[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  However, I do want to ensure that the matter of this supposed debt is either validated or deleted. Thank-you

Regarding Revdex.com Complaint [redacted] Mrs. [redacted] who claims our representative Carolyn J[redacted] was rude, harassing and completely unprofessional.  After listening to the first contact with Mrs. [redacted] where Ms. J[redacted] asked her three questions, Is your name [redacted] M. [redacted] to...

which Ms. [redacted] replied no.  The second question was do you live at a certain address now or in the past, to which Ms. [redacted] answered no.  And question 3 was are the last four numbers of your social security number, to which Ms. [redacted] replied I will not respond to that question and Ms. J[redacted] harassed her to respond and Ms. [redacted] responded no!  This should have required Ms. J[redacted] to apologize to Ms. [redacted] that we must have the wrong individual and terminate the call and returne the paperwork to the creditor.  I will see to it that Ms. J[redacted] is severely reprimanded, in fact I will require a complete retraining regimen to be completed before Ms. J[redacted] be allowed to represent our company on the phone in the future.  Furthermore I wish to apologize personally to Ms. [redacted] for her distress caused by our employee and I will see to it she receives a personal call or letter from Ms. J[redacted] if Ms. [redacted] requires.  Sincerely,  Melba M[redacted].

I am rejecting this response because:
Contrary to your opinion, the original billing statements are relevant considering that they will show the exact proof of debt. Your so called "work up" sheet is not an accuarate representation of the information that I requested nor is it acceptable. All that shows are the attempts to contact me about something I had no knowledge of. Personally, it seems very sketchy that you cannot provide the initial information I've requested numerous times. I will continue to argue this matter until a refund is established and/or proper documentation of the alleged debt.

First, I want to apologize to Ms. [redacted] for the negative experience she had with our company. Our representative, Melody M[redacted], was out of line in putting pressure on Ms. [redacted] to resolve this matter, and I can assure you that this has been handled...

internally.     While we maintain that this is a valid debt, we will comply with Ms. [redacted]'s wishes. We have closed this file, removed all of Ms. [redacted]'s information from our files, and we will not contact Ms. [redacted] again.     Sincerely,     Melba M[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/02/03) */
Pursuant to Case Number: [redacted], who claims "Harassing phone calls on a fake, non-collectible debt." Mr. [redacted] states he has received multiple phone calls from Lea S[redacted] at PDS Mediation Services. He states "She claims that I am being...

