Quick Answer: Alco Collections faced a CFPB complaint for attempting to collect a mortgage debt that didn’t belong to the consumer after lease responsibility was removed. Despite documentation from the property manager confirming the debt belonged to the ex-fiancé, Alco continued collection efforts and remained unresponsive to dispute resolution attempts.
Date Received: 2017-09-09T00:00:00
Product: Mortgage debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Consumer Consent Provided to Share Complaint: Consent provided
The Daily Money Brief — Free, at 10 AM
Money you may be owed, scams to dodge, and the fine print decoded — the consumer money news that affects your wallet, every weekday.
Consumer Complaint: A couple of months ago I tried to dispute a debt that was reported on my credit by Alco collections. The debt is a debt that is not owed by me. Me and my fianc at the time were renting a house things didnt work out we both agreed to split. We both talked with the property manager and she agreed to remove my name off of the lease and to change the locks. I didnt have a key to the property. He still lived there. He had an unpaid balance when he left the house and it reported on my credit also. Last year in XXXX I contacted the property and the manager wrote me a letter stating this debt does not belong to me. It still reports on my credit. I contacted the collection agency sent in the document that the property manager typed for me. He was very rude and unprofessional. He was supposed to get back with me and never did. My ex fianc even tried to contact him to explain that this was his debt. Hes hung on him several times. Today I called again and he returned my call a couple hours later. I explained to him that its been a month and he still hasnt gotten back with me after the investigation. He rudely says its your debt! I tried explaining to him again the situation he cuts me off says Ill send you the paperwork and hangs up on me. I called back several times and left messages. No one from the company will even return my call. I even offered to give him my ex fianc number to call and he hangs up on me. This is over bearing simply because I can not rent or buy with this debt of XXXX $ on my credit that doesnt belong to me. XXXX XXXX XXXX is one of the rudest and inconsiderate people Ive came in contact with and he should not be employed there.
Company: Alco Collections, Inc.
State/Zip: LA 710XX
Company Response to Complaint: Untimely response
Was Company Response Timely: No
Did Consumer Dispute Company Response: N/A
Complaint ID: 2665097
The above data is from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Keep in mind that every company will get a complaint from time-to-time, even the great ones. But there are a few key data points that will give you an idea about how well the company values their customers and handles consumer issues.
Look at the item Company Response to Complaint: and Did Consumer Dispute Company Response: to get a better idea of how this was resolved. And the field Consumer Complaint: can give you some context of the issue.
In particular what you are looking for was that the company response was timely and that the consumer did not dispute it. The posting of complaints has proven to be a valuable resource for both companies and consumers.
Know Your Rights: If a debt collector is contacting you, you have legal protections. See the complete list of FDCPA violations collectors commit most often. Use the free Debt Validation Letter Generator to demand proof of the debt, or check this collector’s complaint history with the Scam-O-Meter.
Dealing With Debt? Before you pay a collector, understand all your debt relief options — including ones the collector won’t tell you about. If the debt feels unmanageable, take the 2-minute bankruptcy quiz to see if the math favors a fresh start. Federal Reserve research shows filers recover faster than those who don’t file.
