Quick Answer: A consumer filed a CFPB complaint against Cottonwood Financial alleging they’re being pursued for a $150 debt already settled through a phone payment to Cash Store’s collections department. Neither the original lender nor multiple collection agencies could provide documentation proving the remaining debt was legitimate.
Date Received: 2018-07-28
Product: Payday loan debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
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Consumer Complaint: I received a payday loan from the Cash Store approximately XX/XX/XXXX. I made approximately 4 or 5 payments on time and could not keep up. I contacted the store about possible options. They told me I would have to contact the corporate office. I spoke with a representative in collections approximately 3-4 months later about making a payment. The representative said if I paid the amount listed the company would take a loss because they were not making any money off the loan. I apologized and told him I was trying to get the debt settled. He accepted payment on the phone and I never heard anything else about it until last week. I now have a collection for {$150.00} from XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have been looking through my personal statements in attempt to find the exact amounts and dates paid. I can only recall that the loan was over {$1200.00}. Cash Store said the loan was {$1200.00} and it was opened on XX/XX/XXXX. They can not give me any payment information. They can not tell me how much I paid or when. They told me the account was sold to XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have since spoken to XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX. No one can provide any documentation proving I obtained the debt and still owe {$150.00}. I made a single payment to resolve this debt. There is no way possible I still owe {$150.00}. The collection showed up on my credit report this month. I have not been able to resolve this issue and no one can provide any proof of prior payments. I spoke with XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. He said the companies cant retain all of that information and told me I was wasting my time to investigate and it would be easier to just pay it. He could provide any proof that the money is owed.
Company: Cottonwood Financial Ltd.
State/Zip: TX 773XX
Company Response to Complaint: Closed with explanation
Was Company Response Timely: Yes
Did Consumer Dispute Company Response: N/A
Complaint ID: 2975775
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.
