Consumer complaint received 2025-05-03 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Rental debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action — Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged
Company: Rowland Avenue Management, Inc. A/KA Columbia Debt Recovery, LLC d/b/a Genesis
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
XXXX. Failure to Properly Validate Debt ( XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/year> ) On XX/XX/year>, I sent a debt verification letter to Genesis. In response, Genesis only provided an Original Lease and a very brief eight-line table of charges, without offering further detail or explanation. 
On XX/XX/year>, I sent a second verification request specifically asking for clarification regarding Genesiss authority to collect the alleged debt ( such as proof of assignment or agency relationship ). Genesis failed to provide any such authorization or justification. 

XXXX. Harassment and Misleading Statements During Collection Call ( XX/XX/year> ) On XX/XX/year>, I called Genesis service number and talked with a representative named XXXX XXXX ( collector ). I recorded this call in full compliance with applicable law and have preserved both the complete audio recording and a transcript. During this recorded call : Harassment and Threatening : The collector used an intimidating tone when I requested written documentation, threatening : Well just put it on your credit and then youll see it from Columbia debt, intending to pressure me into immediate payment.

Even after I clearly stated multiple times, I need to go to think about it, the collector persistently refused to end the conversation, pushing aggressively for immediate resolution.

The collector falsely accused me of yelling ( Why are you yelling? ) when I was not, mischaracterizing my tone to intimidate and belittle me.

The collector made hostile and disparaging statements implying I was untrustworthy : You didnt pay, so you broke general practice. 

Misleading Representations : The collector claimed XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and XXXX were all of us without providing any clarification or documentation of this relationship, even when I specifically asked : if I pay Genesis, how could I know the apartment owner wont go after me again in the future?

When I requested written confirmation before making any payment, the collector refused, stating I would only receive documentation after payment. 
The collector further misrepresented the nature of debt validation by dismissing my reference to consumer rights, saying Internet is not always right and implying that the information I cited was not factual. 

XXXX. Provision of a Non-Functional Payment Website ( XX/XX/year> ) On XX/XX/year>, the same representative from Genesis sent me an email directing me to pay through a specific website requiring registration. When I attempted to proceed, the system responded with the following error message : Account Finding Failure Were sorry, we could not find your account. Our staff has been emailed to see if we can locate your account for you with the information youve provided. Well be in touch as soon as we can find your account!

Despite the websites claim that their staff would contact me, no follow-up was ever provided. 
I attempted the registration process twice, but both attempts failed. 

XXXX. Subsequent Conduct and Failure to Respond to Dispute ( XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX ) On XX/XX/year>, when I called XXXX again, the operator transferred me immediately back to the same aggressive representative without informing me or offering an alternative representative, preventing reasonable communication and resolution. 
That same day, I sent Genesis a formal dispute letter specifically stating two issues : 1. Harassment during a collection call ; and 2. Provision of a fake or non-functional payment website. 

Despite this formal notice, as of XX/XX/year>, Genesis had not responded to my dispute.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation