Consumer
Fully Paid and in Collections
I had service with US Cellular back in 2021. We ended up switching to Verizon because we were fed up with constant billing issues. It seemed as though there was always an issue that needed to be disputed. Extra charges, etc. We terminated service back in 2021. September 2021 was the last time we received any kind of billing notification and receipt of payment for every bill showing we paid up to date. For some reason we paid $657.83 on 02/25/2022. Must have been a remaining balance to pay with the switch to Verizon (pay off phone or something). 2 years later (which is a write off point for business), we received a collection notice from I.C. System Inc. There was no previous billing notification from US Cellular prior. This hit us unaware. I contacted the debt agency on 04/10/2024 to dispute and they mentioned they would validate debt with US Cellular. In the meantime, I choose to reach out to US Cellular myself. I contacted customer service via chat on 04/10/2024 to obtain written proof of balance due. Emily told us there was no balance due and that the $657.83 balance was marked as paid on her end. She said we had nothing to worry about. We went on vacation and came back to a debt validation letter from the collection agency (dated 04/19/2024). I called them on 05/08/2024 and mentioned I had the US Cellular chat in writing that it was paid in full. They told me there was nothing they could do and that I would have to dispute with IS Cellular since they validated the debt. On 05/08/2024, I called the US Cellular line that Emily provided and was given a rude awakening. They told me a payment was made on 02/25/2022. When I asked that they validate how much and if I indeed had a balance due, they stayed that they could not do either. They stated that their records were wiped and had no proof of what was due or payments that were made. They said once their records are sent to collection there is no further records on their end. I asked to be escalated to a Manager. She confirmed the same thing. I told them that if they can’t prove I owe something that someone in the company should be able to answer to why they validated the debt and prove if I do owe or not. She told me all of those departments are internal and that there is no one I can contact further and nothing else she can do for me. She told me to go back to the collection agency to dispute myself and correct the issue on my own and there’s nothing she can do for me. From there she refused to escalate me further. She said that Emily was wrong and she shouldn’t have been able to see that I did indeed pay the $657.83. Meanwhile I have pending and paid debt that will impact my credit on 05/25/2024 but the business who is saying I owe the debt cannot confirm or prove that I do or don’t and refuse to help me. Neither the agency nor US Cellular will accept the written proof that the bill was paid (confirmed by US Cellular billing representative). Now my husband and I will have to dig through our bank statement and credit card records 2-3 years back to find proof of payment. There is a good chance we may have to dispute our credit report as fraudulent activity by the business or take them to court. Who doesn’t hold records to help their former customers? Who validates debt to a collection agency when they can’t even validate with their consumer? US Cellular. I’m never doing business with them in the future. They completely lost my trust.