Consumer complaint received 2017-07-05
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Written notification about debt — Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company: CONRAD CREDIT CORPORATION (DC)

We 're retired senior citizens and we own a paid in full time share at " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX '' in the XXXX XXXX. A 25yrs lease with about 8 yrs used, which requires an annual maintenance fee billed in advance for the up coming year. They have assigned the collection of these fees to a service agent naming them on their Website For Accounts & Financial Services " Conrad Acceptance Corporation ''. We have never been delinquent since we purchased the timeshare and have always paid on time until now. <P/>
Enclosed is the XX/XX/XXXX '' s assessment notice of the first Dues Statement dated XX/XX/XXXX describing an itemized list of fees due in total of {$930.00} with a partial payment due XX/XX/XXXX of {$280.00}. <P/>No where on this document is there a notice of possible or probable additional collection action after any prescribe dates or time limits. <P/>I have also enclosed a second Dues Statement ... dated XX/XX/XXXX, with one line which notes a due date of XX/XX/XXXX, the billing amount of {$600.00}, Past/due, {$930.00}, Late Charge Due, {$0.00}, Vat Tax 7.5 % of {$45.00} and Total Due {$930.00}. Again no where on this document is there a notice of possible or probable additional collection action after any prescribe dates or time limits. Consequently, as a result of financial difficulty and a lack of any written penalty warnings we choose to delayed our payment. <P/>I was contacted by phone in XX/XX/XXXX by the Conrad Acceptance Corporation and a message left on my phone requested I call a number. I did at which time I was informed that my account had been referred to their collection department, whom I was speaking to at that moment and informed I had been assessed a collection fees of ~ 1/3 the total amount due, which they were entitled to do, this amounted to {$310.00} additional. The reason given was because I was more than 90 days over due on my maintenance fee assessment. <P/>The Service does not, I repeat, does not advance the fee for me. <P/>I insisted there was no written notice of any of these now verbalized policies. I was told, what she was now verbalizing to me was the companies long standing policy. <P/>Reluctantly I agreed to send partial pay of {$960.00} before XX/XX/XXXX.
<P/>During this phone communication with Conrad Acceptance Corporation 's collection department I was given the option by the agent " only because our time share was 'Paid in Full '' and they had been moved it to their collection department, we were eligible to be offered a walkway deal, to with, we would relinquish our time share rights for a forgiveness of the collection fee, while paying the original dues with late fees off and henceforth have no more obligation nor claim with this ( our ) time share and NO other compensation was offered. This alerted me to a possible fraudulent situation. <P/>I asked again " without written notice how is that possible and why would I be obligated to that policy? I am late in fulfilling my obligation to the RESORT that is no reason to without injury to the Conrad Acceptance Corporation to be assessed an injury fee. Who is being injured here? <P/>XX/XX/XXXX I called the Resort, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX '' in the XXXX XXXX, and complained about the lack of written information from there agents about these policies from them to their customers and they told me after an account goes to there agents collection proceedings they have no more control and would not be able to help us, she went on to say, had we called the resort before their agent put our account into this status they could have done something. <P/><P/>I am confused how does any company get to Willie Nellie assess an unwritten, verbally announced, after the fact penalty, when the only injury to them is for them to move an account from one draw to another with a reassignment of an account number. ( They are already the collection agent. ) I thought Late fees assessments after a date were to be noted on a request for payment along with any collection actions to be taken after a certain date. In this case the last late fee noted on the XX/XX/XXXX Statement was {$0.00} with no written warning about collection proceedings. <P/>We want to meet our obligation but feel we are being put upon without legal notice and punished again for circumstances beyond our control. We find ourselves between a rock and a hard place.