Product: Debt collection

XXXX On XXXX I found out that IQ DATA INTERNATIONAL ( a debt collection company ) had recently filed a Major Derogatory Account action with XXXX. It is about alleged failure to pay final utilities on an apartment ( XXXX XXXX in XXXX ) vacated on XXXX. The amount is {$220.00} of which {$52.00} is a penalty. This is an apartment that my daughter rented, and I had co-signed the rental agreement. 
Here is my complaint : The first time that my daughter or I heard about this was a few days ago the aforementioned date. IQ Data has seriously hurt my and my daughters credit rating after making only feeble attempts to contact me/us. When I contacted them they said they called me several times in XXXX of XXXX. But, I dont answer unknown numbers ( hardly anyone does ) and they didnt leave a message! They claim that by law, they dont have to leave voice messages or send text. Supposedly because of privacy concerns. 

Not leaving voice mail and not texting because of privacy concerns is a spurious argument. They could leave a message saying something like, This is IQ DATA INTERNATIONAL, a collection company. We are trying to resolve an issue of non-payment on behalf of XXXX XXXX. Please call this phone number, visit this website, or send U.S. mail to this address. Thus, there are no privacy concerns and people would have the opportunity to resolve issues before they are reported to a credit reporting agency. 
My daughter did leave a valid forwarding address, but no one tried to contact her at that address. She lived at that forwarding address until XXXX. Nine months is plenty of time to get U.S. mail to her, but she received none! Shouldnt such non-payment issues be pursued within 90 days? 

I called IQ Data on two separate occasions speaking with XXXX XXXX on one and XXXX on the other. Of course, they are motivated to get people to pay, but they exert undue pressure : I asked for proof/evidence that the charge was legitimate, and XXXX belittled my request. I had to persevere to get a U.S. mail address to make the request. ( I have sent the request to them via certified mail. ) I also asked to have the report to XXXX removed if we pay the balance. ( Im told by legal counsel that I need written assurance because collection companies say one thing but often fail to follow through. ) XXXX said he would have to consult with his manager, and subsequently said that they would delete the XXXX report only if I paid over the phone NOW! I am unwilling to pay until I have assurance that it is a legitimate charge and if I get the promise to remove the report in writing. 

Because IQ DATA failed to show due diligence and because of their unwillingness to be reasonable, I now have a derogatory finding with the credit reporting agency ( agencies? ) with no way to remove it. My credit score has taken a hit before I was even informed that I was considered delinquent in payment. 

( Other things that might shed light on the issue : 1 ) As I recall, my daughter paid for her electricity directly to the utility company. So, is this final bill for water which she paid to XXXX XXXX? 2 ) We learned that another management company bought the apartment complex in question from XXXX XXXX in XXXX. If XXXX XXXX pushed this forward into collections, wouldnt that have happened well before XXXX? )