Consumer complaint received 2019-02-13
Company: I.Q. DATA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
State: FL
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive enough information to verify debt

Complaint:
The companies involved are Iq Data, XXXX Wa and XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX Fl. 

Background : So I lived in XXXX XXXX for 3 years. 2 years in one apartment and transferred to another apartment due to hurricane damage on the 1st apartment.

I had renters insurance for both of these apartments. I moved out of the 1st apartment on XX/XX/2018, and moved out of the second apartment in XXXX XXXX Issues : My father got a call from Iq data who then handed the phone to me. They were stating that they are a collection agency collecting debt for XXXX XXXX and that I owed them XXXX dollars for carpet damage on the first apartment. I told them that this charge was fraudulent because I didn't receive any information from XXXX or Iq Data about these claims until this phone call which was over a year later. I demand that they give me documentation on these claim however the first employee refused, stating that she wasn't able to disclose any information provided to her from their client XXXX XXXX. I got frustrated, then told her that I wanted to talk to her supervisor. 

The supervisor comes on the phone and explains that if I wanted documentation I need to write them a letter requesting information and send it to their p.o. box. However, she says this may take a while and that there is interest on the debt, an obvious tactic to get me to pay right then and there. I keep demanding the documentation to be sent a faster way such as email. I state that if I don't get any documentation they will be hearing from an attorney. She chuckles and says you are gon na call a lawyer over XXXX dollars? She then proceeds to treat me like I am an unresponsible poor person who is just stalling to not pay their debts and then threatens me stating that if i don't pay my debts my granter 's ( who are my parents ) credit score will be lowered. I am beyond irate at this point and told her " Do you seriously think I can't pay the XXXX dollars and I'm stalling for time? '' She says " then pay the debt ''. This went on and on. 

Eventually, because I was so angry out of my mind I gave her my debit information to prove the point I could. She hung up on me the second she got it. Obviously, I cancel the transaction as fast as possible. I then called XXXX XXXX to see what was going on. First time I talked to the manager who then said I should call back an hour later because someone else was in charge of dealing with the collection agencies. So that was what I did she picked up and said to call back tomorrow because their computers ' weren't working. I then remembered that I had a call from my renter insurance agency stating that XXXX made a claim with them over that same carpet. I called my insurance company for documentation on that claim and lo and behold they did. 

So not only are these companies making fraudulent claims but they have broken FDCPA laws in the process. They contacted my parents before they contacted me and they stated this is because they only had my parents number which isn't true my number is on the lease and I haven't changed my phone number in eight years. They refused to provide documentation giving me no way to know the legitimacy of such claims from over a year ago. They use an abusive and threatening form of speech to mental and emotional manipulate me into paying the debt. These companies are law-breaking companies as of which should be punished as one.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief