Complaint Review: Western Dental

 It all started with a call from a collection agent.  They stated that they were calling on behalf of Western Dental for a debt I owed in the amount of $1,800.  I explained that I've never been in a Western Dental office, nor have I ever spoken to a Western Dental employee (not to mention I've never had $1,800 worth of dental work done).

I requested a copy of whatever document they had showing that I owed this money.  The response was that they were collecting based on Western Dental stating that I owed the money because it was for my daughter and that her mother told them I was financially responsible and that was all the proof they needed to collect the money.  I told them I'd be happy to discuss it as soon as they provided any documentation that I incurred this debt or accepted responsibility for it and never heard from them again.

Last month I discovered they had put this "debt" on my credit report.  I called the collection agency and again discussed the fact that the debt was not mine.  The person I talked to agreed, but said that because it was on my credit report that I would need to dispute it through the reporting agency.  So, I filed the dispute with the full expectation that this would be removed and it would be the last I heard of it.  Much to my dismay, I received notice that Western Dental denied the dispute and will not remove it.

I still don't understand what proof they have that this debt is mine.  It's certainly not my verbal authorization since I've never talked to a person at Western Dental and it's definitely not a written authorization because there's no way I'd take on an $1,800 debt that's not mine.

I'd suggest that anyone considering dental work to stay away from Western Dental...but, even that hasn't protected me from this scam company.