Consumer complaint received 2024-12-23 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Telecommunications debt
Issue: False statements or representation — Attempted to collect wrong amount
Company: SUNRISE CREDIT SERVICES, INC
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
In XXXX of XXXX, I moved from a residence in XXXX, Florida, to another residence in XXXX, FL. I transferred my XXXX internet services ( with the same account, account number, Etc. ) to XXXX, and terminated services at XXXX. XXXX  has confirmed that I did, in fact, call to do these things, and I was informed they were completed by a XXXX  representative. During this time, I maintained and kept up with all bills associated with my XXXX  account, and could only see my service address at XXXX, and my prior address at XXXX, on the XXXX  App itself, and it always indicated a monthly balance only for XXXX. 

Eventually, I got a call from XXXX around XXXX of XXXX saying my services would soon be terminated for nonpayment. I called them, and they told me " my '' XXXX Florida service location would soon be terminated for non-payment. We hashed it out, and we found out that while XXXX had transferred my account and services, they had not finalized termination of my prior location at XXXX. During this time, a new resident had moved into the XXXX FL location and opened their own Internet account at that service address. ( At that time, XXXX only allowed one active account per service address. Since early XXXX, this policy has changed, but was still in effect at this time. ) Meaning, even if I had somehow *not* closed the XXXX Account, even though I had been told by a representative on the phone during the transfer process that was done, the *new* tenant in XXXX shouldn't have been able to open a new account while an old one was active, *especially* if it had an outstanding balance. I used to work for XXXX, and that's how they operated during that time. 

At the time I called, in XXXX, I was told they resolved the issue, closed the XXXX account that had my name attached to it, and they gave me a several XXXX dollar " credit '' to erase the amount owed from that location. BUT, in XXXX of XXXX, I received several calls from Sunrise XXXX XXXX about them collecting a debt for XXXX for an outstanding balance that remained unpaid. After several tense conversations with Sunrise, who had no interest in helping resolve the issue, and only interest in charging more fines and fees for " nonpayment '' to them, now, I had to call XXXX back. 

The representative in XX/XX/XXXX then told me that initially, in XXXX of XXXX, the XXXX representative then was a *sales* representative, and instead of truly transferring my account, he " opened '' a new one to reflect his sales metrics better. To not get pinged by the Retention Department after doing this, he simply did not close out my XXXX address, but made it " Seasonal ''. Then, the representative told me that in XXXX, that representative submitted permission for the credit, but was internally denied, without notifying me. They then sent bill notifications through paper mail to the XXXX address... where I hadn't lived for some time, about the " Outstanding Balance '', and then sent it to collections. 

All the while, I had thought the issue long since resolved due to the repeated conversations with several different XXXX  representatives. They then told me they'd " submit a ticket '' to have it reviewed, and that if I didn't hear back from the collections company or XXXX  resolving the issue, it meant it was closed. 

Then, in XXXX of XXXX, I moved again. When I went to transfer my account *this* time, to a new address, I was suddenly told ( Despite my XXXX  app, and when I call into the XXXX  line to pay my bill, that I had no outstanding balance, for the several months between XXXX and XXXX ) That I *COULDN '' T* transfer my services ... because of an OUTSTANDING BALANCE. 

They then said the outstanding balance was " not tied to an account '' but to *me*, because I hadn't paid the debt collection company yet. Meanwhile, I hadn't been contacted by the debt collection company since XXXX, and had no other news from XXXX regarding the incident. 

SO I tried to cancel my XXXX account at this point, because despite my years of loyalty and being an employee with them, they'd lost my trust as a provider. I was then informed ... that I *WAS N'T ALLOWED* to cancel my account! Because I had an outstanding balance, they refused to let me cancel services that were STILL BEING PROVIDED to the XXXX  Address!!! They said they would still charge me monthly, and refused to close the account! The only way they'd close the account was if I either paid not *them*, but the Debt collection company 's price ( and the several fees they had now stamped on ) and THEN paid XXXX  an additional XXXX $ account closure fee, only due because I was trying to close my account with an " Outstanding Balance ''. 

Keep in mind! I had been paying every single month, on time and in full, for my *actual* XXXX internet services for the entirety of that time period between XXXX and XXXX of XXXX and XXXX. 

I was NOT going to pay an additional XXXX $ fine they assigned me for not paying the OTHER, erronious $ XXXX fees and fines they had given me that I never should have physically been capable of owing, due to the limitations of their own system. 

I ended the call, telling them to do whatever they thought best, but that I refused to pay for fines and fees that THEIR mistakes created. Every step of the process, I was either outright lied to, misled, or ignored, all so they could keep charging me and hope that paying up would be more convenient than the trouble of disputing a debt collections claim. 

Now, in XXXX of XXXX, I am getting calls again from Sunrise XXXX XXXX, and the " amount due '' has only gone up. This is insane, and I refuse to be robbed like this. Please, please help me resolve this issue. I live week to week, and the amount they're trying to extort from me is too high. 

I refused to pay them an account closure fee

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation