Consumer complaint received 2016-03-13
Company: Account Managers, Inc.
State: WA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Other (i.e. phone, health club, etc.)
Issue: Cont'd attempts collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not mine

Complaint:
My husband and I entered a contract with the property management company called " The XXXX '' ( incorporated as XXXX ) located in XXXX, WA that concluded on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX. Per the terms of our contract, the XXXX XXXX had 14 days after the leased property was returned to them to refund our deposit and present a statement of any charges withheld or due at that point. This can be confirmed by Section XXXX of our lease agreement ( 'Non-refundable fee and security deposit ' ) : " An accounting and refund of the Security Deposit or invoice for additional charges, if applicable shall be made within fourteen ( 14 ) days after the Tenant has vacated the premises. '' The XXXX XXXX did provide a partial refund of our security deposit, as well as an invoice for {$100.00} withheld on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, within the dates set by the terms of our agreement. At that point, we had every reason to believe our business with them was finished. However, on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX -- 24 days after the end of our lease term and when the property had been surrendered back to them -- we received an invoice for a previously unmentioned charge for 'janitorial services ' for {$220.00} that contained no other explanation. 

Knowing this charge violated the terms of our contract ( as well as Washington State Law XXXX XXXX : " Within fourteen days after the termination of the rental agreement and vacation of the premises, ... the landlord shall give a full and specific statement of the basis for retaining any of the deposit together with the payment of any refund due the tenant under the terms and conditions of the rental agreement. " ), we did not send an official dispute via registered mail until XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, after the XXXX XXXX threatened to refer it to collections as a means of negatively impacting our credit rating for nonpayment. Since they are fully aware we have no responsibility to pay this debt, their threats denote a clear attempt at extortion. Thus we sent all our supporting documentation with our dispute notice, as well as a request that both the charges be dropped immediately and to not be contacted by the XXXX XXXX or their agents again. 

These requests were not honored though, and now we have received a collections notice dated XXXX/XXXX/XXXX from " Grimm Collections '' in XXXX, WA for a {$220.00} charge that the XXXX XXXX was never legally allowed to make in the first place. The only reason we have ever been given as to why no attempt to even inform us of a need for cleaning services until 24 days after the premises was vacated was because they 'overlooked ' it. This admits to negligence on their part, that when coupled with the tardiness of their claim, negates any legal right they may have otherwise had to charge such a fee regardless of whether it was valid from the start.

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