Consumer complaint received 2025-05-16 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Other debt
Issue: Electronic communications — Contacted before 8am or after 9pm
Company: Southwest Recovery Services, Inc.
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
Ok so first, your system needs an OTHER option in " what happened '' because you're only covering the most obvious of things. 

This was the closest option " they communicated before XXXX or after XXXX '' even though even this isn't accurate ( email came in at XXXX ) .. but there was NOTHING ELSE I COULD CHOOSE ANYWHERE ON THE WEBSITE THAT FIT! 

So I vacated the property where I had XXXX XXXX 's electric service on XXXX/2025.

I wrote down all the money I owe in my budgeting software, so that I could remember to pay them all back in turn. I went to each website ( or I took it from my email invoice if I couldn't log in ). 

When I logged into my XXXX XXXX account, the dashboard said that the account was closed, Due amount was {$0.00}, and the Make Payment button was greyed out. 

I took that, as you can imagine, as confirmation I owe nothing.Today ( XXXX XXXX, 2025 ) I woke up to an email from a collection agency saying that I owe {$80.00} to XXXX XXXX.So I go to log in, and I see that it still says {$0.00}. I take a screenshot of it. ( Attached in complaint ), and I figure I am going to file a complaint here of debt not owed.But then I think Let me dig a little deeper. I do some investigation in the bills section and look at my invoices and payments, and I notice I have an {$80.00} invoice that comes after the last payment I made.So I discovered I do owe this money. I figure OK I will call up XXXX XXXX and pay them directly, because I have dealt with this collection agency before : My Property Management company tried to charge me a bunch of bogus move-out charges, and I disputed them with the company.The company said if you do not pay within 10 days you get directed to a collection agency.The property manager replied back saying he would look into my disputed charges.. I didnt hear anything then 10 days later I got an email the same as one I got for XXXX XXXX, saying I was referred to collections for the property manager.I emailed him, he said that IT IS AUTOMATIC and that even though I disputed the system automatically referred the debt, and HE WAS ABLE TO REVERSE THE ACTION and ERASE THAT ACCOUNT FROM THE COLLECTION AGENCY. 

He said Id no longer hear from them and the disputes were resolved and Im on a payment plan. 

So I called XXXX XXXX intending to do the same. 

It was clear that I had reached an off-shore call center, the kind where it sounds like a loud party is going on with people laughing and talking. Not sure if the call center was in XXXX XXXX or XXXX but either way I was concerned that since they are not XXXX XXXX I could not fully trust dealing with this issue with them. 

I explained to her what happened and that I am ready to pay XXXX XXXX for the debt right now. I just want to pay the original company because I dont want the debt to show up as a collected debt on my credit report. 

Because I WENT TO THE WEBSITE AND THE WEBSITE TOLD ME I OWE XXXX DOLLARS. 

She said that it shows {$0.00} because when an account is owed like that they sell the debt to a collection agency and then I have to pay the agency.I told her I had dealt with this specific agency before with the property management company and they were able to retract the debt from them and I was paying them directly and it was if it was never in collections. 

At that point it reached the point where I had to file a complaint because if I cant speak to a person who is ON SHORE AT THE COMPANY I dont feel comfortable dealing with this. 

Because this is a critical issue and some subcontractor that is subcontracted to handle a companys phone support that does it for 100 other companies and only knows what they see on a screen is not qualified to solve this problem for me. 
What I want is for them to tell the collection agency they made a mistake and take the debt back, and I will pay them immediately. 

The property manager did this with THE SAME COMPANY. 

I have attached a screenshot of the email from the property manager saying exactly what I said here as proof, and I highlighted the collection agency name so you can see its the same one. 

All I want is for the debt to be removed from the collection agency as described in said evidence, and then I will immediately pay the {$80.00}. 

The only thing I am contesting is the debt being sent to collections coz I had NO IDEA that I owed this. They sent me ONE EMAIL that I was able to find in my email. They never called. And if they did they never left voicemail. 

I cant answer every crackpot number I dont recognize. I think the adage If its important, theyll leave a voicemail. 

And XXXX XXXX XXXX  does this really well, This is XXXX XXXX XXXX with an important message about your wireless service. Please call us back dada dada. 

This is perfectly reasonable, and its not something the agent ( who is not even an employee of XXXX XXXX ) was willing to help me with. 

PS : I have also shared the emails I got from XXXX XXXX about my property manager and XXXX XXXX, you will see they are IDENTICAL except for the company I allegedly owe money to. 

THEY ARE THE SAME COMPANY.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation