Consumer complaint received 2018-10-01
Company: Thunderbird Collection Specialists, Inc.
State: AZ
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: False statements or representation
Sub-issue: Attempted to collect wrong amount

Complaint:
XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX is trying to collect on a debt but has added many charges to the amount and will not explain them or provide a ledger detailing the accounting. In XX/XX/XXXX, I  signed a 12 month residential lease for about $ XXXX/month. In early XX/XX/XXXX, I was forced to break my lease. After I surrendered possession of the rental, the landlord did not return my security deposit Thunderbird is not the landlord, but a debt collector. About XX/XX/XXXX, it began to report to the credit bureaus that I owed approximate {$12000.00} for the rental debt. I contacted Thunderbird and asked why the debt was so high. They stated that I owed the rent for the remainder of the lease ( approximately {$6000.00} ) and the rest was " collection fees '' and interest ( approximately {$6000.00} ). My lease did not provide for fines and fees of this amount. I do not understand why Thunderbird believes it can charge me such extreme and abusive amounts and not even explain itself. My next door neighbor at that rental informed me that the landlord had a new renter in my old unit within a few months. It is unfair that, even though Thunderbird was getting paid rent for the time of my lease, it is still trying to double-collect the same rent money from me. In the same way, it is not fair that Thunderbird has added huge collection fees to my bill. My lease agreement did not allow for such high fees, nor did I agree to them at any other time. Thunderbird can not have more rights to bill me than my landlord did. I have made many requests for more information. Thunderbird representatives told me that " it was none of my business '' when asked for verification of the new renter who had moved into my old apartment. Further, I disputed this debt with the credit bureaus at least one time a month for nearly a year. Each time, Thunderbird has verified that the claim was valid, but did not provide any documentation to support its claim. Thunderbird 's calls have been harassing to me and my family. They call several times a week. They leave messages that are intimidating. They threatened to call my boss. They even embarrassed me by calling my mom about the debt! Thunderbird 's actions have been very harmful to me. My credit score has dropped significantly. Because of my low score, I have been unable to secure a loan to purchase a house and I am forced to rent. I need to get a new car, but the interest rates for the loan are prohibitive. The stress from this issue has been hard on me. I can't sleep at night, it makes me anxious, I dread answering my phone and I have been impatient with my family. I genuinely don't know if I owe any money at all on this debt. Thunderbird 's deceptive practices have prevented me from reviewing any useful documentation. I can not make an informed decision about this because they won't cooperate with me. I ask that the CFPB force Thunderbird to provide me with a detailed accounting and explanation of the debt ; or, in the alternative, stop its collection attempts and credit reporting against me.

Company public response: Company believes complaint caused principally by actions of third party outside the control or direction of the company
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation