Important information
- Customer Complaint:This business profile reflects national complaint activity
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI)'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 53 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 15 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:04/21/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am not liable for this debt with EM SPECIALISTS. I do not have a contract with KANSAS COUNSELORS. They did not provide me with the original contract as requested.Customer Answer
Date: 04/22/2025
These are my own experiences with the companies. I represent myself there is no 3rd party template!! Remove this asap or legal action will be taken! I’m trying to give the company grace and allow these inaccuracies to corrected.
Business Response
Date: 04/23/2025
*** *******
Our records indicate the account in question was previously requested for deletion from your trade line with the consumer credit reporting agencies on 07/24/23.
As such, there should be no items displaying on your credit report.
If you disagree with this statement, please provide current documentation to the contrary so I may investigate this matter further, and please provide the name of the credit reporting agency that is continuing to report.
Thank you.
Initial Complaint
Date:02/27/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Correction to my credit report, I demand this report be removed from my credit report. I am not liable for the debt with Kansas Counselors Inc. I have not been provided nor have I signed any contract with the stated KANSAS COUNSELORS INC.Customer Answer
Date: 02/28/2025
This is the direct consumer disputing this credit report. The company Kansas Counselors Inc has not once contacted the consumer nor have they attempted to mail, telephone or email to attempt to collect the debt. As the complainant ***** ******** I do not accept the debt as a valid debt and desire it to be removed from all credit reports.Business Response
Date: 02/28/2025
Dear *** *********
This letter is in response to your
correspondence submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
Your
statements indicate you allege that you are not liable for the debt in
question. Additionally, you allege Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI) did not
provide you with the original contract you requested. I want to take a moment to address your
concerns.
First, you
are correct that you have not been supplied with a contract between KCI and
yourself. To date, you have never
requested such a contract, and more importantly, you do not have a contract
with Kansas Counselors, Inc. KCI is a
third-party debt collection agency that was contracted by your original
creditor (********* ****** ****) to recover charges due to them for services rendered
on 04/11/22.
Next, as is
required by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and is strictly
followed by KCI, an initial notice is sent to all legal guarantors on
delinquent accounts placed with our agency. This notice contains our agency’s
name, the name of the original creditor, your account number, the date of
service, the exact amount owed, the full mini-Miranda, and the full statement
of your rights to dispute and to request validation of the debt(s) in writing
within thirty (30) days of receiving the notice.
KCI mailed
you a dunning notice for the above-referenced account on 01/11/23. The letter
sent to your address was not returned via the US Postal Service. You did not exercise your rights within the
time frame prescribed by law.
Until
receiving your complaint via the Better Business Bureau Complaint Portal, KCI
has never received any written correspondence from you claiming to dispute the
debt listed above, nor requesting validation. Nor have we ever directly
received any written FCRA dispute.
In fact,
despite numerous efforts to reach you by telephone, you have never contacted
our office regarding this specific debt.
My records also indicate that we’ve never
received a dispute from you regarding the account listed above, submitted
directly through the credit reporting agencies (CRAs).
After coordinating with our client, we
found that all of your demographic information matched and the debt to be
accurate, valid and still unpaid.
Unfortunately,
we cannot, at this time, agree to your desired resolution on your account based
on the fact that KCI has complied with federal law regarding notice
requirements and our verification efforts indicate you are the party
responsible in this case, and that you have failed to pay the delinquent
balance.
In the event
you should change your mind and decide to resolve this debt, please feel free
to contact my office to speak with a helpful representative who will gladly
assist you. As a policy KCI requests
full deletion of paid collection items with the credit reporting agencies.
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
Scott
Allan Tacke
Director
of Compliance
This
communication is from a debt collector.
This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will
be used for that purpose.Initial Complaint
Date:02/26/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 2/26/2025 I received a call from ** ***** ********. Upon answering the call the individual from Kansas Counselors identified himself by first name, but did not disclosure that he was calling from a debt collection company nor that he was on a recorded line. I asked multiple times what he was calling about what what company he was with, but he refused to provide that information saying only that it was a sensitive matter.
As his actions violate wiretapping law and debt collection law I attempted to reach back out for the name of legal counsel, but was refused this information and also sent to voicemail for a “supervisor” on several occasions.