sued for non-payment of some magazine subscriptions from National Service Corp." He also states "When pressed for information, she provided as little information as possible." He claims the address in Columbus, Ohio that several of the magazines she listed, he never would subscribe to and that he never lived at a Columbus address. Finally Mr. [redacted] cites the date of the debt was well past the 6 year statute of limitations in Ohio. He also claims Ms. S[redacted] was asked to validate the debt, and she replied that he would have to take that up with the owner of the debt, the National Service Corp. whose mailing address as well as ours was requested from Ms. S[redacted] and she refused.
In response to these allegations I will attempt to clarify our position accordingly.
1. Ms. S[redacted] contacted Mr. [redacted] on 01/15/2016 at 04:31 PM at 970-250-3595 on a nine minute, one second call. This call consisted of advising Mr. [redacted] of his possible civil action with our mediation effort on behalf of the National Service Corp. who retained us to attempt a mediated settlement with Mr. [redacted] who had already been placed with two separate collection agencies who had both deemed his debt as non-collectible. Our purview is to advise the debtor that our client has elected our entity to advise their debtor that this is a last ditch effort to settle their indebtedness prior to our client exploring more stringent efforts including litigation if necessary. Ms. S[redacted] did not state "you are being sued for non-payment." She merely advised Mr. [redacted] that this was a course of action that the NSC could avail itself of. However, as Mr. [redacted] states, "The debt which was well past Ohio's 6yr statute of limitations." And that is essentially correct as it pertains to litigation, or being sued! However, the statute of limitations does not abrogate the debt, nor does it forgive the debt. The NSC still is owed the debt, and while they may not be able to litigate that debt they have every right to contact and list the unpaid debt on all of the credit reporting agencies should they opt to do so. While this may never recover the debt it will remain on those reporting agencies records for up to ten years and becomes public knowledge whenever that credit score or inquiry is accessed.
2. I have enclosed a copy of the paperwork from the National Service Corp. showing the address, home phone number, work phone number, (this info may be from the original contract/agreement Mr. [redacted] entered into with the NSC) the magazines ordered and the Visa used to make eleven (11) installments of $39.90 leaving a balance of $758.10. I am hopeful this will address Mr. [redacted]'s concerns regarding validation of debt. The address of the National Service Corp. is [redacted]. Our address is PDS Mediation Services of Ohio, P.O. Box 560429, Macedonia, Ohio 44056-0249 in the event he wishes to send a formal request as stated in his complaint.
3. Mr. [redacted]'s assertion that all calls were aggressive and harassing, that she has violated so many of my credit rights, and the entire claim is completely fictitious, seems a stretch at the very least and his demand of an immediate cease and desist! will be addressed thusly; I will honor his request to no longer attempt a mediated conclusion to his debt with the NSC. I will assure Mr. [redacted] that our entity PDS Mediation will not contact him regarding this debt ever again on behalf of the NSC, however I will not abide his Desired Resolution: "A letter stating the debt is not valid" will not be honored as Mr. [redacted] has demanded since first of all the debt is not ours to invalidate, second Mr. [redacted] who has professed he wanted an address to validate the debt is now in possession of that info and according to the contract/agreement entered into with the NSC (copy enclosed) shows quite clearly that he at the time of entering into this contract/agreement was in fact receiving and paying with his Visa card from an address in Columbus, Ohio. This would in fact invalidate his statement that "I have never lived at a Columbus address." Therefore I am amenable to "cease and desist from our entity and its representatives will no longer pursue any mediated conclusion to his debt with the NSC. We will return any and all material to the NSC along with our response to the Revdex.com, and our conclusions associated with this attempt to reach a mediated solution.
Sincerely,
M. *. M[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/02/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
1) That was the FIRST time Ms S[redacted] contacted me. She has called me numerous times afterwards, after being told not to contact me again. In the initial call, asked Ms S[redacted] multiple times for information that she refused to provide, information that she is required to provide. This is a violation of debt collection laws. In regards to the law suit, Ms S[redacted] did not merely inform me of a possible course of action, it was clearly a threat, and this particular violation is made worse by the fact that legal action is not even possible, so the only reason to mention it is to scare the customer into immediate settlement. Again, another violation. This debt is 10 years old, and I have never been contacted by any collection agency. The reason for that is that this is a ficticious debt. I would never order those magazines, period.
2) Why did Ms S[redacted] refuse to provide this information earlier? The "paperwork" does not have National Service Corp's name on it.
3) The phone numbers are incorrect, and the final kicker is that the address is incorrect. While the street address is indeed correct for where I lived at one time, the City and Zip are incorrect, and the only way to get that City and Zip is to do a general search for it. This confirms that the information was obtained through "general means" and not provided from a debtor that would have correct information.
I can create a text document with a random credit card number and information too. This document proves nothing except that you were not provided information from anyone whom actually had my correct information.
I have recorded the calls with Ms S[redacted] (the first call is missing the first 30 seconds). I also have logs of every attempt by her to contact me that I did not answer. If I hear from PDS or NSC regarding this issue again, I will forward the information to the FTC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I have put a fraud alert on my credit report.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2016/02/10) */
In accordance with our first response received by the Revdex.com on February 3rd 2016 we indicated that this contract has been sent back to NSC with all notations added regarding Mr. [redacted]s response and requests, therefor PDS mediation has answered this complaint to the best of our ability. Please be assured Mr. [redacted] you will NEVER here from our Offices again and in closing we consider this account closed.
Respectfully, M. *. M[redacted]
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2016/02/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Regarding Case Number, [redacted] (AKA [redacted]) who was contacted by our representative, senior mediator Kendall Stevens, regarding an attempt on our part to mediate a potential civil matter with the Magazine Service Corporation who she had an unpaid balance of $235.28. Ms. [redacted]...

