Consumer complaint received 2017-10-14
Company: FAIR COLLECTIONS & OUTSOURCING, INC.
State: MD
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other debt
Issue: Written notification about debt
Sub-issue: Didn't receive notice of right to dispute

Complaint:
i was renting an apartment at XXXX at XXXX XXXX in XXXX MD from XXXX to XXXX. Things were going well until they changed property management and eventually sold off the property. Around XXXX XXXX i noticed little droplets of XXXX in the stove and in some areas of the living room. After inspecting the house i realized i had mice. I never had any pest issue in the 1st 3 years that i lived here besides roaches. Shortly after there was a vague note sent to all residents asking them to call the office if they had any issues with pests so they can schedule pest control to come through the property. I called the office right away and mentioned that i had mice and had already spent some money buying and placing traps around the apartment. Pest control finally came to my apartment and i made sure i took off work to be there to make sure these was taken care of as i had a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The guy walked in and asked me where i think they are coming from, i told i 've seen them on the stove and in the kitchen where the water heater ( not sure what gadget that was in the kitchen closet ). The guy put down 2 traps in this closet and then put 2 more traps at the bottom of the stove. I asked him if he was going to do anything else and his response was " the building is too old to anything else '', but he would be back ; well he never showed up again. I went to the office to express my frustration at the situation and they said there was nothing that they could do. On XXXX XXXX XXXX i stopped at the office to pay the balance on my rent in the amount of {$620.00}, it was then that i asked XXXX XXXX how to go about submitting my 60 day notice and to whose attention i send it to. XXXX provided his email address on a stick note and signed it with his initials. The next day XXXX XXXX XXXX, i emailed XXXX my notice to vacate the property. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX i stopped back in the office to find out if there was anything else needed, and lo and behold, they could not find a notice to vacate from me anywhere in their system. I showed them the stick note that i was given, but everyone seemed not to know what was going on nor did they want to figure it out, but apparently they were in the middle of transition to new management. I left work early a couple more time to try and fix the situation but again everyone avoided me like the plaque. Well i finally moved out the apartment and turned in my keys, left them with email and cell phone number to contact me once they figure out what was going on. I also set up my mail to be forwarded for a year so as to not to miss any important paper work. On XXXX XXXX XXXX, i received an email from XXXX XXXX who was the XXXX XXXX at the time, asking me to send her my notice, which i forwarded to her. It was then that she began verbally berating me about using an email that had n't been set up, and that she would be charging me all sorts of penalties and fees for breaking my lease. It was then that i sent her a picture of the stick note that i was provided with XXXX ' email, but she was not having it. I also mentioned to her that i would have loved to finish out my lease XXXX lease was ending in XXXX XXXX, but could n't do so with a XXXX XXXX and house that 's infested with mice and no help from them in rectifying the problem. I asked to send me a final accounting of my account, but never received anything, in email or the mail no communication whatsoever. 
Fast forward 2 years later, in XXXX XXXX i receive an alert on credit report that something has been added, and what do you know, it was a collection account from XXXX at XXXX XXXX now know as " the XXXX XXXX ''. I then went to their office that Saturday to speak with a manager and was told the property manager does not work weekends and that i should come back during the week. I could n't keep taking time off work so i decided to email and have a paper trail as well. On XXXX XXXX i sent an email to XXXX, telling him that i have called numerous times about this account, but ca n't seem to get a returned phone call. XXXX forwarded my email to XXXX their bookkeeper to dig out the paper work and find out what was going on. I followed up with XXXX every week from then, but she still did n't have any info. Finally on XXXX XXXX XXXX, after multiple calls and threatening to sue i received an email stating that she had forwarded my file to her assistant Manager and that she would let me know the outcome. I still did n't hear back from either of them ; XXXX XXXX XXXX, i sent another email asking for an update with no response. I called XXXX again and explained the whole situation and how this all started with him giving me a wrong email address and now nobody wants to fix it. He said they 've had a lot of turnover and at this point he thinks i should just get an attorney. Unfortunately i can not afford an attorney!

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation