Consumer complaint received 2024-08-05
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: Rowland Avenue Management, Inc. A/KA Columbia Debt Recovery, LLC d/b/a Genesis (CA)

( I have XXXX separate complaints with this company. I will follow up with another form ) I disputed the debt with the XXXX credit agencies when I learned of the debt. I tried to make contact with Genesis collection agency to no avail but it was ok considering I was disputing it with the credit agencies.

First issue with this company is when I learned that an apartment manager of a complex that I recently applied to reached out to Genesis to find out about the collection. I didnt even know that this call was going to be made. A representative from Genesis discussed the matter with them and shared that they ( Genesis ) were missing information to verify that it was me and asked the apartment manager to verify the identifying information that they had for me. It is my belief that Genesis used that call to gather the missing identifying information that on they did not have. 
I reached out to Genesis once the apartment manager told me that they had made contact and was told that I could send proof of where I lived at the time and they would remove the collection and that if I didnt respond by the XXXX they would kept the collection there permanently. I couldnt understand why a collection agency would be discussing this matter with anyone. Considering the dates the gave of XX/XX/XXXX it made me aware that Genesis received the disputes from the credit bureaus.

When I called Genesis they told me that they didnt have record of that call. It is quite obvious that the call happened because I was given the same information as the apartment manager. I asked the manager if they were sure it was Genesis that had spoken with and they confirmed that it was and that they were forthcoming with the information they shared. 
I asked Genesis to validate the debt. They emailed a lease with an electronic signature. I followed up with a call to ask if they had any information that actually validates the deb as it would help with the police report. I was told by XXXX XXXX that the debt is not fraudulent it is yours no one pays rent for XXXX plus months and stops paying. When asked for the spelling of his name he told me to sound it out and that he was not giving me anything else and that I got all that I was going to get. He said that he sent me a validation XXXX times and that was not true. He told me that he was not providing me with any information just because I decided that I want to buy a home. 

They are using scare tatics by telling me that I have until XX/XX/XXXX or they will keep the collection on the account. The dispute was never filed with them it was filed directly through XXXX XXXX and XXXX XX/XX/XXXX in which I was informed that they would have a decision by XX/XX/XXXX. This company never reached out to me or I to them. Their point of contact was with the potential apartment complex that I applied to, to who Genesis shared information about the collection and gathered information from to somehow substantiate this fraudulent debt. Scare tactics were used to get me to reach out during an active dispute where the burden of proof lies on them.