states that "this service was terminated 9 years ago for an unpaid balance and civil suit filed against me." Ms. Stevens emailed her as Ms. [redacted] states in her complaint "The document I received to notate my payments and for them to file paperwork to keep this company (Magazine Service Corp.) from contacting or filing against me again looked like something I typed up." I have sent a copy of the paperwork from the Magazine Service showing the information provided to us from the last collection agency (Interstate Recovery Service) showing her address in Kentucky and the balance owed as well as many other comments from Magazine Service and I.R.S. The document referred to by Ms. [redacted] I cannot locate as of this writing, however; maybe Ms. [redacted] can retrieve it for your inspection. Since the Statute of Limitations in Kentucky is five years her point is well taken. Unfortunately this does not abrogate the debt. The Magazine Service Corp. could opt to list the entire debt $235.28 with the credit bureaus (which they have not) and though she could not be sued as our representative implied that information would be a part of her record with those aforementioned credit bureaus for 10 years. Since it appears that our representative misled Ms. [redacted] at least on this factor and somehow implied P.D.S. Mediation "suing her" and that "this suit was also filed in a county that I haven't lived in since my childhood." Is totally incorrect, I feel it is incumbent on our behalf to return this account to the Magazine Service with our recommendation that due to our negligence from a senior mediator "I would recommend dropping all efforts on our part as well as theirs to mediate, or pursue any additional attempts to settle this account on Magazine Service Corporations behalf.
Pertaining to Ms. [redacted]'s Desired Resolution: P.D.S. Mediation will no longer contact her, and the matter will be dropped. As to court documents, we have none since we would not be the litigator, nor would there be any court proceedings since Magazine Service Corp. would have to bring any court action for their debt and since the Statute of Limitations has already expired, a suit could not be filed. I have been verbally assured the Magazine Service will also comply.
I wish to apologize to Ms. [redacted] for the confusion we seem to have caused in an effort to mediate a fair settlement on what we assumed was a legitimate debt. (Please understand that a Statute of Limitation expiration date can be extended by a payment or in some cases a promised payment duly acknowledged on a tape recorded call can be agreed to within that Statute expiration thereby extending that expiration date for another five years.) As a gesture of good faith I have found a payment of $117.64 provided by a [redacted] credited to this account that I have reversed that payment as of 07/15/2016. Credit card # i[redacted], ID is: [redacted].
Sincerely,
Melba M[redacted]
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/03/21) */
Regarding complaint ID [redacted], [redacted] who claims "They are threatening legal action on behalf of Magazine Service Inc. for a "breach of contract" over 10 years ago." Our representative Lea S[redacted] did in fact contact Mr. [redacted]...

on March 11, 2016 informing him of a balance left on a contract/agreement with the Magazine Service Inc. who he had this balance with and their intention of allowing us to mediate a settlement with us as a last ditch effort prior to exhausting any and all of their legal remedies available to them should we fail to succeed in doing so. Based on this information our representative Lea S[redacted] informed Mr. [redacted] of his balance of $250.91 which she offered him. Mr. [redacted] was adamant that he had never entered into any contract/agreement regarding this debt and was advised by our rep. that he should seek legal advice before agreeing to settle, however he opted to register a complaint with the Revdex.com that "This is a scam and I want to report it based on the conversations I had with Lea and the conversations I had with the Revdex.com representative." I feel we advised Mr. [redacted] properly that the Magazine Service Inc. who I have included a copy of our paperwork that we work from, showing previous attempts to contact by phone, and correspondence from Interstate Recovery Service a collection agency who had deemed his account as non-collectible generating our eventual contact with Mr. [redacted].
Regarding Mr. [redacted]'s Desired Resolution: I would like a formal apology and my "theoretical account" cleared, my personal information removed from their apparent call list." These requests can and will be accommodated to this extent; I personally apologize to Mr. [redacted] for his angst from our representatives call attempting a mediated settlement on behalf of the Magazine Service Corporation. His "theoretical account" will be returned to said Corporation with a copy of his Revdex.com complaint, our answer, and I can assure Mr. [redacted] that his personal information and number will be removed from our files; however I must keep my answer to the Bureau on file.
In anticipation that this will satisfy Mr. [redacted]'s concerns, I remain,
Sincerely, Melba M[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/03/25) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not believe that there is an account in my name, as I am looking at this document that was received, I see no attempts to reach me. I see dates from 2012-2015 all of which, I had a consistent phone number. I see a number on this page that I have never seen before. I also see no name of a collection agency that allegedly handled this case, nor do I see any information about this company now handling it.
I would also like to point out that Magazine Service does not exist, as no contact information can be found about it, nor are the people I have spoken with willing to give me that information to contact them directly. I am concerned with being told a problem arose well over 10 years ago and I'm being reached out to it. I have searched this collection agency I filed the complaint with on Revdex.com.org and have found they use fraudulent practices to get consumers to pay money for things they have never heard of or seen.
When I stated I wanted my account cleared, I meant it. If it means getting me in touch with "Magazine Services" to do so, then so be it. This is not right.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2016/04/01) */
In response to case number Revdex.com [redacted], [redacted] who now states "I do not believe there is an account in my name, as I am looking at this document that was received, I see no attempts to reach me. I see dates from 2012-2015 all of which, I had a consistent phone number. I see a number on this page that I have never seen before. I also see no name of a collection agency that allegedly handled this case, nor do I see any information about this company now handling it."
My response to this first paragraph of his letter is this, I sent the paperwork forwarded to me from the last collection agency Interstate Recovery Service who attempted on numerous occasions beginning in March of 2012 through October of 2015 to make contact with Mr. [redacted] without success before deeming his account as non-collectible and then forwarding this account to us in March of 2016 on behalf of the Magazine Service as a final attempt to reach a mediated settlement before the Magazine Service explored other options of recovering their $869.71 owed. As I alluded to in my original response, I identified the collection agency who sent us the paperwork (next to last paragraph) Interstate Recovery Service, 757-631-0005. (I did not include their phone number in my original response)
Our purpose is to attempt a mediated response to the paperwork afforded us on behalf of Paid During Service magazine publishers accounts such as Magazine Service, Allied Publishers Service, and numerous other accounts that have been subjected to a whole host of collection efforts from in house collections, as well as full blown collection agencies such as the Interstate Recovery Service who I reached out to at the above number (757-631-0005) to determine why I nor Mr. [redacted] seems to be able to contact them directly. When I sent back my response to Mr. [redacted]'s original letter I always send the paperwork to the last collection agency who retained our services due to the "non-collectible" status of the account allowing the collection agency and the company to discuss their eventual strategy as I did in this case. So, I called the IRS to determine how I could appease Mr. [redacted]'s concerns with contacting Magazine Service who Mr. [redacted] is adamant that they "do not exist." I was informed by a "Judy" that evidently the actual Magazine Service is now out of business, however their accounts are being serviced by the IRS who Judy informed me that if Mr. [redacted] wished to pay the $869.71, they the International Recovery Service would guarantee the full five (5) years of service on all of Mr. [redacted]'s service owed from the Magazine Service and wanted Mr. [redacted] to be aware that the IRS has an A+ rating from the Revdex.com.
As you can see this situation has become more contentious than I originally was aware of myself, so if Mr. [redacted] wishes to avail himself of the information I have supplied and call the Interstate Recovery Service for further clarification regarding his concerns with the Magazine Service and his account with their agency I suggest he do so, since I believe I have attempted to comply with his "modest requests" to the best of my ability. In hopes of satisfying our end of Mr. [redacted]'s concerns and in anticipation that possibly the IRS may be able to address the balance of his concerns, I remain;
Sincerely,
Melba J. M[redacted]

Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2016/04/05) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
All I needed was to know who to reach out to, and Melba gave me this information. I am appeased and will reach out to IRS for further action. Thank you so much for your inquiries and legwork to assist me, Ms. M[redacted]. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it and I will do what I can to reach out to them.