Consumer complaint received 2024-01-21
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Communication tactics — Frequent or repeated calls
Company: Rowland Avenue Management, Inc. A/KA Columbia Debt Recovery, LLC d/b/a Genesis (CA)

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a somewhat threatening email from Genesis Debt Collection agency saying I owed XXXX {$680.00} related to my lease agreement with XXXX XXXX  that ended over two years ago on XX/XX/XXXX, which I already fully paid. XXXX managed XXXX XXXX  at that time. 

The following timeline of events explains the interaction with Genesis and their harassment and bullying tactics I encountered from Genesis attempting to collect an incorrect debt of {$680.00}. Genesis continues to ignore the proof and contemporaneous documentation I submitted regarding my move out of XXXX XXXX  in XX/XX/XXXX, which includes providing the items of the {$680.00} payment in question coming out from my bank account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Genesis  to understand why they thought I owed {$680.00}, and I requested the details so I could understand what made up the amount to confirm with my records. The lady representative I spoke to at Genesis verbally said I owed {$680.00} for my last rent payment plus utilities. They did not provide me detail or any written proof on their end. I told the Genesis representative that I know I paid my last rent and utilities and asked what I needed to provide to Genesis to prove it to them. She responded dismissively and said they would only accept something from XXXX that said paid in full or something showing a {$0.00} balance. In this first interaction with Genesis, I felt that the demeanor of the representative was dismissive, and I felt demeaned. Also, little did I know at that time that the level of proof Genesis was asking for would be an impossible endeavor. Also, I believe the representative from Genesis fully knew it was impossible for me to provide that to Genesis as well. 

After my initial call with Genesis on XX/XX/XXXX, I immediately called the XXXX Accounts Receivable person that I had phone calls and an email conversation with back in XXXX when I was moving out of the XXXX XXXX. I left a voice message for the person and never received a call back. I also emailed him and never heard back. 

I spent the next few weeks locating my old personal files from my lease at XXXX and the pertinent correspondence regarding my move out in XX/XX/XXXX. Also, I looked on the internet and found out that XXXX had no phone number listed because it was no longer XXXX XXXX, it is now XXXX XXXX, making this effort more challenging. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, Genesis bullied me by putting a derogatory mark on my credit without any warning and ignoring the XX/XX/XXXX discussion with the Genesis representative allowing me some time to provide my documentation and proof of payment. This resulted in my credit score going from XXXX to XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I decided to call XXXX XXXX  ( now XXXX XXXX  ) and requested my account information and to speak to someone in XXXX Accounts Receivable to confirm my payment was properly recorded for the {$680.00}. However, the person from XXXX ( now XXXX ) let me know XXXX was no longer managing their apartment complex. Also, XXXX ( now XXXX ) told me that they no longer have any previous tenant records during the time I was a tenant with XXXX. 

In the meantime, Genesis left me several voicemails ( e.g., 4 in one week ) to call them back about paying the {$680.00}. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called XXXX XXXX  ( now XXXX ) again and I pushed a bit harder with the person from XXXX ( now XXXX ) for any XXXX contact so I could get Genesis to stop harassing me. The person was able to provide me an email for XXXX XXXX and she told me they had been receiving a ton of phone calls with people asking about XXXX contact information due to a debt collector harassing them as well, on past amounts allegedly due to XXXX. On the next day of XX/XX/XXXX, I sent a very detailed email to the XXXX XXXX email address and asked if they could work with me and provide any records of my account so that they could also show I owed {$0.00} to Genesis. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX sent me an email back that they did locate my account, but the account is no longer in their office. They indicated my account was placed with Genesis and that I must contact them directly regarding my account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Genesis and was assigned a specific person, XXXX, to work with. I explained the situation again and that XXXX no longer has any tenant information to provide since the information was transferred to Genesis. I asked XXXX for the details of the {$680.00} and he verbally gave me the itemized information that was allegedly due to XXXX. I explained to XXXX that I had the proof and contemporaneous documentation from when I moved out that clearly shows I paid the itemized amounts of the {$680.00} in question and that Genesis was wrongly showing not paid. 

On the next day XX/XX/XXXX, I provided XXXX at Genesis via email the contemporaneous documentation from an email chain with a XXXX Accounts Receivable back in XX/XX/XXXX about my move out final payment which was for the same items of the {$680.00} in question and proof of payment. The proof of payment was a redacted bank statement that showed the amount that Genesis is alleging unpaid was indeed clearly paid electronically to XXXX XXXX from my bank account on XX/XX/XXXX shortly after I moved out 2 years ago. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called XXXX at Genesis again for an update since I didnt hear back from him regarding the contemporaneous documentation that I sent clearly showing the {$680.00} paid in full. He apologized that he missed my email but would get it submitted for review immediately. XXXX also promised to follow up with me within 3 weeks regarding an update. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received another pressuring email from Genesis. This was surprising to me since XXXX promised he would get back to me in 3 weeks from our discussion on XX/XX/XXXX with an update regarding the documentation I provided him clearly showing the {$680.00} paid in full. The pressuring email still said I owed {$680.00} ( and now saying additional interest is accruing ) and that I need to pay it immediately. The email also said I might be eligible for a 20 % discount if I paid the {$680.00} within 30 days. There was no mention of the documentation I provided to XXXX. This was yet another harassment and pressure to pay tactic. I immediately called back XXXX that same day of receiving this harassing email ( on XX/XX/XXXX ) and let him know I got this email and was confused considering our prior discussion on XX/XX/XXXX where he promised to review my contemporaneous documentation provided, including the proof of payment of the {$680.00} in question. 

XXXX put me on hold for many minutes. When he came back, he said that his managers reviewed the documentation I sent and since it didnt show a {$0.00} balance or say paid in full from XXXX XXXX my documentation is not acceptable. 

This is where it had come full circle to me that it is literally impossible to provide Genesis anything they will accept as proof of payment, and Genesis knew that all along. Genesis is fully aware that XXXX is no longer managing XXXX XXXX  ( which is now XXXX ) and that XXXX has no records to provide me or Genesis, and Genesis would not provide me what records they have received from XXXX. Genesis ignored my clear proof of payment for the {$680.00} in question. I provided clear proof of contemporaneous documentation of the amount they are trying to wrongly extort from me. 

Also, Genesis further insulted me when XXXX relayed to me that his managers said the information I provided was made up, meaning that I fabricated these documents! This was a shocking and an insulting accusation that made me feel further threatened, demeaned, and bullied to pay an amount that I already paid. 

Genesis is using bullying, pressuring, and harassment tactics to try to have me pay for something that was already paid and put a derogatory comment on my credit report. I feel Ive been and continue to be bullied and threatened into paying something that was already paid. 

Im happy to provide more detail and my contemporaneous documentation I provided Genesis that they are ignoring. These business practices should not be acceptable from any business, even if they are a debt collector. Please advise.