Consumer complaint received 2021-03-04
Company: The Phoenix Recovery Group
State: TX
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
This is regarding claims against me from 2019 at a complex in XXXX XXXX Texas : XXXX Apartments. 

XX/XX/2019 : I put in written notification as I was indicated to by the very kind and helpful assistant manager at that time XXXX XXXX. I did not think to ever ask for my written copy to be signed by anyone to prove I turned it in but I was able to acquire email records where I spoke with the assistant manager about how to start the process. I will include those. You will see that the end of the emails didnt give a definitive answer. After a research on XXXX I discovered it is an expectation for written notice to be given. At the time I was commuting back and forth from XXXX XXXX and made a phone call to Ms XXXX XXXX indicating that I would turn written notice in. I informed her that I physically moved out myself and all my belongings the we last week in XXXX but I knew my lease wasnt up. I also knew they previously declined inquiries about ending my lease early or sublease options. I offered to turn in my keys the upcoming visit in town when I turned in my letter for non-renewal. XXXX informed me she wasnt working that weekend & asked that I keep the keys until an exit walk through was done. She politely urged me to wait and in the nicest terms she reminded me how particular her boss Ms XXXX XXXX is. She was incredibly demeaning and verbally aggressive with Ms XXXX multiple times when I was in the management office for various reasons. When Ms. XXXX politely asked me just to keep the unit as if I were living there to avoid making waves, I was okay to oblige. I didnt see any reason why it mattered at the time. By moving out early I was afforded the opportunity to leave the place in immaculate condition. I didnt ever destroy anything in the unit to begin with but I have always been hyper paranoid about leaving places cleaner than I entered them as a common courtesy. ( At the time I was very limited on finances and cleaned the unit above par in hopes that I would get a deposit back to help me get my feet on the ground after Id recently graduated college. I didnt realize I never was charged a true deposit because the deposit was waived in a sign on bundle, but I assure you I was incredibly motivated to get that place in tip top shape because I was doing my best to get my first foot forward as a new grad beginning my career. Once I realized there was no deposit to be returned to me, I let it go because I realized it was my forgetfulness and I would just have to walk away knowing their apartment turn over would be a simple one. ) XX/XX/2019 : Written notice for non renewal of my lease was turned in to XXXX of the front desk leasing agents. To be quite frank I can not recall the girls name. The turn around of those front desk agents was high as a visibly toxic work environment was harbored in the presence of Ms XXXX XXXX, the property manager. She was unpleasant and many staff confided in how she made it hard to work there. I was simply a tenant and just listened but I never experienced direct actions & I truly never imagined the claims XXXX XXXX would make against me and didnt prepare any documentation to prove myself a good tenant. I kept quiet for a long time because I didnt want Ms XXXX XXXX to be held accountable for this. Now I see that maybe someone should know exactly what goes on there. Maybe someone should reward her hard work and kindness to others. Maybe someone should eradicate and keep accountable people like XXXX XXXX. 


XX/XX/2019. I offered to make a round at the apartment with the assistant manager Ms XXXX to ensure no damages were done. She informed me that she used my unit earlier in the week to show for new leases and that she knew it didnt have damages. She informed me a walk through wouldnt be necessary. I turned in my keys. I was a young XXXX kid and I am entirely certain that whatever events that took place after that were not from her, but from XXXX. 

Months and months later I started getting called from Phoenix Recovery group incessantly demanding I begin paying off a debt. I attached the email from the discussion I had with one of their representatives. I wanted to pay it off then. I thought I had to simply because the claims were open but Im happy I didnt. I didnt know there was any sort of dispute process and my guilt of not paying consumed me, but I truly just couldnt.. I was truly living from pay check to pay check prior to the pandemic. Im a XX/XX/XXXX and even though the pandemic has taken a toll, it also has given me the opportunity to work copious amounts of overtime I used to not be able to and now Im earnestly working, paying off my student debt that I do owe ; hence the inquiry all these months later. I am tiny bit more grown now so I dont use this as an excuse but just explanation that at the time didnt know quite how serious the situation was. I didnt realize the delinquent marks would have such an adverse effect on my long term personal finances. In discussing the claims with Phoenix recovery I found that there were claims that I owe rent, that I was charged a month to month fee for 60 days because I didnt notify for move out, and that there were damages. 

I feel rather foolish adding in non factual details about the situation. I have been in great standing with my current apartment and all previous ones. I dont include the following for pity, but rather as an earnest attempt to paint a picture of the type of individual that apartment manager was. XXXX wasnt overtly rude to me during my residency at XXXX but when I was around she would intentionally disregard my presence and ignore my need for help. The very few times she spoke to me she made what she must have deemed to by humorous comments about my childs race. I assumed her behavior of personal verbal passive-aggressions would have been the extent of it and my heart always went out to the employees of the office who she also was very unprofessional and demeaning to. I grew a lot from the situation and ultimately will pay the debt if someone doesnt favor to throw these false claims out. It wasnt until recently that I learned that complaints could be filed. Im learning and Im growing and hoping to mark this take off of my things to take care of this year. I see in the media how inundated you guys are with complaints this year. My informative message is surrounded in prayer that someone sees my intent to be a good member of society at a young age while being faced with a woman who used her knowledge of leading to smother a young single mother and at the time recent college graduate.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation