Consumer complaint received 2024-07-12
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action — Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged
Company: Summit A*R, Inc. (FL)

This correspondence serves as an official complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau against Summit Collects ( Summit A*R ), a collections agency. 
An online reservation for a rental vehicle was made on XX/XX/XXXX with XXXX, ( a rental car company who uses Summit Collects as a third party collections company ), for a XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX or similar car, for pick-up XX/XX/XXXX, for {$460.00}. Upon arrival at the rental office, the originally rented vehicle was changed, by XXXX, to a XXXX XXXX and new rental documentation for this vehicle was emailed to me XXXX hours after departing the rental office. This documentation clearly indicated that there was a pre-existing crack in the windshield of this XXXX XXXX as well as pre-existing unknown damage. Upon returning the vehicle, on XX/XX/XXXX, we received a return receipt via email. On XX/XX/XXXX we received an email stating that there was a crack in the windshield. On XX/XX/XXXX they sent us a bill for {$1100.00} for repair of the windshield. 
Due to the fact that the windshield was already documented by XXXX as damaged prior to me renting the vehicle, I assumed this was a mistake that would eventually be rectified. I have insurance through our personal auto insurance as well as the credit card used to rent the vehicle which would have covered any damage, however, as stated previously, the vehicles window was damaged prior to us renting the vehicle, and noted on their documentation. 

On or about XX/XX/XXXX I received a phone call from Summit Collects regarding the XXXX XXXX, I explained, at that time, I had documentation showing that the window was damaged prior to me renting the vehicle. They instructed me to send an email stating that I was disputing the claim, this was done on XX/XX/XXXX and I received confirmation from Summit Collects via email that they had received the email and the dispute was noted. Summit Collects has never answered the dispute in writing via mail or email, never requested any further information, never inquired about the reason for the dispute and never requested any documentation, however, they did call at some point later and told me that I had to pay despite the dispute and despite never receiving anything from them in writing regarding the dispute aside from their email acknowledgement of the dispute and despite having documentation that showed there was damage prior to me renting the vehicle. I told them to take it to court, that I would love to see what a judge thought about XXXX knowingly renting me a vehicle that was a safety concern and billing me for damage that was done prior to me getting the vehicle. I received no further correspondence from Summit Collects and no request for any information regarding the reason for the dispute nor any information I gave them over the phone. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I was notified via my credit monitoring agency about a change in my credit. Upon further investigation, it was noted that Summit Collects erroneously reported a judgment against me for the XXXX bill, to the credit reporting agency XXXX which has significantly damaged my credit rating, lowering it from an XXXX to a XXXX, a significant decrease. This was an attempt by Summit Collects to strong arm me into paying them for damage that was caused prior to me renting the car and damage that would have been covered by my insurance company and/or my credit card insurance. And most likely is being paid by someone else - who knows who else may have been billed for this damage. 

This car was rented to us by XXXX, with pre-existing damage, the windshield already being compromised as well as unknown pre-existing damage and then I was billed for it. Summit Collects reported this claim to the credit reporting agency as a judgement while the claim was still being disputed, never followed up with me, never asked for additional information, and never inquired about the dispute.