Kansas Counselors has failed to comply with its legal obligations to identify itself as a debt collector. I am willing to forgo my legal rights under federal debt collection law in exchange for the closure of my “file” with Kansas Counselors and an agreement that they will decline any future requests to engage in debt collection activities for any vendor related to me.Business Response
Date: 02/27/2025
Dear *** *********
This letter is in response to your
correspondence submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
Your
statements indicate you allege that Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI) did not
provide you with required disclosures during a call on 02/26/25. Additionally, you allege violation of
“wiretapping” laws. I want to take a
moment to address your concerns.
First, the
disclosure you are referring to is the “Mini-Miranda” and is required when
conveying debt information to a consumer.
Since you refused to confirm your identity at the start of the call, and
no debt information was conveyed to you, this disclosure was not required.
Next, the
state of Virginia is a one-party consent state regarding recorded telephone
calls. As such, a disclosure is
unnecessary.
Lastly, the
account in question has not been reported to your trade line with the consumer
reporting agencies. As such, there is
nothing to delete or correct.
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
***** ***** *****
Director
of Compliance
This
communication is from a debt collector.
This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will
be used for that purpose.Customer Answer
Date: 02/27/2025
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:
First, I was not in the state of Virginia at the time of your call, the state of Maryland is a two party consent state, as such your recording violated Maryland law.
Second, confirming my name without knowing that you were a debt collector trying to collect a debt would be information that could be used to collect a debt, since it would verify that a phone number was a valid phone number. As such your nonsense about compliance with the law is incorrect.
You should really hire better lawyers if you think you have appropriate safeguards in place to ensure your employees comply with the law.
However, it appears you are stating you will not make further collection efforts on whatever unspecified debt you believe was owed I will consider the matter closed if you confirm this in writing.
Sincerely,
**** ********Business Response
Date: 02/27/2025
*** *********
In your particular case, jurisdiction and applicability regarding state recording laws would be complex. Particularly since you reside in Virgina and have a Virgina area code, KCI would not have constructive knowledge that you were traveling outside of your state of residence at the time of the communication. Even in the event that you were you able to provide evidence of your location, this would likely be considered a bona fide error.
It is not, however, my intention to argue these merits.
In compliance with the law, KCI is required to honor your request for us to cease and desist further communication with you and will do so.
Initial Complaint
Date:02/05/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am not liable for this debt with KANSAS COUNSELORS, I do not have a contract with Kansas counselors, they did not provide me with the original contract as I requested.Business Response
Date: 02/10/2025
Dear *** ********
This letter is in response to your
correspondence submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
Your
statements indicate you allege that you are not liable for the debt in question
and that Additionally, you allege Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI) did not provide
you with the original contract you requested.
I want to take a moment to address your concerns.
First, you
are correct that you have not been supplied with a contract between KCI and
yourself. To date, you have never
requested such a contract, and more importantly, you do not have a contract
with Kansas Counselors, Inc. KCI is a
third-party debt collection agency that was contracted by your original
creditor (********** ******* ******) to recover charges due to them for
services rendered on 10/15/20.
Next, as is
required by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and is strictly
followed by KCI, an initial notice is sent to all legal guarantors on
delinquent accounts placed with our agency. This notice contains our agency’s
name, the name of the original creditor, your account number, the date of
service, the exact amount owed, the full mini-Miranda, and the full statement
of your rights to dispute and to request validation of the debt(s) in writing
within thirty (30) days of receiving the notice.
KCI mailed
you a dunning notice for the above-referenced account on 06/21/21. The letter
sent to your address was not returned via the US Postal Service. You did not exercise your rights within the
time frame prescribed by law.
Until
receiving your complaint via the Better Business Bureau Complaint Portal, KCI
has never received any written correspondence from you claiming to dispute the
debt listed above, nor requesting validation. Nor have we ever directly
received any written FCRA dispute.
In fact,
despite numerous efforts to reach you by telephone, you have never contacted
our office regarding this specific debt.
My records also indicate that we’ve never
received any disputes from you regarding the account listed above, submitted
directly through the credit reporting agencies (CRAs).
It is important to note that the
original balance for charges for your visit to ********** ******* ****** on
10/15/20 was $49,408.80. A claim was
successfully submitted on your behalf to the medical insurance carrier you
provided (*** ****** * ****** **********) on the date of service. A payment of $5,931.00 was received on
11/12/20, as well as a contractual adjustment of: $37,798.80. An additional adjustment of $2,272.00 from
the All Savers Health Plan was posted on 01/21/21. The hospital’s records also indicate a
payment made by yourself in the amount of $40.00 on 10/15/20.
After correctly posting the
above-referenced credits and adjustments to your account, your current patient
responsibility remains $3,367.00. This
is the exact amount that KCI is attempting to collect at the request of your
original provider/creditor.
Unfortunately,
we cannot, at this time, agree to your desired resolution on your account based
on the fact that KCI has complied with federal law regarding notice
requirements and our verification efforts indicate you are the party
responsible in this case, and that you have failed to pay the delinquent
balance.
In the event
you should change your mind and decide to resolve this debt, please feel free
to contact my office to speak with a helpful representative who will gladly
assist you. As a policy KCI requests
full deletion of paid collection items with the credit reporting agencies.
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
***** ***** *****
Director
of Compliance
This
communication is from a debt collector.
This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will
be used for that purpose.Business Response
Date: 02/12/2025
Dear *** ********
This letter is in response to your follow
up message submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
First, as
stated previously, your requests for validation materials expired on or around
08/06/21. Please understand that in
accordance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), KCI is not
under any obligation to send validation materials to you at this late date.
Nonetheless,
as a courtesy to you, I have requested a current itemized statement directly
from the original creditor which will serve as validation of the facility
charges and services rendered to you by ********** ******* ****** on 10/15/20. I will forward this document to you
immediately upon receipt and you may keep this for your records.
The statute
of limitations (SOL) for litigation in this matter is five (5) years in the
state of Kansas. As such, the SOL will
not expire until or around October 2025.
Moreover, the
state of Kansas does not require the licensing of debt collection agencies.
A copy of the
agreement is not required for validation purposes under the FDCPA. Again, KCI is not required to provide
validation at this late date, although I will send you verification from the
original creditor that shows you to be the party responsible in this case, and
that the amount we are attempting to collect is accurate.
Lastly, the
debt in question was originally reported to the consumer credit reporting
agencies on 12/20/21, but in accordance with our notification of your dispute
this week, and in accordance with the FDCPA, your file has been marked as
disputed and will be reported as such with any subsequent furnishing of data to
the CRAs.
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
***** ***** *****
Director
of Compliance
This communication is
from a debt collector.Customer Answer
Date: 02/12/2025
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because: I will like to verify the information that the debt collector will be retrieving from original creditor and as a courtesy they will forward the document upon receipt
Sincerely,
***** *******Initial Complaint
Date:12/26/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am not liable for this debt with Kansas Counselors Inc. I do not have a contract with Kansas Counselors Inc., they did not provide me with the original contract as requested.Customer Answer
Date: 12/27/2024
RESPONSE (2)
My complaint may be similar to other complaints, but I would like to point out that my document is original because it has the name of the company, and an original account number not attached to any other account but the one specified in my complaint.
I would also like to point out the laws that are being broken by the reporting agency. This information is also copied from the government website Senate Government Room.
In accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the account has violated my federally protected consumer right to privacy and confidentiality under 15 USC 1681. Kansas Counselors Inc, acct #730226, 15 U.S.C 1681 section 602, States I have the right to privacy.1 15 U.S.C 1681 Section 604 A Section 2 States a consumer reporting agency CANNOT furnish an account without my written instructions. 15 U.S.C 1681c (a)(5) States no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information: Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years. 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 (A)(1) A person shall not furnish any information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the information is inaccurate.
For these reasons, please demand this information be removed from my credit report with all major credit agencies.
Business Response
Date: 12/30/2024
Dear *** ********
This letter is in response to your
correspondence submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
Your
statements indicate you allege that you are not liable for the debt in question
and that Additionally, you allege Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI) did not provide
you with the original contract you requested.
I want to take a moment to address your concerns.
First, you
are correct that you have not been supplied with a contract between KCI and
yourself. To date, you have never
requested such a contract, and more importantly, you do not have a contract
with Kansas Counselors, Inc. KCI is a
third-party debt collection agency that was contracted by your original
creditor (City of KCMO Fire/Med Bureau) to recover charges due to them for ambulance
transportation services on 07/30/22, from your current address to Research
Medical Center.
Next, as is
required by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and is strictly
followed by KCI, an initial notice is sent to all legal guarantors on
delinquent accounts placed with our agency. This notice contains our agency’s
name, the name of the original creditor, your account number, the date of
service, the exact amount owed, the full mini-Miranda, and the full statement
of your rights to dispute and to request validation of the debt(s) in writing
within thirty (30) days of receiving the notice.
KCI mailed
you a dunning notice for the above-referenced account on 06/18/24. The letter
sent to your address was not returned via the US Postal Service. You did not exercise your rights within the
time frame prescribed by law.
Until
receiving your complaint via the Better Business Bureau Complaint Portal, KCI
has never received any written correspondence from you claiming to dispute the
debt listed above, nor requesting validation. Nor have we ever directly
received any written FCRA dispute.
In fact,
despite numerous efforts to reach you by telephone, your only contact with our
office was a telephone call on 06/22/23 during which you refused to pay for the
charges.
My records do, however, indicate that
we’ve received two (2) disputes from you regarding the account listed above, submitted
directly through the credit reporting agencies (CRAs). These Automated Consumer Dispute
Verifications (ACDVs) are forwarded to our agency through the Online Solution
for Complete and Accurate Reporting (e-OSCAR) system. With each dispute, our
agency performs a “reasonable investigation”, as is required by law.
After coordinating with our client, we
found that all of your demographic information matched and the debt to be
accurate, valid and still unpaid. These
actions were completed, in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act
(FCRA), most recently on 12/30/24. At
that time, we marked the account as disputed and provided the results of our
query to the CRAs via e-OSCAR.
Unfortunately,
we cannot, at this time, agree to your desired resolution on your account based
on the fact that KCI has complied with federal law regarding notice
requirements and our verification efforts indicate you are the party
responsible in this case, and that you have failed to pay the delinquent
balance.
In the event
you should change your mind and decide to resolve this debt, please feel free
to contact my office to speak with a helpful representative who will gladly
assist you. As a policy KCI requests
full deletion of paid collection items with the credit reporting agencies.
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
Scott
Allan Tacke
Director
of Compliance
This
communication is from a debt collector.
This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will
be used for that purpose.Initial Complaint
Date:12/25/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I'm not liable for this debt with KANSAS COUNSELORS INC. They did not supply me with an original contract signed by me doing business with them as requested.Business Response
Date: 12/30/2024
Dear *** **********
This letter is in response to your
correspondence submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
Your
statements indicate you allege that you are not liable for the debt in question
and that Additionally, you allege Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI) did not provide
you with the original contract you requested.
I want to take a moment to address your concerns.
First, you
are correct that you have not been supplied with a contract between KCI and
yourself. To date, you have never
requested such a contract, and more importantly, you do not have a contract
with Kansas Counselors, Inc. KCI is a
third-party debt collection agency that was contracted by your original
creditor (******) to recover charges due to them for utility services during
the period between 03/12/19 and 09/06/22, at the **** ** ****** ******, Kansas
City, MO 64152 address where you resided.
Next, as is
required by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and is strictly
followed by KCI, an initial notice is sent to all legal guarantors on
delinquent accounts placed with our agency. This notice contains our agency’s
name, the name of the original creditor, your account number, the date of
service, the exact amount owed, the full mini-Miranda, and the full statement
of your rights to dispute and to request validation of the debt(s) in writing
within thirty (30) days of receiving the notice.
KCI mailed
you a dunning notice for the above-referenced account on 06/18/24. The letter
sent to your address was not returned via the US Postal Service. You did not exercise your rights within the
time frame prescribed by law.
Until
receiving your complaint via the Better Business Bureau Complaint Portal, KCI
has never received any written correspondence from you claiming to dispute the
debt listed above, nor requesting validation. Nor have we ever directly
received any written FCRA dispute.
In fact,
despite numerous efforts to reach you by telephone, you have never contacted
our office regarding this specific debt.
My records do, however, indicate that
we’ve received three (3) disputes from you regarding the account listed above, submitted
directly through the credit reporting agencies (CRAs). These Automated Consumer Dispute
Verifications (ACDVs) are forwarded to our agency through the Online Solution
for Complete and Accurate Reporting (e-OSCAR) system. With each dispute, our
agency performs a “reasonable investigation”, as is required by law.
After coordinating with our client, we
found that all of your demographic information matched and the debt to be
accurate, valid and still unpaid. These
actions were completed, in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act
(FCRA), most recently on 12/26/24. At
that time, we marked the account as disputed and provided the results of our
query to the CRAs via e-OSCAR.
Unfortunately,
we cannot, at this time, agree to your desired resolution on your account based
on the fact that KCI has complied with federal law regarding notice
requirements and our verification efforts indicate you are the party
responsible in this case, and that you have failed to pay the delinquent
balance.
In the event
you should change your mind and decide to resolve this debt, please feel free
to contact my office to speak with a helpful representative who will gladly
assist you. As a policy KCI requests
full deletion of paid collection items with the credit reporting agencies.
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
***** ***** *****
Director
of Compliance
This
communication is from a debt collector.
This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will
be used for that purpose.Customer Answer
Date: 12/30/2024
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:
Sincerely,
********* *********Business Response
Date: 01/01/2025
Unfortunately, there is nothing further for me to respond to. There is no content to the message.Initial Complaint
Date:12/10/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I’m receiving hits on my credit report for a balance that I know nothing about. It states that I owe $881 to the Kansas Counselors INC. since August 2020, but I was living in Oregon in 2020 and then I moved to Illinois in 2021 and I’ve been here since. I have no idea what this is and I believe it is false and should be removed.Business Response
Date: 12/11/2024
Dear Mr. ***:
This letter is in response to your
correspondence submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
Your
statements indicate you allege that you are not liable for the debt in
question. I want to take a moment to
address your concerns.
First, as is
required by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and is strictly
followed by Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI), an initial notice is sent to all
legal guarantors on delinquent accounts placed with our agency. This notice
contains our agency’s name, the name of the original creditor, your account
number, the date of service, the exact amount owed, the full mini-Miranda, and
the full statement of your rights to dispute and to request validation of the
debt(s) in writing within thirty (30) days of receiving the notice.
KCI mailed
you dunning notices for the above-referenced accounts on 02/07/20. The letter
sent to your address was not returned via the US Postal Service. You did not exercise your rights within the
time frame prescribed by law.
Until
receiving your complaint via the Better Business Bureau Complaint Portal, KCI
has never received any written correspondence from you claiming to dispute the
debt listed above, nor requesting validation. Nor have we ever directly
received any written FCRA dispute.
However, my
records indicate that we have spoken with you via telephone on three (3)
separate occasions regarding this debt (11/16/20, 08/05/21, and 09/08/21). In fact, during the first of those calls you
shared the reason for your visit to the hospital and alleged that you had paid
the debt but offered no supporting documentation to assist us in investigating
your claim. At that time, KCI marked
your account as disputed, in compliance with the FDCPA.
My records also indicate that we have
never received a dispute from you regarding the account listed above, submitted
directly through the credit reporting agencies (CRAs).
Moreover, the *** ****** Medical Center charges were submitted to the insurance carriers you
provided at the time of your visit and a claim was successfully processed by your
primary insurance (Physician’s Mutual) and your secondary insurance
(UnitedHealthcare HMO).
The original
balance of these charges was: $3,908.09 and your carriers paid $100.00 and
$2,926.47, respectively. According to
*** ****’s Medical Center, this left a remaining balance of $881.62 as your
patient responsibility. You may wish to
contact your carrier for more details or review your Explanation of Benefits
(EOB).
Our
investigation also indicated that you resided in the state of Missouri during
the year 2019 when the services were rendered (01/28/19).
Unfortunately,
we cannot, at this time, agree to your desired resolution on your account based
on the fact that KCI has complied with federal law regarding notice
requirements and our verification efforts indicate you are the party
responsible in this case, and that you have failed to pay the delinquent
balance.
In the event
you should change your mind and decide to resolve these debts or provide
supporting documentation to the contrary, please feel free to contact my office
to speak with a helpful representative who will gladly assist you. As a policy KCI requests full deletion of
paid collection items with the credit reporting agencies.
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
***** ***** *****
Director
of Compliance
This
communication is from a debt collector.
This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will
be used for that purpose.Customer Answer
Date: 12/11/2024
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because I never received a letter in regards to this. If you sent it out on 02/07/20, I was flying back to Missouri to organize my father’s funeral, who passed away on the 5th of February and I did not return to Oregon until the middle of March. I remember talking to someone the same year of my last hospital visit, informed them that I paid the balance I was told before leaving because I know how hospitals try to screw people over with medical debt. Anything extra the hospital decided to tackle on after I left has nothing to do with me. I paid what I was told. The accounts I had at the time no longer exist so I have no documents to provide.
I refuse to go to the hospitals for this very reason. I do not recall speaking to anyone on those dates, as I was living in Illinois at the time and I have moved forward with my life. Because the unfair system of overpriced hospitals decide to tackle on unnecessary charges after a patient received care is not right.So as far as I am concerned, I have no outstanding debt with you nor any hospitals. I urge you to take care of any debt you supposedly collected from the hospital and talk with only them. The medical industry is corrupt and I desire to have no part in any of it.
Sincerely,
**** ***Business Response
Date: 12/12/2024
Mr. ***:
I am genuinely sorry that you have had unpleasant
interactions with hospitals in the past and can empathize with your general distaste
for the medical billing process.Unfortunately, while you are certainly entitled to your
opinions, it does nothing to change the fact that the information contained in
my initial response was accurate.Although I am unable to grant your desired resolution, we
will honor your statements regarding your refusal to pay and KCI will cease any
further communication with you regarding this matter.I send you sincere wishes for a healthy and happy holiday
season!Initial Complaint
Date:09/03/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I went to the hospital in Oklahoma and they was supposed to bill my insurance now it's on my credit report and they told my insurance last week they are refusing to send them the bill so they can take care of it etna better health of Kansas has reached out to the hospital several times and they refuse to give them the bill so it can be paid I've had insurance since 2016 and have never been billed and my insurance tried to correct this but they are refusingBusiness Response
Date: 09/03/2024
Dear *** ********
This letter is in response to your
correspondence submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
Your
statement indicates that Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI) is refusing to submit
your bill as a claim to your carrier. I
want to take a moment to address your concerns.
This matter
was previously responded to in detail with Complaint ******** on July 15, 2024.
As stated before,
although you’ve indicated having health insurance coverage which was effective
at the time of your visit, you have never provided a copy of the card or any
pertinent subscriber information for claim submission.
More
importantly, KCI is not a medical biller and does not have the authority nor
the responsibility to submit claims to an insurance carrier on your behalf.
Our office
has received communication from your carrier (Aetna Better Health) and has
provided them with the limited information we can at their request.
At this late
date, (four years after your date of service) your efforts to resolve this
matter must be resolved directly with your medical provider/creditor.
KCI has acted
in accordance with the law.
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
***** ***** *****
Director
of Compliance
This
communication is from a debt collector.
This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will
be used for that purpose.Business Response
Date: 09/04/2024
*** ********
Although it is true that we have received communication from your carrier, their request was for information related solely to: original balance, account number and date of service for the charges in question. All of this information was provided during the 08/15/24 call.
Once more, KCI is a third-party debt collection agency and is not a medical biller. Nor would we have access to uniformed bills such as a UB-02 or HCFA-1500, which would be necessary to properly submit a claim for processing and payment. This can only be achieved by the original medical provider, hospital or physician. KCI is a "business associate" and not a Covered Entity as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and does not request nor obtain this type of information due to privacy concerns.
You have been instructed on numerous occasions to provide copies of any carrier cards with an applicable effective date for coverage listing you as the subscriber (Please see the previous response to your complaint, dated 07/15/24). Unfortunately, you have failed to do so.
As we informed you then, upon receipt of this documentation, we would be happy to forward the coverage information to Muscogee Creek Nation Medical Center with a courtesy request that they submit a claim on your behalf but cannot guarantee your carrier will successfully process nor pay any claims so late after the charges were incurred.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/09/2024
I can't provide copies of a card from a provider I'm no longer worth I changed insurance companies with the state of Kansas I had to call ******* to find out who I had coverage with in order to get this issue resolved as I stated the original biller will not let Etna better health of Kansas pay the bill more will this biller let them pay it this I don't owe them I simply want it taken off my credit report since they refuse to work with my insurance I encourage you all to contact **** ****** ****** of Kansas at +* ************ to comform what I'm saying is true and correctInitial Complaint
Date:08/26/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
This is not me. I’ve spoken with the Kansas City revenue division and explained that I’ve been living in crestwood Kentucky for the last 23 years and this has nothing to do with me and they acknowledged that they have made a mistake. Now I received a collection letter from KCI. I need this to stop as this is harassment.Customer Answer
Date: 08/26/2024
Did you receive my attached PDF file?Business Response
Date: 08/26/2024
Dear *** ******
This letter is in response to your
correspondence submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
Your
statements indicate you allege that Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI) is attempting
to collect a debt that you don’t owe and is the result of a mistake by the
original creditor (City of Kansas City, Missouri). I want to take a moment to address your
concerns.
Although the
original creditor was able to provide validation materials listing you as the
responsible party when they referred the account for collection, our internal
investigation initiated after receiving your dispute indicates that you have not
lived in Missouri since the early 1990s.
Moreover, we
discovered the social security number listed with the account does not, in
fact, belong to you.
Based on this
information, KCI was planning to voluntarily close and return the account in
question to the original creditor, when we received an e-mail from the City
advising that the account placement in collections was in error and requesting
us to close the account on their behalf.
Additionally,
the account in question is not considered “consumer debt” and as such, was not
reported to the three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs).
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
***** ***** *****
Director
of Compliance
This
communication is from a debt collector.Initial Complaint
Date:07/12/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am not liable for this debt with ******. I "Do Not" have a contract with "Kansas Counselors Inc.", they "Did Not" provide me with the original contract as requested.Customer Answer
Date: 07/19/2024
Please review attached item in reference to verification.Business Response
Date: 07/25/2024
Dear Mr* **********:
This letter is in response to your
correspondence submitted to the Better Business Bureau (“BBB”).
Your
statements indicate you allege that you are not liable for the debt in question
and that you do not have a contract with Kansas Counselors, Inc. (KCI). Additionally, you allege KCI did not provide
you with the original contract you requested.
I want to take a moment to address your concerns.
First, you
are correct in your statement that you do not have a contract with Kansas
Counselors, Inc. KCI is a third-party
debt collection agency that was contracted by your original creditor (******)
to recover charges due to them for utility services rendered to you at the
property located at **** ** ******* Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64128.
Next, as is
required by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and is strictly
followed by KCI, an initial notice is sent to all legal guarantors on
delinquent accounts placed with our agency. This notice contains our agency
name, the name of the original creditor, your account number, the date of
service, the exact amount owed, the full mini-Miranda, and the full statement
of your rights to dispute and to request validation of the debt(s) in writing
within thirty (30) days of receiving the notice.
KCI mailed
you a dunning notice for the above-referenced account on 03/08/24. The letter
sent to your address was not returned via the US Postal Service. You did not exercise your rights within the
time frame prescribed by law.
Until
receiving your complaint via the Better Business Bureau Complaint Portal, KCI
has never received any written correspondence from you claiming to dispute the
debt listed above, nor requesting validation. Nor have we ever directly
received any written FCRA dispute.
In fact,
despite numerous efforts to reach you by telephone, you have never contacted
our office nor returned our messages.
My records do, however, indicate that
we’ve received a single (1) dispute from you regarding the listed account
above, submitted directly through the credit reporting agencies (CRAs). These Automated Consumer Dispute
Verifications (ACDVs) are forwarded to our agency through the Online Solution
for Complete and Accurate Reporting (e-OSCAR) system. With each dispute, our
agency performs a “reasonable investigation”, as is required by law.
After coordinating with our client, we
found that all of your demographic information matched and the debt to be
accurate, valid and still unpaid. These
actions were completed, in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act
(FCRA), most recently on 07/13/23. At
that time, we marked the account as disputed, and provided the results of our
query to the CRAs via e-OSCAR.
Please understand, after completing
our “reasonable investigation” in compliance with the FCRA and responding back
to the CRAs via e-OSCAR, KCI is not under any obligation to send any
additional materials to you. Also,
please understand that in accordance with the FDCPA, KCI is not under any
obligation to send validation materials to you at this late date.
Nonetheless,
as a courtesy to you, I am attaching a copy of the bill for your debt. This
document is directly from the original creditor and serves as validation of your
utility charges. You may keep this for your records.
Unfortunately,
we cannot, at this time, agree to your desired resolution on your account based
on the fact that KCI has complied with federal law regarding notice
requirements and our verification efforts indicate you are the responsible
party in this case, and that you have failed to pay the delinquent
balance.
In the event
you should change your mind and decide to resolve this debt, please feel free
to contact my office to speak with a helpful representative who will gladly
assist you. As a policy KCI requests
full deletions of paid collection items with the credit reporting agencies.
I wish to
personally thank you for your correspondence and appreciate the opportunity to
alleviate your concerns. KCI has now responded and considers this matter
closed.
Sincerely,
***** ***** *****
Director
of Compliance
This
communication is from a debt collector.
This is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will
be used for that purpose.
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